Erving Goffman and You: Unmeant Gestures

Erving Goffman wrote that when we interpret someone's performance, we expect it to be unique and personal. What happens when we slip up? In this story, Brendan's friend has sabotaged her performance with an unmeant gesture.
Erving Goffman was a sociologist who used theater terminology to analyze everyday interactions, and called this method dramaturgy. Erving Goffman and You explores the main tenets of Erving Goffman's writings on face-to-face interaction using six different modern day anecdotes. The episodes cover many of Goffman's concepts, including unmeant gestures, regions, teams, tactful inattention, impression management, and idealized performances.