The presentation of self in everyday life (A Pelican book)

The presentation of self in everyday life (A Pelican book) by Erving Goffman. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780140213508.

In what the General Practitioner called this intelligent searching work, the author of "Stigma" and "Asylums" presents an analysis of the structures of social encounters from the perspective of the dramatic performance. He shows us exactly how people use such fixed props as houses, clothes, and job situations; how they combine in teams resembling secret societies; and, how they adopt discrepant roles and communicate out of character. Professor Goffman takes us backstage too, into the regions where people both prepare their images and relax from them; and he demonstrates in painful detail what can happen when a performance falls flat.