goffmans dramaturgical approach

Goffman’s Dramaturgical approach theory was inspired by William Shakespeare’s writings in which Shakespeare say’s “totus mundus agit histrionem,” which are Latin for “All the world is a theatre”. In his theory, Goffman views individuals as actors in society where “interactions are viewed as performances” (Barnhart, A.D.,) the individual attempts to create an impression on the world in which these impressions “exist regardless of the mental state of the individual” (Barnhart, A.D.,) meaning, how the individual acts is not entirely voluntary but also involuntary. Social structure refers to “ the people in a society considered as a system organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships” (the free dictionary) To explain social structures using aspects of his theories would incline us to look more into social interactions and how an individual conducts themselves when confronting other human beings.
Goffman’s theory has two stages, the “front stage” and the “back stage” (Barnhart, A.D.,); The former being where the individual sets impressions on society or creates a character of themselves that they would want society to know them by, the later being the true self where we practise how to conduct ourselves in social interactions and relax from all the “acting” (Barnhart, A.D.,). These two aspects of his theory are where this essay will focus on.
In the Family one may refer to a shona proverb “chakafukidza dzimba matenga” meaning what is in the home is covered by the roof. From this the shona culture is attempting to explain that what you see on “stage” in certain families is not the reality. This proverb explains how many will not allow people to see their problems and will rather act so that society believes they are of a certain kind. This reveals Goffman’s theory of dramatization as applicable to social structures such as family in that they act in a certain way to con or deceive the masses into thinking of them in a certain manner- impression management