Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Queer Performance, Owen Coldsnow

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For my project, I decided to make a documentary focusing on the experiences of queer, University of Akron students appropriately called, “The Queer Performance.” As a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, it was particularly important to me to document the unique challenges that queer students have to face. One specific challenge that rings true for me is putting on many different personas in different situations, and I wanted to see how this compared and contrasted with other members of the community. According to Goffman’s Dramaturgical Theory, everyone puts on an act when they are around people, but each of …

Institutional Indifference: Physical And Mental Health Challenges Of Pregnant Inmates, Menolly A. Hollabaugh

Honors Projects

The unprecedented rise in the US incarceration rate is well-documented. However, research into the historic increase in the prison population largely focuses on male prisoners. The dramatic increase in the rate of incarcerated females is often overlooked. This omission is important because women face unique challenges while incarcerated. One of the gendered differences, which affects women, physically and mentally, is pregnancy. This paper examines the current data available on the prevalence of pregnancy amongst female inmates, and data gaps and limitations. Pregnancy is distinctively difficult for incarcerated women as they navigate the stressors of the prison environment while receiving minimal …

Confined Identity: Reexamining Total Institutions, Amber Kalina

Augsburg Honors Review

Social life has great impact on the identity formation of groups and individuals. It is from society that people receive validation for the identities they wish to convey. Typically, individuals have freedom to adopt multiple identities, for different social contexts demand different behaviors. However, there are some places where individuals are restricted to one common identity by authorities. Erving Goffman defines such a location as a total institution. Although Goffman's theory adequately describes the circumstances in the asylum he observed, it is not as applicable to other cases that should theoretically match Goffman's description. This article will address the problem …

Life As Game: A Theory Elaboration, Scott Hemann

Augsburg Honors Review

Throughout history, individuals and groups have attempted to manage how they are seen in the public eye. People usually play interaction games with their audiences in order to make themselves appear more positive and desirable. Some cases, however, include individuals or groups who do not want to fit in, and who do not want to appear desirable. This analysis examines Goffman's theory of impression management with the metaphor, ltfe as game.The theory is applied to two cases of differing orgatizational level-an individual, Malmard James Keenan, and a large, complex organization, the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Theory elaboration is an …

Charicteristics Of Total Institutions In The Merry Pranksters And Augsburg College: A Goffmanian Analysis, Matt Dunn

Augsburg Honors Review

Ken Kesey's classic novel One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest recounts the experiences of R.P. McMurphy, a criminal sentenced to time in a mental hospital. Kesey's illustration of the mental hospital provides the stereotypical view of "institutions." However, many other areas of life go unnoticed as institutions, such as schools or even families or close-knit groups of friends. Despite general unawareness of the extent of institutions, institutions have direct consequences for the identities of individuals that exist within them. In this analysis I will first outline Goffman's theory of total institutions focusing on the general characteristics of total institutions, the …

A Behavior Analytic Translation Of Erving Goffman's Frame Analysis, Tim Chi

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

The sociologist Erving Goffman's 1974 work, "Frame Analysis," is an attempt to account for how people construct and organize meaning in their experiences. The central principle in this approach is that of the frame: An abstractive concept that refers to the totality of environmental events and stimuli exerting some influence on how people behave in a particular setting and time, with respect to the expectations, roles, and norms to be observed.

Though Frame Analysis was developed within the discipline of sociology, it converges in apparently useful ways with the work of clinical psychology, both in its content and epistemology. Goffman's …

Dimensions Of Online/Offline Social Communication: An Extension Of The Hyperpersonal Model, Devin Joseph Kelly

ETD Archive

With the rise of technology it becomes important to measure and analyze the communication patterns that are emerging from these changes. Technologies open up different communication patterns for individuals to use (Tomas & Carlson 2015; Walther, 1996; Wei & Leung, 1999). Thus, this study develops the “ASOHIO” perspective, which incorporates a range of new and old communication patterns, online communication, offline communication, synchronous communication, asynchronous communication, interpersonal communication, and hyperpersonal communication. This work also looks to extend the hyperpersonal model greatly by developing an actual multi-item scale to measure the construct at the individual level. Walther’s (1996) basic description of …

"I Play Golf With My Kids, Not My Colleagues": Politicians, Parenting, And Unpaid Work As A Choice?, Cheryl Najarian Souza

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Through in-depth interviews with thirty women and men politicians, this paper investigates their unpaid work as parents and their paid work. Using Goffman’s (1959) concepts of “front stage” and “back stage” performances, the author argues that the women and men developed strategies to do this work. Decisions about whether or not to run for their first job in politics were gendered. Another finding was that the experiences of their families and the making of public policies were gendered. The women organized their “village” while the men saw their fathering roles in terms of scheduling dad time. Finally, there were differences …

Gendered Self-Presentation On Social Media: A Content Analysis Of Tweets From Unlv Men's And Women's Athletic Teams, Alexandra Nicole White

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

ABSTRACT

This thesis examines how sports teams vary by means of self-presentation on a social media

platform in relation to gender and sport. Building on Erving Goffman’s (1959) constructs of selfpresentation

and operationalizing impression management strategies, this study content analyzed

seven UNLV teams’ Tweets. The analysis spanned from August 2015 to October 2015. Every

