The term "dramaturgy" is, at first sight, associated to drama (theatre) but it was also borrowed in sociology in the sense that we imagine ourselves as directors of a play observing thoroughly what happens in the "theatre" (the play would be our own lives and the theatre, the different contexts in which we find ourselves on a daily basis.
In the study of dramaturgy from the sociological perspective, it is believed that typical human interactions have elements such as plot (events in the story), characters (person, animal, or figure represented in the story), time (when the events take place), place (where the events take place) and audience (the observers) just like any piece of drama. For instance, if we think of a typical family interaction in which your two brothers are arguing about some household chores during the dinner in front of all the family members, we could analyse this situation in "dramaturgical terms". The plot would be a heated discussion among two brothers. The characters would be the family members (mum, dad, narrator and the two brothers as the main characters). The place in this case is the house, specifically the dining room as they are having dinner. The time is the evening (dinner time) and the audience is the rest of the family which is just observing the situation
Answer:
Dramaturgy in sociology refers to comparing our lives to stories, or our daily lives can be resembled by a stage play. Dramaturgy relies heavily on impression management, which is how we manipulate our outwards appearances to control the impressions we make on others. We control these impressions by modifying our body language, speech, the way we dress, the foods we eat etc. Our opinions on how we want to be portrayed determine how we use our roles in everyday life to perpetuate that image. This is why depending on our current settings we present ourselves entirely differently. I fulfill multiple roles in my life. I am a student, an older sister, a younger sister to name a few. For each role I must “play a character” and adhere to those social rules. As a student, I must maintain my work ethic and stay respectful towards my teachers and my peers. When interacting with my younger brother, I am playing the part of an older sister, whereas when I interact with my older sister, I play the part of a younger sister. Both of these roles contrast greatly and the way I speak to each of them differs completely. My question for the class is, do you feel as if there are two roles you fulfill that conflict with one another?
