Are we all actors and actresses? How do we act in everyday
life?
Of course, we are conditioned early on by family, friends, and
then school to present ourselves in certain ways at various times of our lives.
The saying "he wears different hats" comes to mind and the visuals
of, for instance, the dress of mall walkers, church goers, businessmen, or
baseball players speaks volumes. We wear costumes in this society and costumes throughout
history predispose a society to "act" or fall into dramaturgy.
Impression management (attempting to manage the impression others have of you),
front and back stage presence (what the audience sees and our true beliefs and
feelings respectively), embarrassment, and face saving work (attempts to back pedal
and "fix the error), all fall into step with styles of performance. So, do
we believe that all interaction is solely for the gain of our status in life? Do
we then conclude that all achieved status earned is based on how well that individual
learned how to "act" in societal situations? I suppose every different
category of Sociologist will give a percentage based slant, but it does lay a foundation.
Stephanie Haile
No comments:
Post a Comment