Non l'ho realmente finito ma molto interessante

Of all Goffman's books, this one has not dated well. The strengths of the research involve exploring the nature of "inappropriate" behaviour. There is also attention the consequences of not abiding by rules. The "regulation of involvement" and "normative assumptions" are well revealed.

The attention to sexuality - and sexual assumptions - is poor. But the regulation of communication is excellent.

"We find that OUT little inhibitions are carefully tied into a network, that the waste products of our serious activities are worked into a pattern, and that this network and this pattern are made to carry important social functions. Surely this is a credit to the thoroughness with which our lives are pressed into the service of society."

WHOA! This book looks so fascinating! When and why is it ok to look in a mirror/at your reflection in a window? How is that gendered? Eye contact--all the subtleties of the rules we follow.

An extremely challenging read. It reads like a human trying to explain to an alien human social behavior in painfully simple terms - assuming the alien understands English. Numerous times I read and rerread the same paragraph only to discover the author was trying to describe an incredibly simple phenomenon. However, at the time, I’m sure the text was very groundbreaking and has no doubt carved a path for future sociologists.

The text outlines the rules for social behavior that we often take for granted. And uses the innovative method of observing mental patients with their aberrant social behavior to highlight what we as a society deem acceptable. In other words, the opposite of whatever they do, is usually the correct way to behave.

As mentioned, these examples are described in an extremely analytical and detached way. Therefore, most of the implications of these findings are left up to the reader.
The book is great reading for social engineers or anyone who wants to reflect on the complex nature of human social behavior. These rules are often overlooked and carried out without reflection. Being aware of these human behaviors can be used for manipulation ( like I said, great book for social engineers), but hopefully for good. Having an understanding for our shared behavior leads to insight which can then foster compassion.

I need to read this book for my thesis.

didnt love this as much as stigma :( a lot of the etiquette parts were pretty dated and i think i wasnt as invested in the subject matter as w stigma…he is very good at breaking things down though and was enjoyable to read his observations for the most part. wish i could have met him

Dit boek geeft een diepgaande analyse van de subtiele dynamieken die ons gedrag in publieke situaties sturen. Goffman laat zien hoe mensen zich bewust en onbewust aanpassen aan sociale verwachtingen, en hoe zelfs alledaagse handelingen, zoals oogcontact of het vermijden van conversatie, onderdeel zijn van een breder sociaal systeem. Het gaat over symbolisch interactionisme. Door de diepgang ook wel taai. Niet echt een aanrader, maar werd veel genoemd in mijn studie, dus wilde het toch eens lezen

You never know when someone is watching your behaviour in public places .. in the 60s a sociologist was observing, noting and published a book! This was Goffman. I have NO idea if I'll write a review of this work one day, but all my notes/citations are available, they can give you 'glimpse' of what this 'report' (as Goffman says) is about. All I can say that the part where Erving highlighted the similarities between disengagement outside mental illnes hospitals and inside them, was one of the strongest part where he asks: do they (workers with mental illnes) condemn such behaviour because they are unacceptable or because they were performed by mental patients? Here, he spot light on the difference between the behaviour and the performer, as well as he distinguished through the whole book between the situation, its expected behaviours and its performers. RIP Goffman!

Just bought this from the thrift store down the street, the one that looks like it smells like cat. The book smells fine though.

Dopo aver letto certi libri... per un po' guardi il mondo in modo diverso.

I was only mildly impressed with this book. The book was about behaviour in public places and I mean it covered a whole lot of public paces from hospitals, to restaurants to cafes to wakes to sports event … it’s pretty comprehensive but in all honesty, there was not that much there that really wowed me in terms of insight! The book had chapters on topics such as involvement, engagements of the face, acquaintances, communication boundaries, regulation of mutual involvement, participation, situational proprieties, tightness and looseness etc. Anyway here are a few of my best bits:
•tThe involvement that an individual sustains in a particular situation Is a matter of inward feeling. Assessment of involvement must and does reply on some kind of outward expression.
•tThus we read in etiquette books that after a death in the family one should not go to dinners of more than 8 people or to fashionable restaurants, the operate, the theatre or the races. The implication is that in all of these settings participants are expected to maintain somewhat of a festive spirit and give themselves up rather extensively to the occasioned involvement. And since a properly downcast person will not be in a position to come out of himself this far he should not go at all.