Final answer:
Erving Goffman referred to his theory on the presentation of self in different social situations as dramaturgy, where individuals use strategies of performance for impression management, much like actors choose roles on a stage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Erving Goffman's ideas relating to the way individuals present themselves in various social situations are encapsulated in what he termed dramaturgy. This concept draws on the metaphor of a theater stage, where we perform varying strategies of performance to manage the impressions we leave on others—something Goffman referred to as impression management. As actors on life's stage, each social encounter is likened to a new scene where we portray different roles. Whether with coworkers, grandparents, or on a blind date, we exhibit different aspects of our personas which are not always a conscious alteration, but nonetheless distinct expressions tailored to the specific audience or setting.
Goffman's dramaturgical analysis uses cultural scripts and symbols to suggest that like actors, we must sometimes improvise our roles since our exact part in a scenario may not be predetermined. His theory builds upon and extends Charles Cooley's concept of the looking-glass self, which explains how our self-image is shaped by our perceptions of how others view us and their reactions to our presentation.