Theater Goffman, Essay Example

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a psychometric assessment that analyzes how various people perceive the world. The questionnaire primarily evaluates sensation, intuition, feeling, and thinking. According to the Indicator, these are the four functions that dominate a person’s being. During my daily interactions with society, I find that I more closely follow the tendencies of my personality when around family members. Just as they expect me to be submissive, I comply with their wishes and act out their expectations of me. On the other hand, when I am around my friends, I tend to be more free, and go against my passive nature and tend to be more aggressive in communication. I find myself being more assertive during conversations, and not simply agreeing with their opinions.

Everyday I enter the office, which is the stage, with my briefcase and vanilla folder serving as props. I wear business casual attire as a costume, and make my way to the cubicle that has been assigned to me. Before turning on my computer, which serves as another prop, and beginning work, I converse with my co-worker, who informs me of the latest gossip. She does her part as an actress by giving a lot of hand signals, and looking around before sharing the latest hearsay about the mailroom clerk. Although I find her role hilarious, I realize that I too have become an entertainer simply by engaging with my occasional, “Really?” and “Tell me more.” In addition, there are other co-workers looking at us while we converse. These viewers serve as our audience.

When I am dressed in my red ballroom gown, I feel elegant yet sensual. While the length and style of the ballroom gown presents the graceful appeal, the color of the dress brings out the edginess within. On the other hand, I feel less attractive when wearing my denim shorts that are spotted with bleach stains along with an oversized white t-shirt. Although these clothes come from the same closet as the ballroom gown, I believe they do little to bring out the beauty that is within. In many cases, I find that my mood is more upbeat when my attire is on the formal side and more somber when I am dressed in less than formal wear.

In theater, masks are sometimes necessary to present contrast onstage. While one’s personality is clearly shown in the spotlight, a mask sometimes portrays a darker side of a character that would not be expressed without it. In some forms, masks are phony. Although they have the power to portray the deeper side of a character that audience members would not normally see, they are also capable of hiding one’s personality. I believe that on the stage of life, a mask is often an indication of fear. While the person portraying phoniness longs to reveal his or her uncovered self, the mask prevents him or her from being truthful.

In many instances, the responsibility for being stuck in a bad series falls on the script writer. While it is easy to say, “Fire the script writer,” one of the most difficult things in life is changing the one element that is not working in your favor. While you may clearly see where changes in the script need to be made, it is difficult for you, as the script writer, to dismiss the part of you that keeps bringing down the atmosphere of the show. Regardless of the challenge, it is imperative for us to take control and move through the pattern that keeps presenting itself. In doing this, we will find that our long lost dreams and goals can be fulfilled.