In "Frame Analysis," Erving Goffman addresses how individuals answer "What is going on here?" and "Under what circumstances do we think things are real?" He proposes that people employ frames to organize and interpret social reality, understanding what is happening and its context. These frames are the structures through which experience is made meaningful.
The book's central argument is that social life is not simply a raw occurrence but is actively organized through frameworks of interpretation. Goffman's work offers a way to understand how people make sense of their surroundings by applying specific interpretive schemata. Readers will gain insight into the fundamental processes by which individuals establish and maintain their understanding of reality.
Key concepts
- Frames — Interpretive schemata people use to organize experience and understand social reality.
- "What is going on here?" — The question individuals ask to identify and interpret the nature of a social situation.
- "Under what circumstances do we think things are real?" — The question individuals ask to determine the authenticity and reality of an experience.