Erving Goffman's theory emphasizes the idea of impression management, the view that people try to control the impressions that other's have of them by changing their behavior and attitude from one situation to the next. Goffman says that when people do this they act much like actors would on a stage in a process known as Dramaturgy. When I was a second-semester senior in college, I began my student teaching experience. It was an extremely difficult time for many reasons, but one of the most difficult was trying to change from my "college-self" to my "teacher-self." I was waking up at 4:30 in the morning so that I could drive 35 miles away and teach an early bird class that started at 6:15. My front was school and at school, I was to dress professionally and act professionally, something that was not difficult for me, because I have always had a solid awareness of my surroundings. Over time it became clear to me that the hard part was not my personal front at school but rather my personal front when I got home. I used to walk in the door and my roommates would be napping, watching tv, working out or doing something else of the sort. Their biggest concern was what to wear to the formal lunch that was taking place tomorrow in their etiquette class and mine was a balancing act of educated our youth. Nevertheless, I got through it and learned a great deal. That time has passed and it led me to develop a better sense of self and the understanding that it is ok to play multiple roles and have multiple personal fronts, it is actually a skill according to Goffman.
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