Week 5 - Deference AND Demeanour

This week’s tutorial and last week’s lecture was based on Goffman's, The Nature of Deference and Demeanour.

Deference is an act and/or series of actions that based on the apparent 'rules of conduct', allow us to function in socially acceptable ways i.e. a compliment or an apology. Demeanour is the way the individual willingly or unwillingly presents themself to society, through behaviour or actions. Deference, Demeanour and the 'rules of conduct' bind together to lay a script for social situations. They are also subject to roles that have 'status position and power' which creates another layer of rules to social interaction.

An example of this would be the relationship between a nurse and a doctor. The doctor, while not the nurse’s boss is able to command the nurse to do something. Yet, it is not socially applicable for the nurse to order the doctor to perform a work task.

This elaborate scripted show is all to save the face of the self from action that cause embarrassment and shame leading to social death. What interested me most during the tutorial was that selves are so fragile. Since it is also true that whoever throws mud (slander that makes someone lose face) typically win means that the self is very much loaned to us by society. People typically don’t realise how integral social rules, and Goffman’s Demeanour and deference are to protecting the self. Those who suffer from Autism or Asperger’s who find social conventions hard to understand however, seemingly do notice and thus leave their selves exposed until they learn these conventions.


Reference
Wilson, T 2007,  'The Nature of Deference and Demeanor', Paper, accessed 23/08/2012, http://tommwilson.com/papers/the-nature-of-deference-and-demeanor.php