Expectations for myself as a Student: Roles and Dramaturgy

Dramaturgy in Action: The Server’s Stage and Performance

I can see my life through Dramaturgy. The theory is that people are actors playing a part in their everyday life and use an improvised script in interactions (Griffiths 18). Meaning I am an actor in my life, and I have been given roles that I need to perform. These roles have expectations, like being a student or an employee. All of these roles have various expectations, and I am obliged to perform them.

We are involved in many interactions in our roles, like talking to customers at work or doing group projects in class. My life can be applied to Dramaturgy by looking at my roles, impression, and performance.

My roles influence how I present myself. I am a server at a banquet center. As an employee there, I am required to be friendly and welcoming to my customers to ensure their happiness. I am also expected to provide service for my guests, like getting their drinks and food for them. When I am at work, I have to be happy and upbeat for my guests. Even though I might not be feeling happy, I have to present myself as if I am. Goffman describes an actor’s performance as the activity of an individual which occurs in front of observers that has an influence on the observers (Goffman 139). When I serve a table of guests, the guests become my audience, and they observe my performance. I influence their decisions on food and drink choices and give them good service. In my role as a server, I have to use role embracement to make a good performance. This means I need to act sincerely in my role as a server.

Between Roles and Impressions: Navigating Authenticity and Presentation

I use the common values, behaviors, and attitudes of servers to do this. I value tips and friendly guests. I show up to work with a smile on my face, take orders, and serve my guests. I keep a positive attitude at work, especially when I am around guests. Role distance shows up most often in my role as a student. This is when my performance is not sincere and does not go along with the common values, behaviors, and attitudes of my role. The biggest value of a student is learning; that is what the education system was made for. I use role distance when I am just using memorization. I am not learning; I am not being sincere about the values of being a student. Memorization will not help me learn the material. Instead, it makes it easier for me to forget the information later.

I use impression management when I am serving. I have to manage how I appear to my guests to ensure they have a good time. If I am sad and I am moping around at work, then it will bring my guest’s mood down as well. I have to manage the impressions that I am giving off so that I can give my guests the best dining experience possible. I use sign vehicles to manage my impression. Sign vehicles are clues about a person based on behavior and appearance (Goffman 136). Sign vehicles can be how I dress or how I act. At work, I have to wear a uniform, and at school, I have the freedom to wear what I want. If I am wearing sweats, that could be a sign vehicle that I am having a lazy day. The first type of sign activity that I use is the expressions that I give.

My Expectations in Life: Navigating Reputation, Moral Character, and Saving Face

These are the intentional things that I do to convey my feelings. As a student, I raise my hand if I am confused and want to ask a question. This is a behavior that I am intentionally giving off to communicate that I have a question. The other type of sign activity is the expression that I give off. These are the nonverbal and unintentional impressions that I am giving off. If I am tired in class and I yawn, then I am giving off that expression. It is not something a behavior that I am meaning to do or convey information. When I am at work, I have a moral character. I am a trained server, and I expect to be treated as that. Moral character is being who you say you are and getting the respect from others that your title says you are.

My reputation has a big impact on being a server. If I get people who enjoy my service, they will start to request me in the future as their server. My public reputation is my face. I use facework to make sure that my behaviors align with my face. I have a reputation for being a hard-working server. I do my job to the best of my ability to make sure my facework aligns with my face. Avoidance occurs when I avoid a situation because the situation might question my face. An example of this, when I am at work, is if I mess up a guest’s order and avoid going to the table because I do not want them to see me as a bad server. I also use preventative facework and defensive facework for impression management. If a customer pronounces a menu item wrong, I will not laugh at them or make them feel dumb. Instead, I will be polite and take down the order of what they want. This is preventative facework because I am saving their face.

Stages of Interaction: Front Stage Performances, Backstage Authenticity, and Reflective Outsides

I do not want them to feel embarrassed or humiliated. I use defensive facework when I make a mistake. If I give someone the wrong order, then I will take the cost of the meal off the bill. I am saving my face so that the customers will not get a bad impression. There are three different stages in Dramaturgy, they include, the front stage, the backstage, and the outside. On the front stage, I am performing for guests in the dining room. This is where I have to serve my guests, and my managers roam around. I have to put on my biggest performance on the front stage. In the backstage, I am in the kitchen of the restaurant. I am not putting on a performance for my guests in this region, so I can relax. This is where I can step out of character, and my impressions are constructed. On the outside, I am leaving work. This is where I can reflect on my interactions at work, and I do not have an audience to perform for.

Balancing Acts: Embracing Roles and Managing Impressions in School and Work

Dramaturgy can be applied to my life when I look at my roles, impressions, and performances. My roles are being a student and an employee. I am obliged to go to school and work. I am expected to show up to work and serve my guests with enthusiasm and respect. As a student, I am expected to go to class and complete assignments. To do my best, I manage my impressions. I try to make sure that my facework aligns with my face. As a student, my face is being a good student. To make sure that my facework aligns with being a good student, I do my homework and study for tests. As a worker, I use defensive and preventative face work to save my face and others. This means that I am making everyone feel comfortable. Role embracement helps me connect with my customers and helps me be a better student. I serve better when I use the common values and goals of being a server. This means that I am trying to be the best server possible. When I am following the values of a good student, I am studying long hours for tests and completing homework assignments. I am trying to learn and become more knowledgeable. I do all of these things in the three regions. In the front stages, I am in class or in the dining room. Backstage, I am walking through the halls or in the kitchen. On the outside, I am doing homework in my room or I am driving home from work.

References:

1. Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Anchor.

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