Research Paper on:
Self According to Harold Garfinkel and Erving Goffman

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
in private relationships. sociologists have attempted to define the self, as well, in regards to certain circumstances. As laymen we all understand that our behavior with family and intimate partners  is far different than our behavior with society in general. And, then there is always our behavior concerning friends. In short, we all behave differently around different people, taking on  different roles, so to speak. As we can readily see, the condition of social interaction is a very complex and highly analyzed reality. As one author states, "Because social  life is continually co-produced, repeated patterns are not necessarily expected; consequently, even mundane activities take on a new significance, as sites for changing and improvising social practice" (Anonymous The Microinteractionist  Tradition, 2002; SII6.html). As would be expected, there are many theories regarding our self and our manners of approaching social realities and, "Of course they all explain this social order  in different ways" (Poore, 2002; intro.htm). In the following paper we examine two theorists, Erving Goffman and Harold Garfinkel, first presenting an examination of their theories concerning performance of self  from an individual perspective and then comparing the two in a discussion. Goffman "Goffman suggests that we rely on socially shared roles and rules to make ourselves intelligible.  In this sense self is a performance, and consciously or unconsciously we present ourselves as a particular sort of person" (Selves and Relationships Lecture 5, 2002; Lect5web.htm). This is a  very simple and definitive look at the performance of self and one that is readily understandable. As mentioned, we all take on somewhat of a different role when we interact  with different people. For example, we may take the protective stance when speaking and interacting with our parents, not wishing to divulge too much information about who we are. Many