Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Class
Introduction

 Morality development is usually enhanced through face to face
interaction with the public and more specifically with our
professional colleagues as presented by sociologist Goffman.
Presentation of self is achieved when an individual come in direct
contact with the other people, and he or she attempt by all means to
control his natural behavior, appearance, and manner so that it can be
in line with what the public expected of him or her.
 In such a situation, an individual is made to suppress his or her
consciousness of what he or she may find to be contrary to his or her
opinion and believe. A person on stage is also expected not to
embarrass others by following his or her conscience which in most
cases different from the public opinion. Goffman asserts that if a
professional colleague, for instance, does something that is morally
wrong, and individual in that setting is supposed not to speak out of
that person for the sake of that person's reputation.
Morality

 Erving Goffman has well presented the issue of morality
when one is with his or her social group especially when
he or she is on the stage. His insight on the professional
sense of self is indeed very relevant today in various
professions in different social classes and groups.
 He has presented the self of an individual when on stage
for others. Goffman presents the sense of loyalty as being
overridden by that urge and needs to show a good picture
so that cases of immorality is covered up for the sake of
other people one is representing.
Morality

 He says that situation becomes like a drama in that one act
morally upright for the sake of others. An individual on stage
would, therefore, maintain a high degree of behavior that he
does not believe since he alienates from his usual self because
of that need to wary others.
 An individual, in this case, is therefore imprisoned by the role
others want him to play. In his analysis, Goffman asserts that
the sense of loyalty only emerges as a reflection of the role an
individual plays in others whereby that individual has to
silence his conscience so that he plays that is required of him
(1).
Morality

 The way one expose the people closely related to him or she
entirely depend on how much that individual has internalized
the role the public expects him or her to play especially on the
personal level. In such a situation, a person is expected to refuse
to speak aloud against the ethical transgression and morals for
one to be better actors before others.
 One should therefore not speak out of his or her professional
colleague at places of work, and as a result, a person is fully lost
in the professional role.
Morality

 Goffman might as well say that in the process of one trying to maintain
morality and loyalty of his or her profession, he or she becomes a slave of
his or her profession to make his role better. Goffman asserts that if an
individual speaks according to his conscience in the workplace, he or she
enhance her or his backstage condition (4).
 Another human identity according to Goffman is displayed when a person
acts offstage by contradicting the public acting. According to Goffman, one
develops his or her character of loyalty and morality especially at the
places of work by trying to honor his or her colleagues and suppressing his
consciousness (3).
Morality

 . The exercise of one trying to honor all the concerned and close colleagues
becomes one of the main events of developing a character that will, in the
long run, be maintained even when one is alone. Goffman asserts that the
role one plays in public is crucial in the development of identity.
 He suggests that it is from that process of developing the character
through playing our roles in the community that one learn not to accept
blindly weird moral transgression which may eventually change ones’
behavior and way of conduct.
Morality

 Goffman further suggests that developing such immorality involves
knowing that it cannot be replicated by the same individual. He
concluded that it is critical that an individual should not keep down that
inner voice that condemns the development of immoral character.
 Goffman then argued that it is possible to sustain both realities which
will, in the end, help to make an advanced and actualized consciousness
within oneself (2).
References

 References
1.Bauman, Zygmunt. "Morality without ethics." Theory, Culture
& Society 11.4 (1994): 1-34.
2.Weiss, Paul. "Morality and ethics." The Journal of Philosophy
39.14 (1942): 381-385.
3.Miller, W. Watts. "Morality and ethics." Durkheim Today
(2002): 55-68.
4.Kagan, Shelly. "Normative ethics." (1998).