Thinking Allowed Erving Goffman - a special programme
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Jun 7, 2019 Groundbreaking sociologist Erving Goffman is explored in this special program. Guests discuss his ideas on performative human behavior, embarrassment in social interactions, total institutions, stigma, frame analysis, and the power of everyday interaction rules.
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The Interaction Order Matters
- Goffman's key contribution is the 'interaction order' — social organization in face-to-face encounters.
- He argues everyday encounters are systematically patterned and deserve focused study.
Total Institutions Compress Life
- A 'total institution' encloses all aspects of life — work, sleep, play — within one setting.
- Goffman shows this leads to planned activities and erosion of individual identity.
Mortification Of The Self
- Goffman describes 'mortification of the self' where institutional processes strip prior identities.
- Uniform treatment and loss of personal props produce standardized institutional identities.