I found this interesting.
In my opinion I find this true. A person's identity is not a stable thing. People like to judge others based on the premises that it is. Humans are constantly changing depending on how others treat them and their circumstances. This is quite similar to the actor observer bias.
Regarding Dramaturgical sociology it is argued that human actions are dependent on time, place and audience, Basically the circumstances.
Back to the Dramaturgical perspective....
I totally agree what a person "really is" is undiscoverable but also arbitrary. Only an individual knows himself or herself best, trying to label or judge someone based on limited or even past interactions(many years ago) is quite futile. The context of someone's actions is very important observers like to think that someone's actions are due to stable dispositions, when in many cases that couldn't be further from the truth.
If you want to read more here is the link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramaturgical_perspective#Dramaturgical_perspective
Dramaturgical theory suggests that a person's identity is not a stable and independent psychological entity; it is constantly remade as the person interacts with others.
“actors tend to attribute the causes of their behavior to stimuli inherent in the situation, while observers tend to attribute behavior to stable dispositions of the actor”
Back to the Dramaturgical perspective....
Dramaturgical perspective is one of several sociological paradigms separated from other sociological theories because it does not examine the cause of human behavior but the context. In a number of Goffman's texts, he emphasizes that what a person "really is" is not only undiscoverable, but also arbitrary in its nature. In Frame Analysis,[4] he writes, "What is important is the sense he provides them through his dealing with them of what sort of person he is behind the role he is in" (p. 298). The dramaturgy perspective can be seen as an anchor to this perspective, where the individual's identity is performed through role(s), and consensus between the actor and the audience. Because of this dependence on consensus to define social situations, the perspective argues that there is no concrete meaning to any interaction that could not be redefined. Dramaturgy emphasizes expressiveness as the main component of interactions. It is termed a "fully two-sided view of human interaction"
If you want to read more here is the link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramaturgical_perspective#Dramaturgical_perspective
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