Behavior in public places : notes on the social organization of gatherings

Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 2 Copyright......Page 3 Acknowledgments......Page 4 Contents......Page 6 PART ONE Introduction......Page 8 1. The Problem......Page 10 2. Introductory Definitions......Page 20 PART TWO Unfocused Interaction......Page 38 3. Involvement......Page 40 4. Some Rules About the Allocation of Involvement......Page 50 5. Some Rules About the Objects of Involvement......Page 71 PART THREE Focused Interaction......Page 88 6. Face Engagements......Page 90 7. Acquaintanceship......Page 119 8. Engagements Among the Unacquainted......Page 131 PART FOUR Accessible Engagements......Page 156 9. Communication Boundaries......Page 158 10. The Regulation of Mutual-Involvement......Page 173 11. Uncontained Participation......Page 186 PART FIVE Interpretations......Page 198 12. The Structure and Function of Situational Proprieties......Page 200 13. Tightness and Looseness......Page 205 14. The Symptomatic Significance of Situational Improprieties......Page 223 15. Conclusion......Page 249 The purpose of this book is to develop a framework capable of dealing with an almost neglected area of social reality, behavior in public and semipublic places. [The author] feels that the distinct features of face-to-face interaction, richness of information flow, and facilitation of feedback, have enough structuring significance to provide an analytical rationale for its separate treatment. It is to his credit that this 'model' takes advantage of already existing and well-defined terminology, while introducing only a few new and relatively unfamiliar concepts In diagnosing mental disorder and following its hospital course, psychiatrist typically cite aspects of the patient's behavior that are "inappropriate in the situation."

Erving Goffman effectively extends his argument in favor of a diagnosis of deviant behavior which takes account of the whole social situation.