Front Stage and Back Stage

I was watching Mindhunter yesterday on Netflix, great show by the way if anyone wants to check it out. It is a murder mystery and keeps you interested the whole way. Well in the show there was a topic brought up by one of the characters about Front Stage and Back Stage in which Human beings must perform in a way to adapt to their surroundings. This was interesting and they brought up this concept which was introduced by Sociologist Erving Goffman called Dramaturgical Theory. The interesting part of what brought me to this concept is I learned it in one of my research classes in college to the point of having to do a presentation in front of the class on it. It brought back a reminiscing feeling because I remember doing the presentation and the research I put in to learn more about this theory.

Goffman hit the ball out of the park with this one and there is a lot that can be learned from it. The whole concept of this theory is the presentation of self and how we as humans present ourselves in different circumstances and different stages. This is how we human beings navigate the different phasis of life and social interactions. So, to Goffman there is a front stage and back stage and we human beings are actors in a play. The front stage is our day to day of interacting with people whether at work, school, social events etc. In this stage we perform as certain individuals with others. I'm an employee at work and must follow certain norms and have to be the best employee I can be.

Being the best employee I can be and performing to the best of my ability is how I can keep my job. How I present myself at work determines if I'm the best fit for the job and that also affects my performance. Then there is the back stage. This is when we are by ourselves and free of judgment. In this time there is nobody watching our every move and there is no pressure to perform for anyone. This is the point when we relax and do what we're comfortable with in our own space. Examples are talking to ourselves if we need to, singing out loud and just behaviors we are comfortable with on our own.

Some of these behaviors are hidden when we are with others because we have to make a certain impression on the kind of audience we are around. This doesn't mean we have to be fake or hide parts of ourselves but of course there is a certain kind of etiquette we carry ourselves with in different circumstances. How we present ourselves in an interview will be completely different than how we present ourselves when hanging out with friends. Different stages and different performances. Goffman published this book The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life in 1959 and even today in 2025 it still lives on. I highly recommend checking it out and I'm glad Mindhunter was able to take me back to this concept and what it exemplifies.