Book Review: The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

An interesting book that is a noted contribution to sociology. It basically uses the metaphor of theatrical performance as a framework for discussing how a person attempts to present him/herself in his interactions with others. The “actor” is a person and the “audience” is everyone else in the world. What particularly resonated with me was the section on “impression management” and how we often act differently depending on who the audience is. Someone’s true identity is what they do “offstage” or when they transition from one character to another. Reminds me of a favorite quote: “A person’s true character is what they do when no one is looking.”