Bryttni Pugh

Dippong

SOCY 2161

26 June 2016

Goffmans Dramaturgical Approach in American Psycho

The behavior of a man, Patrick Bateman, has two distinct sides that of a sophisticated

upper-class business man and that of an insane murderer. He presents his two distinct sides clearly

and quickly in the scene where he murders a co-worker, Paul Allen. The way in which he presents

himself differs before, during, and after the murder, depending on the situation, impression

management, and type of place, which is analogous to theatre. I will be applying Goffmans

dramaturgical approach that is within the topic of self-presentation to the film, American Psycho.

The axe scene in the film will be used to demonstrate the theatrical analogy. The

professionally dressed protagonist, Patrick Bateman, is in his cloth and newspaper covered

apartment with his disliked business co-worker, Paul Allen. He asks Allen, who has been drinking,

if he likes the band Huey Lewis and the News and begins to make small-talk about their music

whilst swiftly walking to the bathroom. He proceeds this comical conversation as he transforms

into the man who will end the life of his co-worker by putting on a raincoat, taking a pill as he

stares at himself in the mirror, and grabbing a clean axe. As he moves to the kitchen and buttons

up his raincoat, a relaxed Allen asks why there are copies of the style section of the newspaper on

the floor and seems to be confused about his co-workers clothing choice.

Batemans anger then escalates as he discusses the song in the background and says at a

quick pace about the lyrics, Its not just about the pleasures of conformity and the importance of

friends; its also a personal statement about the band itself. He strikes Allen from behind with the
axe after getting his attention with a simple Hey, Paul! He puts forth his hatred for the man into

the killing, then calms down as he takes off his raincoat to reveal his stain-free suit and smokes a

cigar. Bateman does not appear worried - but irritated - as he takes Allens bloody body bag across

the lobby of his apartment building and into the trunk of a taxi where he bumps into an oblivious

co-worker, Luis, who is only concerned about the brand of the bag. Bateman arrives at Allens

home after disposing the body and has a moment of panic upon seeing the park view and noticing

the place may be more expensive than his own. In a rushed manner, he fills a suitcase with

belongings and sends out a message in the voice of Allen saying that he will be traveling to London

for a few days.

The concept to be applied to the scene mentioned is Goffmans dramaturgical approach

which compares the life of a person to a never-ending play, according to Lecture Four. He or she

does not have a choice to be an actor or actress because he or she has been given the part since

birth. The individual is an actor or actress in life who learns and practices his or her roles in a

process called socialization. One can practice the roles to be presented in future social situations

in the back stage or private area; this is the place for one to relax and be himself or herself without

having to act. The actor or actress eventually performs on the front stage or the social place by

delivering lines and enacting the given roles (Lecture Four). According to Tselons view of

Goffmans self-presentation, dishonest behavior is staged but not all staged behavior is dishonest,

and the two stages deal with unself- and self-conscious or invisible and visible behavior (1992).

The contrasting stages are separated by a physical or locational barrier, which facilitates

impression management by blocking the entrance to the back stage (DeLamater and Myers 2010).

One presents himself or herself in a certain way to receive certain responses from others through

impression management, depending on the environment which consists of clothing, makeup,

grooming, cleanliness and props (Lecture Four). This self-presentation or process by which

individuals attempt to control the impressions that others form of them is analyzed by Schwalbe

(DeLamater and Myers 2010). He states that people may have limited access to certain props, and

the context of the situation helps to establish the meaning of a prop. Additionally, self-presentation

collaborates with the audience and can have information given and given-off; information is given

through measured control whilst information is given off through ways that escape control. The

individual cannot operate successfully in the social world without a script or rule book, props, and

other people in the given situation; he or she will appear committed to nothing more than wearing

whatever mask will pay off in a given situation, and a true self will be difficult to distinguish

(Schwalbe 1993).

Patrick Bateman and Paul Allen are actors in their own lives and in the situation of Allens

murder. Through the process of socialization, they are practicing their roles in front of one another.

