Erving Goffman (a Canadian sociologist), introduced the concept of “Presentation of Self” in his famous work (The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life). He compared social life to a stage where individuals are like actors performing in front of an ...
Hi, i am Harshita. I hail from Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. Mountains make me happy, truly not a materialistic thing. Therefore, happiness is not found in material things like money, luxury, fame. Instead, it lies in inner peace, self-awareness, and contentment. I am not denying the fact that materialiRead more
Hi, i am Harshita. I hail from Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. Mountains make me happy, truly not a materialistic thing. Therefore, happiness is not found in material things like money, luxury, fame. Instead, it lies in inner peace, self-awareness, and contentment. I am not denying the fact that materialistic things don’t make you happy even a bit, yes it does but chasing material success may bring your temporary happiness and these are changeable and short- lived. Today we enjoy them, but tomorrow we may lose them or get bored of them as it is human nature, and we can’t play with it. This creates stress, fear, and unhappiness, so we should always look beyond such pleasure. There is a saying in Bhagavad Gita, the person who is calm, balanced, and not attached to desires is truly happy. I will explain this with a example, i.e., Buying a new phone might feel exciting, but the feeling fades after a month or two and soon we want something new again for that temporary happiness. I don’t know, if any Gen-Z will relate to me or not but for me happiness is about mental peace and emotional well-being than material things because in this dynamic environment, culture, everything is already a chaos and if we fight for that materialistic happiness. Growing up in a world of social media, fast fashion, and constant comparison, many of us have realized that buying the latest gadget or getting more likes doesn’t bring lasting joy. Prioritizing self-care, therapy, journaling, and mindfulness. We talk more openly about mental Health and set boundaries to protect our peace. We’ve seen how toxic comparison and hustle culture can be, so we are learning to slow down and choose balance. We still enjoy trends and tech, but we are also more aware that real happiness isnt in things, it is in thoughts, experiences, and how we treat ourselves and others. In a world constantly tells us to want more, gen Z is learning the value of wanting less and being truly okay with it. That is where real happiness begins.
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Erving Goffman was a famous sociologist who gave the idea that people are like actors in their lives. They play different roles and behave differently in different situations to create a good image in front of others. He called this process impression management. For example, a child may behaRead more
Erving Goffman was a famous sociologist who gave the idea that people are like actors in their lives. They play different roles and behave differently in different situations to create a good image in front of others. He called this process impression management.
For example, a child may behave very nicely in school, showing discipline and respect in front of teachers. But when he returns home, his behavior may completely change—he might fight, disobey, or misbehave. This shows that the child has created a positive image on the “front stage” (school), but his “backstage” behavior (at home) reveals a different reality.
In real life, we all try to present our best side. We want others to see us as good, kind, innocent, and helpful—even if we are struggling or thinking differently inside. Goffman’s idea helps us understand how people act in society, and why our behavior changes depending on the place and audience.
This concept is very useful to understand human nature, and it shows that most of us are constantly managing how others see us.
Thank you
- Alpana sahu ….
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