Question

Goffman worked in an asylum for the mentally ill as an Assistant Athletic Director.

His research was mainly covert (the inmates (patients) and hospital authorities did not know he was doing research), with overt elements (a couple of the staff knew he was a researcher).
Goffman attempted to discover 'unofficial reality' of mental institutions, to:
a. Answer the question 'what is really going on here?"
b. To attempt to discover the "sense" in a place of insanity and, in particular, to analyse how patients coped with both their labelling as 'mentally ill' and the "abnormal social situation's in which they found themselves.
For example, patients were: Closely observed and had little privacy. They were highly disciplined
and regimented by the staff. They're personal possessions were taken away and, according to Goffman's interpretation, they were 'treated like children'

Answer 1

Erving Goffman's covert research in an asylum aimed to understand the dynamics within mental institutions by employing participant observation and dramaturgical analysis, while Garfinkel's breaching experiments examined social norms by introducing unexpected behavior in public settings.

Step-by-step explanation:

Erving Goffman's work in the asylum as an Assistant Athletic Director was instrumental for his covert research on the social situation of mental patients. Goffman's primary objective was to uncover the 'unofficial reality' of mental institutions by observing how patients managed the stigma of being labeled 'mentally ill' and how they navigated the abnormal social situations imposed upon them, such as strict observation and discipline by staff, privacy intrusion, and loss of personal possessions. His work is a classic example of participant observation, a methodology where researchers immerse themselves in the environment they wish to study, often not revealing their research intentions to avoid influencing the behavior of the subjects. Goffman's dramaturgical analysis, where social interaction is likened to theater and individuals perform roles based on the social situation, is an extension of his observations in such institutional settings. This approach to sociology illustrates how individuals manage the impressions they give to others depending on their audience, much like actors on a stage. Similarly, studies by sociologists such as Harold Garfinkel, who conducted breaching experiments, further explore the concept of social norms by imposing odd behaviors on the unsuspecting public and observing their reactions. Both Goffman and Garfinkel's work significantly contribute to our understanding of social interaction, roles, and norms within the context of an asylum, and by extension, society at large.