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The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
Erving Goffman's account of how people behave in social settings and how they come across to others, using theatrical performance as its framework.
- Author and origin
- Erving Goffman (United Kingdom / United States)Original language: English. First issued in 1956 as a monograph of the University of Edinburgh Social Sciences Research Centre, then published in the United States in 1959 (Doubleday Anchor, per Open Library). The two editions may differ in content, and this record does not compare them.
- Genre and form
- Academic (Scholarly monograph)Foundational scholarly monographs, experimental treatises, and theoretical volumes written for researchers and students.
- Pairing and evidence
- Primary scholarshipA foundational academic book or treatise. Each profile states what was inspected and whether a research paper is paired.
- Sources inspected
- 2 text/abstract inspected, 0 metadata checked (of 2)2 with the primary text or archive/edition record checked, 0 with an indexed abstract read, 0 with bibliographic metadata checked, 0 not verified.
The work and edition history
A University of Pennsylvania library record lists the work as Monograph no. 2 of the University of Edinburgh Social Sciences Research Centre, published in Edinburgh in 1956 in 161 pages. A commercial U.S. edition followed in 1959, and Open Library lists later printings. The 1956 date therefore marks the Edinburgh monograph and 1959 the American book.
Psychological reading
An Open Library description says the book examines how people behave in social settings and how they come across to others, using theatrical performance as its framework and drawing on research and observation of social customs in many regions. Questions to bring: Which parts of your own behavior change with the audience and the setting, and does calling that a performance imply insincerity or only a role? Does the theatrical metaphor describe the situation, the person, or both? How is a framework built from observation different from a hypothesis tested in an experiment?
Why it earns inclusion
The book supplies a vocabulary for social roles and settings that fits both everyday life and literature, where characters adjust what they show to different audiences. It shows a situational account of the self, which is useful to set beside accounts that locate the self in traits or in the unconscious.
Academic pairing and claim scope
No journal article is paired. The book is a descriptive framework, and a specific experiment on self-presentation would test a different kind of claim from the one the book makes.
Limits and controversies
The premise comes from a library record and a catalog description. The text was not read, so this record does not describe Goffman's specific concepts, examples or fieldwork. The book offers an interpretive framework, not a controlled test, and the 1956 monograph and 1959 U.S. edition were not compared.
Evidence behind the claims
A University of Pennsylvania library record lists the work as "Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh, Social Sciences Research Centre, 1956," in the series "Monograph; no. 2," 161 pages, with the subjects Self and Social psychology.
Open Library lists 1956 as the first publication date and a 1959 Doubleday Anchor edition, and carries a description saying the book uses theatrical performance as its framework for how people behave in social settings and come across to others.
Authors and researchers
- Erving Goffman. Sociologist; author of The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.
In the Psy101 course
- OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 12.2: Self-presentationChapter 12, Social Psychology. Concept. Suggested conceptual background; a mention of this work in the section has not been verified.Connects to chapter coverage of self-presentation.
- OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 12.1: What Is Social Psychology?Chapter 12, Social Psychology. Historical context. Suggested conceptual background; a mention of this work in the section has not been verified.Connects the situational view of the self to the chapter's introduction to social psychology.
Educational reading guide only, not clinical diagnosis or treatment guidance. This course map indicates introductory curriculum relevance rather than clinical proof.See the full course map.
Sources and inspection
Of 2 cited sources, 2 had primary text or archive/edition records checked, 0 had an indexed abstract read, and 0 had bibliographic metadata checked (0 unverified). Literary works and memoirs are distinguished from empirical research studies.
- [1]Goffman, E. (1956). The presentation of self in everyday life (university of Pennsylvania library record, 1956 monograph). University of Pennsylvania Libraries. https://find.library.upenn.edu/catalog/99434793503681Archive or library record. Work, edition, or catalog record.Edition, title-page, or archive record checkedLibrary catalog record read on 2026-10-23. It records imprint, series, pages and OCLC number 2032769. No text of the monograph was seen.
- [2]Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life (open library work record). Open Library (Internet Archive). https://openlibrary.org/works/OL3282045WArchive or library record. Work, edition, or catalog record.Edition, title-page, or archive record checkedOpen Library work record and search results read on 2026-10-23. A search field gives 1952 as an earlier date, which conflicts with the library record and is not used. The description is catalog copy.