Erving Goffman
Erving Goffman (1922–1982) was a Canadian sociologist and social theorist whose pioneering analyses of everyday interaction, self-presentation, and the dramaturgical structure of social life have had a foundational impact on psychoanalytic theory, particularly in the work of Jacques Lacan. Goffman's concepts of the presentation of self, stigma, and frame analysis provided a structural and symbolic vocabulary for understanding the ego, the imaginary, and the symbolic order, enabling psychoanalysis to theorize the performative and social dimensions of subjectivity.
| Erving Goffman | |
|---|---|
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Erving Goffman, theorist of everyday interaction and the dramaturgical model of the self
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| Identity | |
| Lifespan | 1922–1982 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Epistemic Position | |
| Tradition | Sociology, Symbolic Interactionism |
| Methodology | Micro-sociology, Social Theory |
| Fields | Sociology, Social Psychology, Communication, Anthropology |
| Conceptual Payload | |
| Core Concepts | Presentation of Self, Frame Analysis, Stigma, Dramaturgy, Face-work
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| Associated Concepts | Symbolic order, Imaginary, Other, Subject, Identification, Mask |
| Key Works | The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1956), Stigma (1963), Frame Analysis (1974), Interaction Ritual (1967) |
| Theoretical Cluster | Subjectivity, Symbolic Order, Ego |
| Psychoanalytic Relation | |
| Goffman's theorization of self-presentation, social roles, and the dramaturgical structure of everyday life provided a structural model for understanding the ego and the symbolic mediation of subjectivity, which Lacanian psychoanalysis appropriated and transformed. His concepts of stigma and face-work offered a sociological vocabulary for the negotiation of desire, recognition, and the gaze, central to psychoanalytic theory. Goffman's work enabled psychoanalysis to articulate the social and performative dimensions of psychic life beyond the clinic. | |
| To Lacan | Lacan drew on Goffman's dramaturgical model to elaborate the symbolic and imaginary registers of the ego, especially in relation to the mask, the Other, and the scene of recognition. |
| To Freud | Goffman's analysis of everyday rituals and the management of stigma resonates with Freud's theory of the ego, repression, and the social mediation of desire, though Goffman did not directly engage Freud. |
| Referenced By | Jacques Lacan, Slavoj Žižek, Judith Butler, Anthony Giddens
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| Lineage | |
| Influences | Georg Simmel, Emile Durkheim, Alfred Schutz, Talcott Parsons
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| Influenced | Jacques Lacan, Judith Butler, Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, Anthony Giddens, Slavoj Žižek
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Intellectual Context and Biography
Goffman's intellectual trajectory unfolded at the intersection of sociology, anthropology, and social psychology, with a distinctive emphasis on the micro-structures of everyday life and the symbolic mediation of social interaction.
Early Formation
Goffman was educated in Canada and the United States, studying sociology and anthropology. His early intellectual formation was shaped by the Chicago School of sociology, particularly the symbolic interactionism of George Herbert Mead and Herbert Blumer, as well as the phenomenological sociology of Alfred Schutz.[1] Goffman was also influenced by the formal sociology of Georg Simmel and the Durkheimian tradition of ritual and social solidarity.
Major Turning Points
Goffman's major works emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, beginning with The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, which introduced his dramaturgical model of social interaction. Subsequent works such as Stigma, Interaction Ritual, and Frame Analysis deepened his analysis of the social construction of identity, the management of deviance, and the organization of experience. Throughout his career, Goffman maintained a critical distance from both structural functionalism and grand theory, focusing instead on the situated practices and rituals that constitute social reality.[2]
Core Concepts
Goffman's theoretical contributions center on the analysis of everyday interaction, the construction of self, and the symbolic organization of social life.
Presentation of Self
Goffman's most influential concept is the presentation of self, articulated through the dramaturgical metaphor. He argued that individuals perform roles in everyday life as actors on a stage, managing impressions and constructing identities through gestures, language, and ritualized conduct.[3] This model foregrounds the symbolic and performative dimensions of the ego, prefiguring psychoanalytic accounts of the imaginary and the mask.
Dramaturgy and Face-work
Goffman's dramaturgical analysis extends to the concept of face-work, the strategies individuals employ to maintain social dignity and avoid embarrassment. Social interaction is structured by rituals of deference and demeanor, which regulate the boundaries between self and other.[4] The notion of "face" resonates with psychoanalytic theories of narcissism, the gaze, and the negotiation of desire.
Stigma
In Stigma, Goffman analyzed the management of spoiled identity, focusing on how individuals with socially devalued attributes navigate recognition, shame, and exclusion. Stigma is not merely a psychological phenomenon but a structural feature of social interaction, implicating the symbolic order and the processes of identification and exclusion.[5]
Frame Analysis
Goffman's frame analysis explores how individuals organize experience and interpret events through socially constructed frames. Frames are cognitive and symbolic structures that define the boundaries of meaning, action, and reality.[6] This concept anticipates psychoanalytic accounts of the symbolic order and the structuring of subjectivity by language and discourse.
