Introduction

This chapter discusses the structure of Goffman's sociological theory by highlighting the clear and recognizable process of systematization. There is a quantitatively major group that locates Goffman in a cluster of neighboring schools of thought and theories that include: formal sociology, symbolic interactionism, and phenomenology. The main implications with respect to the theoretical and methodological status of Goffman's work are represented in the double assertion that it does not amount to a fully-fledged sociological theory but is merely a taxonomic enterprise, which denies any method underlying his analysis, even one of systematization, and reduces his work to a collection of scattered insightful ideas more appropriate from an essayist than a social theorist. Additionally, a substantial group of thinkers have established that the most salient characteristic of Goffman's approach is the reductive portrayal of the individual as cynical and manipulative.