Dramaturgy and Social Interaction Essay

Introduction

The world is a theatre and when people are born they are impelled onto a stage called everyday life. Their socialization afterward consists of learning and understanding how to enact their assigned roles from other people. This theory of how people live and interact with one another can be explained through the concept of dramaturgy developed by sociologist Erving Goffman (Edgley 2017). According to Goffman, from the day they are born, people become actors in a never-ending play called life (Smith 2013). He believed that people play their roles through interactions and in the company of others and that whatever actions they take or decisions they make, they are enacting some role in the theatre of life. Often times, sociologists have used this concept of social interaction to try and demonstrate why people make certain decisions or act in a particular way by means of comparing them to actors in a theoretical presentation. By comparing people's interactions with actors' performances, this paper will demonstrate how the television show Power illustrates Erving Goffman's concept of dramaturgy.

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The Movie Clip

The movie clip from the television show Power depicts a glamorous New York City lifestyle composed of wealthy and infamous individuals and the underworld of international drug trade. The main character, James "Ghost" St. Patrick, is a wealthy New York night club owner who has it all. He has a beautiful wife and two children, an upcoming nightclub in the city and lives in a gorgeous Manhattan penthouse. His club, Truth, is slowly becoming the favorite nightspot for the rich and the infamous household names that control the city that never sleeps. With his recent success, Mr. St. Patrick plans to build a legitimate business empire that represents his stature in society. However, what most people do not know is that Truth is Mr. St. Patrick's front for a criminal world. He hides an ugly reality of running a remunerative drug network that caters only to the powerful and the wealthy.

Erving Goffman's Concept of Dramaturgy

In his book, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Erving Goffman first discerned between front stages and backstages. According to his theory, the front stage is where people spend most of their everyday life (Schwalbe & Shay 2014). A place where they get the opportunity to deliver their lines and perform with the aim of impressing their audience so that they portray them in a particular manner. Sometimes, however, people are forced to retreat to the backstages of life. Essentially, these are more private areas where people are not frequently judged and do not need to exhibit a particular image (Jenkins 2008). They are more personal times where people do not need to act and are allowed to be themselves as they prepare to resume their front stage lives. Overall, the fact that people act differently in front stages and backstages of their lives is the reason they are considered as actors in the first place (Menand 2009). They tend to exhibit a certain personality on the front stage and show to the audience how well they can present themselves (Gilmore 2014). As a matter of fact, their credibility and reputation rely on the mastery of their performances.

All these different aspects of acting in front stages and backstages can be very closely compared to the performances of Mr. James "Ghost" St. Patrick in Power. On the front stage of his life, for instance, he is a wealthy New York businessman whose night club, Truth, carters for the city's elites including both the rich and the infamous. He is a man who has it all and an entrepreneur who dreams of building an empire. Mr. St. Patrick however, lives a double life. On the backstage of his life, James is a drug kingpin who runs a lucrative drug business with networks throughout the city. It is a place where he faces his reality as a member of the underworld of the international drug trade.

On the front stages, people often use different mechanisms to manipulate others' impressions of themselves. Goffman believed that people have the desire to manipulate what others think of their performances in what he termed as the "impression management" (Solomon, Solomon, Joseph, & Norton 2013, p.196). Since the majority of people's opinions are based on appearance, it is important that one presents himself in the best manner possible when trying to make a good impression (Jones, Potrac, Cushion, & Tore 2010). According to Marson and Powell (2014), some of the mechanisms that people use to manipulate others' impressions of themselves include their appearance, the way they interact with other people, and also their social settings (p. 143).

Appearance

Appearance speaks volumes about one's personality and behavior (Jacobsen and Kristiansen 2014). The first impressions during social interactions are exclusively based on how one looks. The way people dress and how they carry out themselves can reveal a lot about what kind of person they are. Essentially, in movies and even in the real-life scenario where everyone is an actor, it is the costumes that people use to differentiate one performer from another (Whiteside & Kelly 2016). This is because, they are apparent and very revealing especially for first impressions, and can help the audience identify one's internal thought processes no matter the situation (Goffman 1978). For instance, business suits indicate that an individual is employed, focused and an upright citizen regardless of the situation. Similarly, a person wearing a Doctor's Lab Coat may be a doctor or a lab technician, but most certainly, he must be working in a healthcare institution. Also, through costumes, observers can determine what social class an actor comes from, if they are taking care of themselves and what kind of business they are involved in (Peirson-Smith 2013). Ideally, people dress to impress in the front stages of their lives (Ekstrand & Damman 2016). They put on their best costumes and play perfectly the role of an actor they intend to reveal to the world.

