Extra Credit : The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (Hojeong Lee)

I read all of Goffman's books in Korean. Then, I will leave a brief comment on this book.

Goffman studied the sociological theatrical behavior of people in 'face-to-face interaction'. He suggested the view that our daily lives are like performances that interact with others and produce self on the stage of the world. In other words, when an individual mingles with another person, he or she attempts to control the impression that others embody him or her by changing his or her appearance, attitude, and environment. According to his theory of impression management, the basic premise of impression management is that the actor intentionally constructs the impression within a given situation so that his or her interests are maximized.

Impression management theory can be confirmed not only in individuals but also in the way that companies create a positive corporate image for society based on an ideal corporate view. Samsung Group, Korea's leading company, is carrying out various social contribution activities to promote not only corporate private interests but also social common interests, which contribute to social development and show the integrated cooperative process of impression management in that employees worked together to build an exemplary image of Samsung. Through this, we can see that the ultimate reason for creating an ideal self through impression management stems from the desire to be recognized by others, the achievement of individual goals, and the team's successful performance through a cooperative process.

Today, with the development of media and SNS, people tend to package their lives more beautifully and decorate perfect plays according to social standards set by others. Amid the development of more dense social masks and plays, Goffman's book is in line with the situation in the social science community in the 2020s and will convey a strong influence in analyzing today's interaction phenomena.