Question

Prepare an analysis of how Goffman’s principles apply to you personally and how the principles apply to the role of a criminal justice professional. Be sure to incorporate relevant scholarly research in the body of your response, and to fully cite your sources at the conclusion of your content.

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) Goffman proposed a theory of “Dramaturgy” or self-perception. He stated in his theory that individuals tend to act in a way that might influence or mould the way the world perceives them. In other words, Goffman says that people behave in a way that they want to be perceived by others.

This might personal apply to all of us in some way or another. For instance, let us assume that one may have called in sick at work and has to go back to work the next day. It is part of Goffman’s theory to act in a way that convinces the office that you indeed were sick the day before. One might use more kleenex, cough drops etc.

Goffman’s principal partially solidifies the maxim, “you are who you pretend to be.” In the paper “The presentation of self (Goffman’s Dramaturgical Model)” the concept is expounded more clearly. Goffman seeks to explain the workings of “Impression Management.” This is a way of defining the situation, determining the impression and expressions based on the desired outcome and then expressing oneself in accordance.

In this paper, Goffman also states that “We create impressions by our expressions.” He has described these expressions in two modes. Firstly, there are the “expressions we give” or the things we say and do. Secondly, there are the “expressions we give off” that we might not have much control over. These are things like our temperament, body language or things that give us away.

As a criminal justice professional, it is essential to act in a certain way for two major reasons. The first reason is that the criminal must perceive us in a certain way and the second is that the criminal should believe that the person they are talking to has created a conducive environment. The rapport between the criminal justice representative and the criminal himself would help improve the quality of cooperation.