Final answer:
Erving Goffman coined the term dramaturgy to describe how people perform and manage impressions in various social contexts, akin to actors in a play.
Step-by-step explanation:
Erving Goffman's ideas regarding impression management and social interaction are most closely associated with dramaturgy. Goffman employed the metaphor of theater to describe how individuals present themselves in various situations, adapting their roles to the expectations and norms of the audience. Just as actors on a stage, people perform roles, manage impressions, and use different strategies to influence how they are perceived by others. This behaviour reflects dramaturgical analysis, suggesting that social life is like a play, with individuals as actors who adjust their performances based on the social context and audience.
Erving Goffman's ideas on role performance indicate that we cannot directly observe a person's internal state, but only their behaviour, which is their role performance. This role performance is guided by cultural scripts and influenced by our anticipation of how others view us, drawing on Charles Cooley's concept of the looking-glass self. In essence, individual behaviour during interaction is tailored to manage the impressions of the audience, seeking desired reactions and thus shaping one's self-identity.
In sum, Goffman's work explores how individuals navigate and control the presentation of themselves in society, shaping their interactions through a complex process of reading social cues and adjusting their behaviour to fit the imagined expectations of those around them.