They are both in the front stage or the living room of the apartment, but Batemans behavior, such

as the confident and fast-paced communication and movement, is more evidently practiced. He

knows that he has planned to kill Allen and has successfully prepared for the event; Allen does not

know that his death is close and continues to relax on the chair with alcohol as he is being tricked

by his co-workers presentation. The killer briefly moves into the bathroom, the back or private

stage, to alter his appearance with essential props the raincoat, pill, and axe. His genuine self

shines through in this moment as he attempts to calm himself just to prepare for the upcoming

adrenaline rush. He also looks into the mirror as if mentally rehearsing for the front stage again

and reassuring himself that he will enact the role correctly. Although he is presenting himself in

an unusual way that slightly differs from how his business audience, Paul Allen, typically sees

him, it does not mean that he is being dishonest; perhaps he is becoming his ideal self.
 Batemans behavior in the bathroom is hidden from or invisible to the audience member.

Allen does not attempt to get off of the couch to see where his co-worker went or what he went to

do because of the locational barrier, the separation between the living room and the bathroom. As

the bathroom is considered a private area and the apartment belongs to Bateman, it would be rude

to enter the back stage and potentially reveal a part of the character that was not meant to be public.

According to impression management, the man with two distinct sides presents himself in ways

that will both impress Allen (through being a sophisticated business man) and induce fear (Allens

reaction as he turns around to see Bateman swinging an axe at him). His business side includes the

unwrinkled suit, slick hair, freshly groomed face, a clean apartment, the style section selected from

the newspaper, and music which could evoke happiness; his killer side includes the raincoat,

newspaper and fabric covered floor and furniture, the axe, blood as makeup, and music which

could also evoke how the killer genuinely feels at the moment. Paul Allen has limited access to

the main prop, the axe, since he does not know an axe is present, and Patrick Bateman has limited

access since he can only have the prop out for a short period of time during the murder. The

meaning of this prop is definitely established during the murder but subtly established back stage

during rehearsal and front stage during the escalated anger. Another prop, the music, is primarily

used to explain how Bateman seems to feel in the situation. I interpret his quote as meaning that

the lyrics are the context of this particular encounter between the two men. The two meeting is not

just about feeling good about conforming to the stereotype of a business man and to how Allen

perceives him, but the meeting is to show Allen and himself who he really is or wants to be.

The two sides produce a mixed environment in order to control Allens impression of him.

He keeps the business side classy because that is how he is seen at work. If he discards that

environment to only leave his killer side visible, then his murder plan would be more difficult to
enact as Allen would grow suspicious or disgusted at Batemans true self. Even with both sides

combined, information is given off to Allen about a mess that is soon to happen through the

appearance of the room and other person, and it escapes Batemans control if he insists on keeping

the apartment clean. The co-worker is less likely to receive the information clearly if impaired with

alcohol, and he may have difficulty understanding the escalating behavior in Bateman as he is left

in the dark about the killer identity until the last minute. Before the murder, Bateman is committed

to masking himself as a business man who is trying to impress another man; during the murder, he

is committed to masking himself as an insane killer to put forth the hatred and jealousy he had;

after the murder, he is masked as business man briefly when commenting about the price of Allens

home and is committed to masking himself as Allen who is supposedly traveling to London. All

three pay off in their corresponding situations, but which is the true Patrick Bateman? I would

assume, based solely off of the back stage performance and specific scene given, that his real self

is that of a killer.

There are clear connections between Goffmans dramaturgical approach in self-

presentation and American Psycho. Patrick Bateman is the actor of the play who quickly utilizes

his back stage time to perform what has been rehearsed onto the front stage. The planned social

interaction, which ultimately ended in another actors death, depended on the environment the two

men were in. He could not have operated successfully without preparation, select props, and a

specific actor. This process of socialization is bound to be repeated until life is complete, which

shows how life is a never-ending play.

 References

DeLamater, John D. and Daniel J. Myers. 2010. Social Psychology. 7th ed. Cengage Learning.

Harron, Mary. 2000. American Psycho.

Schwalbe, Michael L. 1993. Goffman Against Postmodernism: Emotion and the Reality of the

Self. Symbolic Interaction 16(4):333-50.

Tselon, Efrat. 1992. Self Presentation through Appearance: A Manipulative vs. a

Dramaturgical Approach. Symbolic Interaction 15(4):501-14.