Relation to Psychoanalysis
Goffman's influence on psychoanalysis is primarily structural and mediated, rather than direct. While he did not engage Freud or Lacan explicitly, his concepts provided a sociological and symbolic framework that Lacanian theory appropriated and transformed.
Structural Influence on Lacan
Lacan's theory of the ego, the imaginary, and the symbolic order draws on Goffman's dramaturgical model of self-presentation and the management of appearances.[7] The notion of the mask, the scene, and the Other in Lacan's work resonates with Goffman's analysis of the self as a performed and mediated construct. Lacan's emphasis on the symbolic mediation of subjectivity, the gaze, and the scene of recognition can be read as a psychoanalytic transformation of Goffman's interactional sociology.
Mediation through Social Theory
Goffman's influence on psychoanalysis was also mediated by the broader reception of symbolic interactionism and micro-sociology in French theory. Figures such as Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault, who engaged both Goffman and psychoanalysis, contributed to the integration of Goffman's concepts into psychoanalytic discourse.[8] Judith Butler's theory of performativity, indebted to both Goffman and Lacan, exemplifies this mediated transmission.
Resonances with Freud
While Goffman did not directly cite Freud, his analysis of the ego, repression, and the management of desire in social interaction parallels Freudian themes. The rituals of face-work and the negotiation of stigma echo Freud's account of the ego's defensive operations and the social mediation of the drives.[9]
Reception in Psychoanalytic Theory
Goffman's work has been widely cited and reinterpreted by psychoanalytic theorists, especially within the Lacanian tradition. Jacques Lacan referenced Goffman's dramaturgical model in his seminars, using it to illustrate the symbolic and imaginary dimensions of the ego and the scene of recognition.[10] Slavoj Žižek has drawn on Goffman's analysis of everyday rituals to theorize the symbolic order and the function of the mask in ideology.[11] Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity integrates Goffman's dramaturgical analysis with Lacanian psychoanalysis to articulate the performative constitution of subjectivity.[12]
Debates persist regarding the compatibility of Goffman's micro-sociological approach with the structuralist and linguistic orientation of Lacanian psychoanalysis. Some critics argue that Goffman's focus on interaction underestimates the unconscious and the structural determination of subjectivity, while others see his work as providing a necessary supplement to psychoanalytic theory by foregrounding the social and performative dimensions of psychic life.[13]
Key Works
- The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1956): Introduces the dramaturgical model of social interaction, analyzing the performative construction of the self and the management of impressions. This work provided a structural model for Lacanian accounts of the ego and the imaginary.
- Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity (1963): Examines the social processes of exclusion, shame, and the negotiation of deviant identities, resonating with psychoanalytic theories of the Other and the symbolic order.
- Interaction Ritual: Essays on Face-to-Face Behavior (1967): Explores the rituals and strategies of face-work, linking the management of self to the symbolic economy of recognition and desire.
- Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience (1974): Develops the concept of frames as symbolic structures that organize perception and meaning, anticipating psychoanalytic accounts of the symbolic order and the structuring of subjectivity.
Influence and Legacy
Goffman's legacy in psychoanalysis lies in his structural and symbolic analysis of everyday life, which enabled psychoanalytic theory to articulate the performative, social, and ritual dimensions of subjectivity. His concepts of self-presentation, stigma, and frame analysis have been integrated into Lacanian theory, feminist psychoanalysis, and critical theory. Goffman's influence extends beyond psychoanalysis to anthropology, communication studies, and contemporary philosophy, shaping debates on the construction of identity, the politics of recognition, and the symbolic mediation of social life.
See also
References
- ↑ Shalin, D. N. "Goffman as Symbolic Interactionist: The Social Construction of Self and Situation." American Sociological Review.
- ↑ Smith, G. "Erving Goffman." In Key Sociological Thinkers, edited by R. Stones.
- ↑ Goffman, E. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.
- ↑ Goffman, E. Interaction Ritual.
- ↑ Goffman, E. Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity.
- ↑ Goffman, E. Frame Analysis.
- ↑ Ragland-Sullivan, E. Jacques Lacan and the Philosophy of Psychoanalysis.
- ↑ Winkin, Y. Erving Goffman: Les moments et leurs hommes.
- ↑ Freud, S. The Ego and the Id.
- ↑ SEMINAR_XI (Work not recognized)
- ↑ Žižek, S. The Sublime Object of Ideology.
- ↑ Butler, J. Gender Trouble.
- ↑ Frosh, S. Identity Crisis: Modernity, Psychoanalysis and the Self.