Society Perceptions of Normal free essay sample

A study on the concepts of two historic sociologists, Erving Goffman and Harold Garfinkel. This paper compares the works of Erving Goffman and Harold Garfinkel, two leading pioneers in the sociology study of personal interaction and communication. Their works give reflection on ones own actions and reactions towards society perceptions of normal and not normal. Goffman and Garfinkel study the ways that people communicate and socially interact with one another. However, they have two different views when it comes to the study of communication and social interaction. They try to answer the question, does the social order provoke peoples actions or do peoples actions provoke the social order? Whereas Goffman is interested in the ways members of society play their part, or manage their self-presentation in response to an imposed social order, Garfinkel believes that social performers create and sustain that social order (Armitage 2001).