Part 1

“The social world is a stage, a complicated stage even, with an audience, performers, and outsiders, with a auditorium and backdrops. The social scientist who stylizes this element of self-expression into his concepts—role, sanction, socialization, etc.—only takes in what reality offers him.” – Lord Ralf Dahrendorf

It is not uncommon in the social sciences to explain social interactions between individuals using theatrical language. Interaction is understood as a performance, a representation in which the actors interact with each other in their different roles.

Social Roles

Each of us fills certain roles in the course of our lives: the role of daughter, sister, mother, aunt, girlfriend, colleague, etc., or the role of son, brother, father, uncle, friend, colleague, etc.

These roles are linked to different social and cultural expectations. Some roles are based on emotional closeness, for example, while others focus on shared activities or even formalities. Based on our expectations, we as outsiders or observers evaluate the role that the person concerned plays.

The social role that the actor assumes in front of his audience is an attempt to share his reality or his representation of reality with others.

The aim is to convey a certain image and to give the audience a certain impression of the actor. In case of doubt, this perception should of course be positive in nature.

The performance should serve the purpose of convincing the audience of the actor and their role. Since social expectations of certain roles are relatively clearly defined, it may not seem so difficult to play them perfectly.

The audience

The audience enters the auditorium with certain expectations and hopes to be captivated by the performance on stage. There may well be a few surprising twists or unexpected tricks – as long as the actor finds his way back into his role, the audience may classify this as “charismatic” or interesting. Such surprises can be interpreted as a person with “rough edges” and arouse the interest of a broad audience.

In any case, the actor must be convinced of his own role. His performance must spring from his belief that it is true and stems from “real” reality. Belief in one’s own role can then be conveyed to the audience, who would describe this performance as “sincere.”

The situation is different for actors who cannot convey their role honestly to the outside world. They do not believe in their performance themselves and are therefore often described as “cynical” by the audience.

The portrayal of the individual and the acting out of their role can therefore fluctuate between sincerity and cynicism and move in both directions over time. Doubts about one’s own performance are therefore part of the process.

Or to put it another way: everyone goes through crises or questions their identity at some point in their lives.

As long as we only convey our truth to the outside world, we remain authentic – this does not bother the audience, but rather makes the performance more interesting and gripping. True to the motto: what happens next?

Growth is part of life. Even if we want to interpret our lives as a stage.

But those who close themselves off to the lessons of life do not grow and remain stuck. And these performers are encouraged to convince their audience in other ways that they are authentic and honest. Through deliberate deception, individuals can persuade their audience to believe in the performance – even though insincerity prevails and belief in one’s own role has been lost.

The stage

The stage is the deliberately chosen place of performance. Depending on the role selected, it may even only be possible to perform it on a suitable stage. The stage design includes furniture, decorations, and the entire spatial arrangement, including the backdrops.

The stage design is intended to be the framework for the actor’s performance. Someone who wants to portray themselves as successful, rich, and prestigious in their role is unlikely to stay in a place that contradicts this portrayal.

“Accordingly, it is advisable to refer to that part of an individual’s performance as a ‘facade’ which regularly serves in a general and predetermined way to determine the situation for the audience of the performance. By facade, I mean the standardized repertoire of expressions that the individual consciously or unconsciously uses in the course of his performance.” – Erving Goffman

The façade

The personal facade therefore includes appearance, clothing, status symbols, height, posture, manner of speaking, etc.

It is important to distinguish between appearance and behavior. In the best case, both aspects are coherent and consistent in their presentation.

Taking the example of an actor who wants to portray himself as successful and prestigious, his appearance and location must therefore be adapted to the role. This means that an “expensive” appearance in the form of brand-name clothing, jewelry, or other obvious status symbols would be an important part of the performance in order to convince others of his higher status.

At the same time, however, the actor must also frequent places and behave as if their high status were their natural habitus. If the façade were not presented consistently, it would not only be ambiguous for the audience, but they would also doubt the portrayal.

For example, an “expensive” appearance in a “cheaper” environment would be inappropriate and would raise doubts about the authenticity of the façade and role. At the same time, a “cheap” appearance in an “expensive” environment would also raise doubts among those present. In any case, the façade must be “perfect” in order to convince the audience in the long term.

The expectations that the audience therefore places on the actor and his facade are socially and socially predetermined. Rarely does the actor “reinvent” his role; rather, he conforms to existing guidelines.

However, since the various roles that one must assume in the course of life are not always coherent with each other, apparent contradictions can of course arise.

For example, while the facade one must maintain in one’s professional life is officially conservative in nature, this does not mean that the actor must live out this conservative attitude in another role, such as in their private life.

In order to convince the audience of one’s role, it is important to portray it skillfully in interaction and communication. The actions and skills associated with the role must meet the expectations of the viewer. The actions associated with a particular professional group, for example, must therefore always be clearly recognizable so as not to raise doubts about one’s own competence.

In the police profession, for example, the social norms are very clearly defined. The portrayal follows a strict habitus and requires a certain seriousness and a simultaneous distinction in appearance and behavior from that of the average citizen. A sloppily dressed officer who acts overly silly when interacting with others, raises doubts about their competence because they don’t present their facade to their audience properly enough.

Presenting a perfect image to a skeptical audience can be a balancing act. Individual gestures can be interpreted incorrectly or out of context, which can jeopardize the credibility of the entire performance. Even a small deviation from the predetermined performance can lead to rejection.

Such performances take place particularly in formal situations that are culturally conditioned and do not tolerate any “faux pas” on the part of the performers. These can be strictly formulated ceremonies such as funerals or the habits of certain professional groups. But even in the smaller social context of everyday activities, we associate certain performances with certain characteristics or qualities.

If we do not see these being fulfilled or if we see a deviation on stage, we become suspicious about the authenticity of what is being portrayed.