ABSTRACT
Interest in self-presentation emerged somewhat independently at about the same time in psychology and sociology. Although it may seem that sociologists and psychologists would have many things in common, connections between the disciplines have traditionally been weak, and sociologists and psychologists have typically relied little on each other’s work. The systematic study of self-presentation began with the work of sociologist Erving Goffman. Although he wrote many essays relevant to the study of human interaction, Goffman’s major contribution was The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, published in 1959. From the beginning, some social psychologists, as well as many lay people, were extremely interested in self-presentation. Many realized that a great deal of social behavior is affected by people’s concerns others’ impressions of them. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
