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When asked what type of person I am, my answer is harder to express than one may think. This is because I find that I am a completely different version of myself depending on the context of the situation I find myself in. Erving Goffman defines this phenomenon as dramaturgy, the process by which people perform during social interaction (Speakman, 2026). He elaborates on the idea that each individual has a front and back stage, and the stage they are present on defines their behaviour. I find that a situation in which dramaturgy is particularly evident in my life is the contrast between my perceived identity and how it differs in some situations compared to others. A specific example of this is my behaviour and interactions with customers at my retail job, particularly when I first entered the role, compared with my behaviour in casual situations. To explore how dramaturgy plays a part in my interactions with
others and my perceived identity, I will explore the concepts of tactical impression management and what happens when it fails, situated identity in the workplace, and Goffman’s front and back stage theory. Tactical impression management is a common occurrence during my time interacting with customers. This means that my behaviour is a result of conscious decisions that I make to influence customers' perceptions of my capabilities (Speakman, 2026). It is important to note that I work as a beauty expert in a retail store, which means that a large part of how I enact tactical impression management is through physical appearance. I often intentionally do my hair, use more makeup, and wear fancier clothes than I do daily to influence customers to trust and respect my judgment. People are more likely to accept advice from people who possess traits that they seek. This tactical self-presentation, as noted in the textbook, often has ulterior motives behind it (DeLamater et al., 2024). In the case of my job as a beauty expert, by gaining the trust of my customers, they are more likely to purchase my recommendations, and in turn, I make commissions on my sales. In many situations, this tactical impression management is successful, which, according to its definition, means that the customers believe that the information I provide them with is consistent with my claimed identity as a beauty expert (DeLamater et al., 2024). There are, however, instances where this tactical impression management fails and leads to embarrassment. A prominent example of this performance failure occurred often when I was initially hired as a beauty expert. Though I am a lover of makeup, without training, I had very little knowledge about skincare, especially when it came to older ladies coming in looking for me to solve their 40-year-old wrinkles. My lack of training meant that I would often attempt to act as an expert and give advice when I knew I did not know enough. Sometimes this succeeded;
have to endure, accept, or reward negative behaviour towards myself or others due to my situated identity, regardless of whether I would defend myself in other situations. This difference in behaviour and action is reflective of how my situational role can alter my perceived identity (DeLamater et al., 2024). This brings me to the last concept, which is Goffman’s front and backstage theory. The theory describes the difference in behaviour when one is in a front-stage environment and feels obligated to perform, compared to a back-stage environment where they are in a private situation and can drop the performance (Speakman, 2026). This theory is evident in the contrast between my behaviour when I am helping customers, compared to when I am alone or with my favourite coworkers. In general, when I am on the front stage – or the cosmetics sales floor – I am outgoing, social, productive, and resilient to negative interactions with customers. This is due to the need to put on a performance as a regulated, educated, and effective salesperson. However, when I am in the company of my favourite coworkers or speaking to my parents upon returning home from work, my attitude changes drastically. Without fail, I will always complain about customers' behaviour, retell stupid questions I have been asked, and question the unjust actions I have endured. There are times when this backstage behaviour seeps into my front-stage performance. In these cases, I can find myself expressing my distaste for their behaviour through my facial expressions when I am turned away from them. Although I am technically still on the sales floor, the act of turning away from the person to whom my angst is targeted creates the illusion and feeling of a backstage environment and allows me to express myself. In essence, the me that I am away from customers does not similarly resemble who I am in my workplace, as there are different expectations placed on me and different relationships between the people I am interacting with.
In all of these examples of dramaturgy, I am aware of my performance. Although over time, it has begun to feel more natural and aligned with my identity or what I perceive it to be, I am aware of the difference between my actions as a retail worker and how they vary from my regular behaviour. It becomes even more apparent in situations where I have to partake in emotional work, as often I do not feel like performing and have to hype myself up to go and speak to a customer. In those situations, I feel myself pretending to be outgoing because it contrasts so vastly from my desires in that moment (Speakman, 2026). This feeling highlights the dynamic between my front and backstage selves, as they often experience tension, causing my front-stage actions to feel inauthentic to myself. On the other hand, I do feel like the performance part of my job has influenced my backstage self to become a better version of itself, and has allowed me to grow out of my shy shell.
References DeLamater, J.D., Collet, J.L., & Hitlin, S. (2024). Social Psychology (10th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/ Speakman, E. (2026). The Self Part 2. Lecture. Mcmaster University
