Goffman s Contributions On Structures Of Interaction

Goffman is considered a major figure in symbolic interactionism. His experience has been mainly with middle-class conduct in America. His studies on symbolic interactionism and interest in socially constructed self, the distinction between public identity versus the private self, the role of gender in society, and the study of public spaces have remained influential to our social interaction and institutional life. His naturalistic and sociological description makes him very easily accessible. Along with his use of metaphors in sociological theory, we get a clearer picture of how social interaction and institutional life are life. This essay will look at some of Goffman’s contributions on structures of interaction, self, experience and†¦show more content†¦On the other hand, Goffman refers his studies as ‘naturalistic’, featuring an attitude of the observer and a trait of the interaction that is observed. He is particularly interested in social groups of animals, which he applies his theories and thinking into respective social situations. In Goffman’s micro-sociological approach, social interaction has implications on individual’s construction of ‘self’. Goffman explored how one’s representation is built upon social interactions and feedbacks form others. Take one of Goffman’s classic works, Asylums (1961) as example, he studied the characteristics of a mental hospital in Washington and how it impinged upon patients and affected the course of their illness. Patients’ ‘sense of what a person ought to be’ (The Goffman Reader, 1997) are pre-determined and restricted by the substantial suppression of medical staffs, and by constantly getting negative feedback (Gergen and Gergen) from peer-group social intercourse, the patient reconstructs his ‘knowledge’ to follow social norms and expectations. This is also evident in the contemporary society, where through social interaction, ideology and norms are consolidated by collective of individuals. In sch ools, children are expected to wear uniform. Gender norms can be seen by having girls to wear dress and boys to wear trousers as part of uniform. Wearing different uniforms imposes different sets of expectations and experiences on individuals, hence