Although James "Ghost" St. Patrick is a drug kingpin, he presents himself as a normal businessman leading a legitimized life to the elites of New York City and to his family. He wears classic, tailored outfits in dark or neutral colors which gives him a sophisticated and smart look. When Mr. St. Patrick is in his nightclub surrounded by his friends and business partners, he wears a corporate attire which reveals him as a legit businessman and not a drug kingpin in the underworld international drug trade. At home, he is a loving father and a club owner to his children because that is what he wants their impression of their father to be. On the backstage of his life however, James "Ghost" St. Patrick reveals his true character who wears street clothing and carries firearms. This particular dress code when analyzed would likely show that Mr. St. Patrick does not really prefer corporate attire but only wears them to present himself as a legitimate businessman to his family, to the authorities, and to his nightclub partners.

Manner of Interacting

Besides appearance, observers oftentimes tend to judge actors based on the way they interact with other people. According to Manning (2008), manner denotes how an individual plays a role and functions to caution the audience of how the actor will perform in a role. This means that when interacting with other people the audience will judge performers based on facial expression and gesture. Similarly, one's body language and the personal space they demand when interacting with other people can reveal a lot about them (Smith 2011). For instance, if an individual prefers handshaking when they meet someone for the first time, it reveals a certain level of composure, their attitude as well as their eagerness to meet that person. Even more, an individual's facial expression is often extremely scrutinized by the audience to determine their behavior and the kind of person they are (Handler 2009). For this reason, there should not be a contradiction or inconsistency between an actor's appearance and the manner in which they interact with other people, otherwise it will upset and confuse the audience (Johansson 2009, p.130). For example, an actor should not present himself or herself or behave in a manner that is inconsistent with his perceived social status.

James "Ghost" St. Patrick is a wealthy businessman who has it all, and his actions around his business partners and his family are consistent with his perceived social status. As opposed to usual drug dealers who are dominant, aggressive and insistent, Mr. St. Patrick is calm and receptive. He has a close relationship with his family and often very friendly when interacting with them. This is the same character he exhibits at his nightclub, Truth while hiding the fact that he is violent, aggressive and a murderer. His interactions on the backstage of his life are completely different. He rules the underground drug trade with an iron fist and kills those who go against him with no remorse.

Social Setting

In addition to appearance and the manner in which people interact, the social setting also a mechanism that actors use to manipulate others' impressions of themselves (Nelson 2009). It often includes the props, scenery and the location in which interactions take place (Goffman 2010, p.262.). In many instances in people's everyday life, different settings often come with different audiences, therefore performers are obliged to alter their plays for each setting (Jensen 2010, p.333.). Overall, a social setting can be someone's apartment, workplace, or a friend's home. The way these spaces are organized and the theoretical properties available can reveal a lot about a character. According to Cox (2017), theoretical properties or simply props are tools performers own or use while acting their roles. How these performers decorate their settings and the kinds of props they use can give the audience clues of how they want themselves to be perceived (Scott, HintonSmith, Harma, & Broome 2013, p.425).

Despite being a drug trafficker, James "Ghost" St. Patrick has organized his life to portray that of a legitimate businessman. He lives in a gorgeous Manhattan penthouse with his family, a legal address that is known to the public. Also, he takes his children to good schools just like any parent would. Through these, he presents himself as a family man and not a power-hungry drug lord. Additional, he transacts with legal money and runs a legitimate nightclub business.

Conclusion

The television show Power is an undeniable illustration of Erving Goffman's concept of dramaturgy. All the theatrical presentations and different aspects of acting relate closely to people's everyday lives. No matter the situation, there is always backstage and a front stage where people spend most of their everyday life. People often manipulate what others think of their performances through mechanisms such as appearance, manner of interactions, and also their social settings.

References

Edgley, C., 2017. Life as theater: A dramaturgical sourcebook. Routledge.

Ekstrand, M. and Damman, S., 2016. 'Front and backstage in the workplace: An explorative case study on activity-based working and employee perceptions of control over work-related demands'. Journal of Facilities Management, 14(2), pp.188-202. Available from https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/JFM-10-2015-0029

Gilmore, D.M., 2014. 'Goffman's front stage and backstage behaviors in online education'. Journal of Learning Analytics, 1(3), pp.187-190. Available from https://www.learning-analytics.info/journals/index.php/JLA/article/view/4204

Goffman, E., 2010....