The Real You?

If everyday life is like the stage, then all of us are actors-as Goffman’s article points out But if this is true, then where is the “real” me? If we are all actors in our daily life, then is everyday life really anything more than a “put-on”? Explain what Goffman means by “expression given” and “expressions given off”.

Goffman’s dramaturgical model of human life serves to provide a conceptual framework for one to understand human interaction and life-in-society, but it should be noted that it is just one way to try to understand society, not the only way. While I agree with Goffman’s view that our society consists of actors and observers who play distinct roles, I do not believe the suggestion that everyday life is nothing more than a “put-on”, and that all individuals want to control the conduct of others and intentionally seek to project a certain definition of a situation.  I agree that as a society we employ the use of sign activity in communication, a concept Goffman further clarified through his coined terms, "expressions given" and “expressions given off”.  The former term falling in the traditional, narrow sense of the understanding of communication, which asserts that verbal symbols or substitutes are used in order to convey information known to be attached to those symbols, while the latter is defined as a theatrical, contextual, non-verbal method of communication brought about by an individual’s wide range of actions performed in an attempt to influence the definition of the situation. While I have observed that this behavior does exist in parts of our society, I believe it exists in varying degrees, possibly in concordance with the level of importance an individual places on the need to be liked or admired by others, and not in all places of society, but more so within more surface level type relationships. There must be someone with whom we can feel free to just be our “real” selves. To illustrate, in a healthy relationship of two mutually committed people an agreement must exist between the two involved to reject any definition projection or attempt at control of impression, in order to allow for the sense of safety and trust necessary for the relationship to thrive.

Pencils Out...Scantrons Ready...Get Set...TEST!

I think the best possible approach to learning that the American public education system could implement would be the use of the constructivist approach as the standard method of instruction, with the direct instruction approach serving as a possible supplemental method to aid students who have a learning disability or who could benefit from the additional structure that teacher centered direction provides.  The direct instruction approach was the method used throughout my high school years, which I found to be unproductive and tedious. Sitting still all day and listening to a teacher recite facts left me bored and unmotivated to learn.


It was not until I entered college two summers ago, that I found out I actually love school!  My first positive learning experience was at Palm Beach State College in Professor Fiedler’s American Literature After 1860 class.  Professor Fiedler skillfully utilized the constructivist approach to challenge me to determine what I perceived the lesson of the subject material to be and provide supporting data for my conclusion.  This method of teaching kept me captivated, unlike my previous school experience which did not provide the opportunity to use this type of critical thinking, but instead focused mainly on fact memorization.  I think today our main line school system “teaches to the test”, meaning the emphasis is placed on making sure students can pass the test, instead of focusing on providing students with the opportunity to actively construct their knowledge while being guided by the teacher. 

An earlier exposure to the constructivist approach of learning would have kept me much more interested in school and been much more beneficial, in that it would have better prepared me how to think through future life challenges.  It is my opinion that if teachers were to teach at least a portion of their class in the constructivist method it would be immensely rewarding for the students, and on a larger scale to the future of our society, as today students are tomorrow’s leaders.