Tweet posted, during these three months, from the seven different sporting teams was coded to

compare and contrast the men's teams accounts with the women’s teams accounts, as well as one

account that combines the men’s and women’s team on one Twitter page. The study found …

Every(Day) Identities In Forensics: Performing Identities Within The Constraints Of Intercollegiate Forensics, Julie Louceil Germain Walker

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Goffman's (1959) dramaturgical theory of identity provides a framework for making sense of complicated, mundane identity performances. Through in-depth interviews and focus groups conducted with intercollegiate forensic co-culture members, the current research builds on Goffman's dramaturgical theory of identity. Crystallization-based analysis showed identity performances are situated within one another like Russian matroyshka (nesting) dolls. Co-cultural expectations produce multi-level professionalism expectations, and overlapping co-cultures mean individuals manage conflicting conventions. Implications are offered for the forensics community, other co-cultures, and identity scholars.

If There Were A Nobel Prize For Sociology And/Or Social Psychology, Goffman Would Deserve To Be The First One Considered, Thomas Schelling

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Dr. Thomas Schelling, professor emeritus a Harvard University, wrote this memoir at the request of Dmitri Shalin and approved posting the present version in the Erving Goffman Archives.

My Father And Erving Made A Number Of Trips To Nevada To Play Blackjack, Dan Cisin

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Dan Cisin, son of Dr. Ira Cisin who taught statistics at the University of California, Berkeley, in the 1960’s, wrote this memoir for the Erving Goffman Archives at the request of Dmitri Shalin and approved posting the present version on the web.

The End Of The World (Eotw) Scientist And The Framing Of Science In Science Fiction Films From 1950 To 2010, Jennifer Naoko Lui

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The current study looks at scientists in End of the World (EOTW) films spanning from 1950 to 2010 through stereotypes and gender roles. Eighteen films, 12 representing EOTW films and 6 that are considered “regular” science fiction films, were analyzed in terms of Goffman’s (1976) 6 aspects, first introduced in Gender Advertisements, as well as aspects of visual and textual frame analysis. The analysis of these films provided a way to look at the portrayal of scientists in EOTW films and add to the limited body of literature on this particular sub-genre of film.

Previous research identified that scientists were …

Inequality And Involvement: Participatory Trends In The Politics Of A Rural Maine Town, Shelby O'Neill

Honors Theses

Interdisciplinary research suggests that participation in most forms of political activity in the United States is stratified by socioeconomic status. People with higher socioeconomic statuses are more able and willing to participate in politics than people with lower socioeconomic statuses. This participatory inequality amplifies the political voice of the upper class relative to the lower class. However, little academic attention has been paid to analyzing the impact of socioeconomic inequality on participation in local politics. By analyzing participatory trends in the politics of the rural town of Belgrade, ME, this honors thesis fills a gap in the academic literature on …

Smartphones And Face-To-Face Interactions: Extending Goffman To 21st Century Conversation, Omar Bradley Ictech Ii

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Smartphone is a technological innovation that has transformed for the better how billions of people live by enabling them to transcend time and space to remain socially connected to potentially millions of others despite being thousands of miles apart. Although smartphones help people connect from a distance, there has been much concern about how they affect face-to-face interactions. This study explored, drawing on Goffmanian concepts, how and why smartphones affect face-to-face encounters. The findings show there are three types of smartphone cross-talk: exclusive, semi-exclusive, and collaborative. With the addition of smartphone play and solo smartphone activity, interactants can engage …

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Angelo A. Alonzo About Erving Goffman Entitled "I Asked Goffman If He Had Time And He Said “No” But If I Wanted To Talk As He Ran A Couple Of Errands On Telegraph Ave I Was Welcome To Come Along", Angelo A. Alonzo

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Dr. Angelo A. Alonzo, professor of sociology at the Ohio State University and Yale University, wrote this memoir for the Erving Goffman Archives at the request of Dmitri Shalin and approved posting the present version on the web.

Facing The Idea That Facebook Faces Us Towards Narcissism, Adam Forsberg

Masters Theses

Since its creation in 2004, Facebook has experienced tremendous growth and success, allowing users to communicate and share their life with people all over the world. Facebook is used to share information with others and allows users to show their friends what is happening in their lives. Erving Goffman developed face management theory as a way to explain how and why people preserve and maintain their public self image. This study applies Goffmans theory of face management to develop an understanding of how Facebook is used and specifically whether Facebook use influences narcissistic tendencies in its users. The researcher surveyed …

What Does Performance Theory Have To Teach Us About The Treatment Of Severe And Persistent Mental Illness (Spmi) In Prison?, Kaley Joanne Raskin

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Deinstitutionalization of psychiatric hospitals, which occurred in the 1970's, led to an overwhelming number of mentally ill individuals within jails and prisons. In fact, correctional facilities have become the mainline providers of mentally ill inmates; however, these facilities' primary form of intervention is psychotropic medication. Although beneficial in some instances, when viewed through the lens of Goffman's theories of performance and stigma, simply providing medication promotes the role of mental patient. Arguably, within correctional facilities, medication management assists in maintaining security in the institution (i.e., external change); however, this prohibits the inmate from internal change, which might otherwise be facilitated …

Goffman, Simmel, And Chicago, Horst J. Helle

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

In summary, it seems that EG’s Frame Analysis deserves much more attention from our discipline as does the theoretical work of Georg Simmel.

