Dramaturgy: The Mask That We Wear to Get Acceptance by Society
“We are all just actors trying to control and manage our public image, we act based on how others might see us.”
Erving Goffman
Human in practice are indeed called social beings. In comparisons with any other life creature in the world, we are conversant at utilizing systems of communication for self-expression, the exchange of ideas, organization, and as such have created complex interaction social composed of many cooperating and competing groups.
In order to make a smooth social interactions and to be accepted in what we called as a “society life”, we use different masks to play pretend and performing our different roles which based on the social environment and circumstances that we live in. A sociological theory express that theatre and drama have the same meaning with human social interaction in everyday life called Dramaturgy. An American sociologist Erving Goffman developed the concept of dramaturgy in his 1959 book, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, the idea that life is like a never-ending play in which people are actors. First when we were born, we are thrust onto a stage called everyday life, and that our socialization consists of learning how to play our assigned roles from other people. We enact our roles in the company of others, who are in turn enacting their roles in interaction with us. It is like every single things we do, we are playing out some role on the stage of life and what others see as a “person's true self” are basically a contrived set of behaviors and props used to “complete the performance”.
Goffman’s Front Stage and Back Stage
The behavior of "front stage" defines on how we behave and interact when we know that others are aware and watching us. The front stage includes, setting, personal front (self-appearance) and expressive equipment (tools for expressing themselves). The behavior of the front stage reflects our behavior partially shaped by the setting, the particular role we play within it, and our physical appearance. How we participate in a front stage performance can be highly intentional and purposeful, or it can be habitual or subconscious. Either way, front stage behavior typically follows a routinized and learned social script shaped by cultural norms.
Contrarily, the “back stage” behavior is what we do when no one's looking and there are no audiences around where we arrange all the hidden activities to complete the success of acting or the appearance of self in the front stage. How we behave in back stage is freed from the expectations that shape our behavior when we are in front stage. We are often more relaxed, comfortable and take off our mask in back stage. We let our guard down, and we might be what we consider our uninhibited or "true" selves. We cast off equipment of our appearance required for a front stage performance.
For example, this morning, before I go to the class, preparing to absorb any knowledge from the lecturer, I sat in front of my desk in dormitory with a cup of coffee in my pajamas, which that is I considered as my back stage. However, for my front stage, due to the fact that I have to attend the class this afternoon, so I need to get dressed with a proper and way nicer clothes. Not to forget that, I need to play pretend to be excited listening the lesson while deep down I am mentally still drowning in last night’s unfinished TV series.
Why Using “Mask” in Society is Necessary?
Nowadays, human life in socializing, expressing opinions and interacting in social environment is increasingly complex. Especially in terms of self-presentation or how important we need to use masks in everyday life and behave in public by not being ourselves. One of the most common reasons we wear masks is the fear that the world is going to find out who we really are. The description as feeling like a fraud in everyday life because it is not basically what we really want or who we truly are, but we become what the society need us to be.
Let's take an example. There is a lawyer who specializes in divorce cases, he has a front stage that requires him to always look strong, decisive and think positive about everything. Every time he goes to work, of course he should look neat wearing clean shirt, tie or even suit. He must have a good appearance, proficient at speaking and every sentences he says must convince many people. On the front stage, he wears a mask which shows that he is a great lawyer who totally devoid of any problems in his life. But in the back stage, he has a son at home and he got divorced with his ex-wife two years ago.
With that example, every day, he wears a mask and pretend his household is perfectly fine in order for him to be trusted and well accepted in his front stage and the social interaction will run smoothly in society. If he present his back stage to his front stage, the table is going to flip. People won’t bother to use his services as a lawyer due to his troubled household. The society will assess with "How he can take care of other people's divorce cases while his own household life is no better than his clients?" from that, the concept of dramaturgy is really necessary to be applying at every levels of society, according to the time and place where the person is located. Every person conditions themselves based on the concept of dramaturgy according to their desired goals.
Implementation of Dramaturgy in Everyday Life
Learning and applying the concept of dramaturgy theory can provide benefits in order to help understand the process of social interaction and its application in the context of interpersonal communication, organizational communication, intercultural communication and media review. Because by understanding the theory of dramaturgy, we can learn how to present ourselves in the right way when we face the society. Everyone uses their respective masks according to what kind of goals that their environment and their self needs to reach, beside the social interaction will be run very well if every person know what they are doing.
