Question

Select the one statement that is NOT a reason Erving Goffman offers for studying social interaction in everyday life: Examining our day-to-day routines, with their almost constant interactions with others, allows sociologists to see what we do as form and structure in the social world. Examining social interaction in everyday life allows sociologists to see how humans act creatively to construct reality. Examining social interaction in everyday life allows sociologists to see how relatively unimportant language is in creating social reality. Examining social interaction in everyday life allows us to shed light on larger social systems. None of the above are reasons that Erving Goffman gives for studying social interaction in everyday life.

Answer 1

Answer:

Examining social interaction in everyday life allows sociologists to see how relatively unimportant language is in creating social reality.

Explanation:

Erving Goffman (1922-1982) was a Canadian sociologist and social psychologist. He was a very important researcher who contributed widely to the study of everyday social interaction, which we create through our day-to-day routines and our interactions with others. Generally speaking, he understood social interaction as akin to a play in a stage, where we assume a role and try to play it for others through verbal and non-verbal communication. Goffman thought that through the study of everyday routines and interactions, we could understand and shed light on larger social systems, like communities, societies, nations, and states.

The one thing Goffman would not say is that examining social interaction in everyday life allows sociologists to see how relatively unimportant language is in creating social reality. Quite the opposite, Goffman thought everyday social interaction was of the utmost importance and remarked the crucial role of language, both spoken and unspoken one, in the creation of our everyday reality because it is primarily through language that we interact with others.