Dmitri Shalin Interview With J. David Sapir About Erving Goffman Entitled "Seeing The Photographs Erving Said, "Do You Think That Those Pictures Say Anything About Reality? Absolutely Not. . ."", J. David Sapir

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

This memoir is written by Dr. J. David Sapir, Professor Emeritus at the Department of Anthropology, Virginia University, and it posted in the Goffman Archives with his permission. The extended paper from which this excerpt is taken can be found on this page,http://people.virginia.edu/~ds8s/WE-documentarystyle.pdf.

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Donald Levine About Erving Goffman Entitled "Remembering Erving Goffman", Donald Levine

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Remembering Erving Goffman

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Peter Archibald About Erving Goffman Entitled "“If You Are Such A Great Sociologist, Why Are You Still In Canada?” My Encounter With Erving Goffman", Peter Archibald

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Dr. Peter Archibald, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the McMaster University, wrote this memoir at the suggestion of Tony Puddephatt and the request of Dmitri Shalin and gave his permission to post the present version in the Erving Goffman Archives.

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Vincent Colapietry About Erving Goffman Entitled "Remembering Erving Goffman", Vincent Colapietro

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Notes from Vincent Colapietro

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Laurel Richardson About Erving Goffman Entitled "When I Told The Group I Was The Daughter Of A Jewish Woman Who Emigrated From Russia, Goffman Said, “So That Explains Why You Are So Smart”", Laurel Richardson

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Dr. Laurel Richardson sent this note about her encounter with Erving Goffman on January 4, 2014, and gave her approval for adding it to the Goffman Archives.

Goffman And The Infantilization Of Elderly Persons: A Theory In Development, Stephen M. Marson, Rasby M. Powell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Infantilization is a behavioral pattern in which a person of authority interacts with, responds to, or treats an elderly person in a child-like manner. This paper uses Erving Goffman’s theories as a framework from which to analyze the reasons for and the results of infantilization of elderly residents in partial and total institutions (i.e., adult day care centers and nursing homes). First, we review the literature on infantilization. Next, we offer a brief summary of Goffman’s work and delineate his major theoretical assumptions. Then, we analyze the process of infantilization through Goffman’s theories. Finally, we offer suggestions for advancing research …

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Peter Miller About Erving Goffman Entitled "The Perilous Journey Of The Self And The Salvation Of Private Life: Reflections From Dmitri Shalin's 'Interfacing Biography, Theory And History: The Case Of Erving Goffman'", Peter Miller

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Notes from Peter Miller

Erving Seemed Surprised At How Little “Power” Came With The Asa Presidency, And Noted That The Position Of Secretary Carried Much More Clout, James F. Short

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Dr. James F. Short, Professor Emeritus at the Washington State University, wrote this memoir at the request of Dmitri Shalin and gave his permission to post it in the Erving Goffman Archives.

All The Web's A Stage: The Dramaturgy Of Young Adult Social Media Use, Jaime R. Riccio

Theses - ALL

This study presents an in-depth, qualitative examination of dramaturgy in young adult interactions on the social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter. The dramaturgical perspective introduced by Erving Goffman in the study of sociology and symbolic interactionism is applied to a new media setting, wherein the interpersonal interactions of users are influenced by a mass media context. The author ventures into the field of dramaturgy as part of a broader sphere of hyperdramatic acculturation that millennials are growing up in, with constant access to one another through social media and the prevalence of dramatic and attention-seeking behaviors in entertainment media. A …

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Edward Tiryakian About Erving Goffman Entitled "Parsons Was About 5'6" Or 5'5" But When He Started To Speak, He Got To Be Six Feet Five", Edward Tiryakian

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

This interview with Edward Tiryakian, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Duke University, was recorded on August 23, 2011, at the Mediterranean Café in Las Vegas. Dmitri Shalin transcribed the interview, after which Dr. Tiryakian edited the transcript and approved posting the present version in the Goffman Archives. Breaks in the conversation flow are indicated by ellipses. Supplementary information and additional materials inserted during the editing process appear in square brackets. Undecipherable words and unclear passages are identified in the text as “[?]” The interviewer’s questions are shortened in places.

Social Control Techniques In College Athletics: An Application Of Goffman And Foucault, Kendall M. Rainey

Doctoral Dissertations

College athletics originated as a recess from academic demands and were originally organized by students, yet faculty took over supervision to address safety, professionalism, and academic integrity (Hawkins, 2010). This evolution led to the formation of athletic departments and a governing body (Shulman & Bowen, 2001; Hawkins, 2010). Thus, demonstrating a historical element of social control in the motives of sporting establishments; however, official aims such as character building are typically espoused (Shulman & Bowen, 2001), or as Goffman (1961) states, “the reformation of inmates in the direction of some ideal standard” (p. 74). Examination of the use of available …