Who used the metaphor of the theatre in sociological theory?

Correct option is B

 Erving Goffman

Erving Goffman, a Canadian sociologist, famously used the metaphor of the theatre to explain how individuals perform and present themselves in everyday social interactions. This metaphor is most prominently featured in his work The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959), where he compares social interactions to a theatrical performance.

In Goffman’s framework, individuals are seen as actors on a stage, engaging in performances in front of an audience. Each person plays a role, similar to how actors perform in a play, adjusting their behavior and presentation depending on the context and the audience. He described how individuals manage their public image through impression management, essentially "performing" to meet the expectations of others in various social situations.

Key concepts from Goffman’s theory:

• Front Stage: This is where individuals perform roles in front of others, presenting a certain image to conform to societal expectations.
• Back Stage: This is where individuals can relax and step out of character, away from the scrutiny of others.
• Impression Management: The process by which individuals manage how they are perceived by others, similar to how actors manage their portrayal in a play.

Additional Information:

• Harold Garfinkel: Garfinkel was a sociologist known for developing ethnomethodology, which focuses on the methods people use to make sense of their everyday social worlds. While he studied social interactions, he did not use the theatre metaphor in his work.
• Alfred Schutz: Schutz was an Austrian sociologist known for his contributions to phenomenology and the study of how individuals interpret and experience the social world. He did not use the theatre metaphor in his work.
• Peter Berger: Berger was a sociologist best known for his work on the sociology of knowledge and his book The Social Construction of Reality (with Thomas Luckmann). Although he focused on the construction of social reality, he did not use the theatre metaphor.