Sociology 2271A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Impression Management, Mental Disorder, Erving Goffman

• School: Western University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: Sociology 2271A/B
• Professor: Katherine Pendakis

Document Summary

Studied sociology at the university of toronto. Taught at u of chicago until his death at 60. Defied social norms and shed light on how they are constructed. Studied the everyday lives of marginalized groups. Interesting aspects of his life: single parent, heavy gambler: theorizing social life as a theater, understanding stigma, understanding total institutions. How is social life like the theater? (cid:862)ritualized perfor(cid:373)a(cid:374)(cid:272)e(cid:863) Theatre is a metaphor for social life. Social life is a performance by social actors: different social roles, scripted performance, various stages/ social scenarios, surrounded by identifiable props. Just as on stage, the success of a performance is contingent on your audience. Just like the theater, therefore, there is a ritualized, predictable aspect of social life the more ritualized the performance, the less symbolic labour (less interpretation) required. Social role: pattern of behaviors deemed appropriate that are attached to a specific status.