Tuesday, April 7, 2009

In Yo' Face!

Throughout Goffman's work we continue on hearing this idea that our impressions need to be managed and that we present or have different kinds of selves. Dramaturgy is the understanding or an attempt to understand how social encounters can be compared to as a dramatic stage (Allan, 2007). We have different identities and everywhere but in the privacy of our home we are always acting. Goffman claims that we although may come real close to a loved one (as in the case of marriage) we still put on a face when in presense of them. We are only our true selves when we are alone at home. This idea sets me up to question, If I am alone right now at home, I am working on this blog for a letter grade.... am I my true self or am I simply using a specific face that allows me to write so "eloquently" (this is a joke by the way) in this language to induce your responses? And you, taking the time to read and complete your duty as a student, at home, "alone", are you wearing a mask or is it your true self?

4 comments:

  1. I think for me, I find that I am more myself when I am at home (regardless if I am by myself or in the presence of my family). I find it a whole lot easier to mask myself when I am at school or work because usually my encounters with people are on a very limited basis. People are too concerned with how others might portray them that they act a certain way that is not truely themselves. I am not talking about myself per se (because I could care less about what others think about me) but it is just what I have seen and encountered throughout my existence.

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  2. I think of not being myself still, sometimes when I'm in class I think twice when asking a question or making a coment. Theres always this fear of being wrong or being judged by classmates and professors

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  3. I believe that as college students, besides trying to get good grades, we like to comment on blogs such as this one in order to challege ourselves and others as well. Of course, on a daily basis our behavior tends to change depending where we are who is with us. For instance, we cannot say that our behavior is the same while in school than while we are surrounded by our closest friends. To begin with, our vocabulary changes drastically, especially because during class we cannot interact with the faculty and with the classmates like we do with our friends on a daily basis. In addition, while we are at home, our behavior changes as well since we tend to be more respectful with our parents. But besides our volatile personalities, one can say that human behavior also changes depending the culture surrounding the individual, and those changes already mentioned (while at school, with our friends and with the family) will definitely vary depending the cultural background of one. Finally, I believe that when someone is alone, that person still acts, because even though there might be desires, that person will not always turn those desires into a reality.

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  4. I think that I’m ‘wearing a mask’ even though I’m all by myself in my apartment, just because of the fact that I’m still trying to formulate the right sentence or for a sentence to make sense because I know that other people will read this, this is just a form of us communicating which still consists of us making a good impression. However, I do believe that I understand this particular topic, I would still have a response like this if no one were to hear or read it, so I guess I’m being my true self to a certain extent I would probably just use less ‘big’ words.

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