More than a Façade: Somatic and Structural Determinants in Erving Goffman's Theory of the Perduring Self

Abstract

This paper argues that Erving Goffman endorses the veracity of a perduring self. Culling the corpus of his work, recent findings in neurophysiology and cognitive science surrounding the autonomy and mutual determination of emotion, cognition, and social structure are drawn upon when unpacking his highly composite theory. Isolating Goffman's claims about the psychobiological underpinning of the emotionally sentient body and those pertaining to macro and micro-structural determinants, the former, it is argued, champion the coherence of the self insofar as they link cathected feelings to individual desires and inclinations. The latter, conversely, complicate the picture by accentuating the social construction of emotions and the relationship between episodic cognitive operations and multifarious interpretive frames. In the end, however, it is shown that Goffman's macro-structural account, far from being residual, discloses the consistency, and unity of the self occasioned by social proximity and general social norms.

A Sociology of No‐Self: Applying Buddhist Social Theory to Symbolic Interaction

“…Consequently, this may lead to a sort of “self existent” bias within the discipline in which the self is understood as a normative, unquestioned, ontological reality. This is part of the argument made by Sahni () in his article about the “perduring self” found in Goffman. As sociologists, we may intellectually commit to a constructionist position of the self but such a bias practically and experientially veers toward an essential, inherent sense of self, even if very subtle.…”

“…As long as the self‐other dualism remains, then a threatened, anxious self, and motivational structure remains static, even everlasting. Sahni () captures the essence of this point in his analysis of the perduring self in Goffman's work:

Goffman often derides as naïve common sense and psychological fallacy the idea that there are real perduring selves, but cannot help repeatedly falling back on just this supposition. (pp.

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All the World's a Con: Frontstage, Backstage, and the Blurred Boundaries of Cosplay

“…Even within Goffman's own work, the distinction “between self as performer and self as performed” is not always clear (Sahni 2012:163). Are we the mask we present to others, or whatever is behind the mask?…”

“…Bodies are the visual representation of “fronts” and “faces,” and people manipulate appearance and manner in conscious and unconscious ways (Goffman 1959; Sahni 2012; Turner 1982). This “dramaturgical body” is produced and takes on meaning through interactions and individual or collective rituals (Thompson 2013; Turner 1982; Waskul and Vannini 2006).…”

Revisiting Mead on Pragmatic “Fusion”: From Emotion to Function

“…How the two dimensions of identity function cognitively and emotionally is key for understanding issues central to interaction analysis such as motivation and agency. Through all his formulations, Goffman likely assumed a perduring self as both a grounding source and a product of interaction (Sahni, 2012).…”