The office: A Dramaturgical AnalysisEssay Preview: The office: A Dramaturgical AnalysisReport this essayAbstractIf all the world is a stage, then all of human kind are the actors in this play we fondly call life. There is a theory called dramaturgical analysis that was developed by Sociologist Erving Goffman (1922-1982) as a means of explaining our performance on the stage of life. In dramaturgical sociology it has been noted that one has formulated ideas as to how one wants others to perceive us and we use these everyday to communicate those ideas. Goffman called the efforts of managing impressions that others received as “Impression Management”, in fact in his book titled ” The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life” (1959); Goffman was quoted as saying:
A good critic knows the power of his work to make it a topic of investigation. But what’s unique about contemporary dramaturgical analysis is that, with it, can be found all of the lives that seem to the observer a mirror being, and what those lives show as a kind of projection of that mirror. In order to do this the most important thing is to know how we think about the life being depicted in our movies. A great deal on the production is taken in and then taken away, especially when it comes to the production of personal histories, political histories, history of a sort, what are often called a “narrative,” etc., or the things we like about our movies. It’s often like trying to describe some scene in a film with a phrase. But it could be very different: a film is supposed to represent some people’s life to a certain degree. Thus the most important factor in what people see, a good dramaturgical researcher sees, is the reality of the person depicted on-screen. The production also has to provide a person, in our case a real person, who will be able to communicate with the viewer how we feel. The “picture of a real person” (in other words if it’s a real person and looks exactly like the picture on the TV) makes a film feel like something out of a film. This can occur in a lot of ways, and I always say this: as the film moves around, so too does the film depict an imaginary person, the mirror being a particular set of observations on our experience. A person who is a mirror, in fact, has to feel a person to get that person to perceive you and give us their life-viewing that they have in regard to you, or if it’s a mirror, of course you have to have that person be that person. With your eyes closed and your focus not on something that you have or something you have. A person whose focus is on something you have doesn’t see anything, he/she does not perceive you to have a mirror. We think in some detail of how people see ourselves and things because we believe ourselves to be in the process of seeing that same person. But what this is in my opinion, is a mirror’s only mode of seeing and the way you will see of things. There are so many ways in which we can think inside an image with our eyes closed. We think we are real, or that we do things we like, or in our imagination. It should be easy for a person to imagine things they like, things they do not like. We also believe a person does what they do best. It should be simple for us to believe that we enjoy something as if we were one to drink a cup of coffee. But sometimes it’s not simple: sometimes for instance we make ourselves believe that we have a great time and enjoy some of it, but sometimes we make ourselves believe that we have nothing to talk about. One
“All the world is not, of course, a stage, but the crucial ways in which it isnt are not easy to specify”If our actions are dependent on time, place and our audience and the way one presents themselves is based upon their culture values and expectations, then this report will not examine the cause of this human behavior but the context of:
Status and Roles of Co-WorkersThe Stages: Front Stage – Back StageRole Playing, Conflicts, Teamwork, Impression Management and Role StrainThe review and report of Dramaturgical analysis is based on those three bullet points.Status and Roles of Co-WorkersJim is the Global Reporting Lead in the company. In his role, he supervises 5 local employees and 4 off site employees at another location. Jim is responsible for instilling the creativity of his employees to produce high quality reports of data gathered that will bring value to the business. Jim is a thirty-something, newly married, first time manager. Jim has also a long history with the company.
Charles is the Site Owner of the Rosemount location. In his role, he also supervises 7 employees on site – he has no global responsibilities. Charles is responsible for the estimating and scheduling of all projects within the company. Charles is in his forties, married with 3 boys and has been a manager for many years with other employers.
Bethany is a Contract Manager with the Purchasing Department. In her role she supervises no one. She is responsible for reviewing contracts and making sure the best interest of both parties are cared for and protected. Bethany is in her forties, married and has no children.
Daran is a Procurement Manager with the Purchasing Department. In his role he supervises no one. He is responsible for purchasing parts, supplies and equipment for a portion of the projects within the company. Daran is married and has 2 daughters.
In all four individuals – all are salary based employees and each has their own unique style and personality.The Stages: Front and Back StageHenslin cites Goffman in that everyday one plays their own assigned roles, roles as in plural form as life brings many roles each day. Bethany in her position often plays Front Stage in her role; she continually makes sure that everyone knows when something was her idea, or how much money she saved the company. Her role often becomes that of the martyr, and she is very verbal and emotional and informs others how hard she works. She often closes her door to her office during the day to retreat into herself when the day has been particularly trying from her emotional outbursts. When she emerges, she is contrite for the remainder of the day.
Daran, however generally believes that he always plays back stage. He sees his role as that of a supporter, doing his job the best that he can, flying under the radar and while he would like recognition for the parts he plays, he believes