My Irrational, Rational Behaviour
Last week I fell over on a busy London tube station. No harm, just a simple fall and the temporary loss of ego. But why did I immediately feel embarrassed and awkward, and why did I feel the need to laugh, drawing attention to myself? Reflecting on this response afterwards, I have tried to understand what underlies this automatic subconscious response. I’ve been reading about the work of pioneering sociologist Erving Goffman who provided an explanation to my irrational behaviour.? To use the modern vernacular, Erving Goffman was a G.O.A.T. in sociology, considered by many to be one the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century. What would Goffman have to say about this curious behaviour and what triggered it?
The minutea and the mundane that form our social norms
Erving Goffman studied microsociology, the study of our everyday behaviours and actions, and what they reveal about the social norms that enable our societies to function. He devoted his career to analysing the processes of interpersonal interaction, illuminating the ways in which they contribute to the re/production of social order. These are the unwritten and informal rules that govern our behaviour within social groups. They are the invisible rules, such as the distances we maintain, the eye contact we make or avoid and the social interactions. These norms function as social signals, creating the trust and order that enable social group to interact and form trust. They create the complex social codes help us understand ourselves and each another. I find Goffman's work fascinating and it goes someway to explain my public embarrassment and subsequent irrational attempt to normalise falling over by laughing.
Remedial Work
My laugh was subconscious, some strange deep sense to reassure those around me that my accident was not a start of a premediated streak of violence by me. To my fellow travellers, my fall could be a signal that I was intoxicated, suffering a medical event, or an indication of something more sinister – perhaps someone out of control and a potential threat to their safety. On reflection, I laughed to restore normality, and without a hesitation or thought. I did so not wanting to appear a threat, break the unwritten order and violate the social norms. According to Goffman, my laugh was a signal to suggest to fellow travellers 'it was nothing' and I’m no threat. It all occurred in seconds and my desire to restore social order was immediate. My irrational overplayed laugh was what Goffman described as 'Remedial Work’, a behaviour or action that attempts to restore the social order and assure those around me them I was not a threat - I was just like them.
Norms, the glue that binds us
Goffman studied these often invisible micro "rules" the govern our social order and what happens when we violate them. We frequently refer to these as social norms, but the discussion often ends there. What I particularly like about Goffman’s work is his detailed examination of the everyday minutia and mundane, and what this tells us about how we function in groups. Microsociology focuses on how people interact with each other in small groups, and how they interpret situations within larger structures. He focused on the behaviour, actions and unwritten order that bind our social order, and what happens when this expected order is broken. His work applied the anthropologist's maxim:
Make the familiar strange, and the strange familiar
Goffman’s work explains my attempt to normalise falling over – the awkwardness, my overwhelming sense of self-consciousness and the need to restore order quickly. My attempt to laugh was, according to Goffman, a perfectly normal response to address the complexities of our social world. A?‘normalcy show’ to re-establish the expected behaviours in a busy London tube station. Far from being irrational, my awkward laugh was a sensible rational responses to response restore normalcy and the expected social order. So maybe the next time I fall in a public space or break the social order, I shall try and feel a little less awkward and anxious. But probably not, and again I shall attempt to laugh it off and restore order quickly.
Goffman’s work shines a light on our everyday behaviours and actions that we barely consider. He provides reason, explanation and rationality to the minutia and idiosyncrasies of our everyday social behaviour. When incidents happen, his insights can help explain why our immediate response can appear strange, particular, but are on closer examination, explainable and even logical. For those interested in influencing and changing behaviour, or trying to explain behaviour within an incident, I wonder how many have studied or applied Goffman’s insights?
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References and further reading
If you are interested in reading more about the work of Erving Goffman, here are some useful references:
?? A YouTube overview of his notion of Performed Self: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z0XS-QLDWM
??A BBC podcast exploring his work and influence: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b039cy07
??An Aeon article on Goffman and this area of his work: https://aeon.co/essays/pioneering-sociologist-erving-goffman-saw-magic-in-the-mundane
??An SimplyPsychology article: https://www.simplypsychology.org/impression-management.html
Safety & Risk Executive | Human & Organizational Performance
1 个月I had a similar experience about 6 months on Oxford St in London. I tripped crossing the road and literally threw myself into the street, narrowly missing a double decker bus and sending an untouched venti Starbucks across all 4 lanes. I was mortfied and more interested convincing everyone I was fine than thinking about the uncomfortable bumps emerging on my knee and elbow, (or the fact I could have been run over by the proverbial bus!) . Fascinating to put it all in the context of restoring social order!
Integrated Management Community past chair.
1 个月Not withstanding what I said in my previous comments, much more fundamental is the level of consciousness of the actor. The key issue is the degree that the actor sees themself as part of the whole. A worst case example is psychopath or a sociopath. A best case is a fully enlightened person such as a saint. There is a current best seller that puts all this brilliantly and simply in perspective. In my view it is analogous to moving from flat to round earth thinking and will be the next big paradigm shift in human thinking. Read Dr Tony Nadrer's book "Consciousness is all there is" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Consciousness-All-There-Understanding-Experiencing/dp/1837821720/ref=sr_1_1?crid=37ZCS2JL4HOW2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qbA5BbiM7vpIynMNy5irFiYKIbRXQxN9yBMKKJ31E9PjFJ617aVtOhhI-IksbpXlSrvetudcjWwiweL4d214Gw.As2Mm1I06qozSz_oOK0xEpBiQuAU7lqnA-5XkmNwXFQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=consciousness+is+all+there+is+dr+tony+nader&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1728120127&sprefix=tony+nader%2Caps%2C84&sr=8-1
Integrated Management Community past chair.
1 个月Hi James. There are many factors including culture which is learned since birth. I have conducted research into organisation culture. Regarding environment I suggest through experience that the London Underground is one of the most socially isolated and unfriendly environments you could have fallen down in. If you had fallen down above ground on the streets it would have been better. I once traveled up up to London from the south coast and someone was laying down on the floor and passengers ignoring him. I was able to contact the transport police on my mobile and they assisted at the next stop. Research shows a wide range of human behaviour when confronted with different situations and each individual will have their personal motivations. I like Maslow's hierarchy to help form perspectives.
Operational Safety Consultant | Maritime, Construction & Energy Expert | Fractional Safety Leadership | OSHA/ISO Compliance Specialist | Veteran | California - Nevada - Arizona - Canada | Remote & Travel Ready
1 个月James, from a behavioral economics perspective, your response can be seen as highly rational. We often act to avoid perceived ‘losses’, in your case, the loss might be social embarrassment or a hit to your reputation. Laughing was a way to reassure those around you and manage the situation, which aligns with loss aversion. Rather than trying to recover from a physical fall, you were instinctively minimizing the social ‘loss.’ Also to be considered, social norms heavily influence our behavior. We naturally want to restore order after an unexpected incident to avoid making others uncomfortable or drawing unwanted attention. By laughing, you were conforming to these norms, signaling to others that everything was under control, even though the situation was unexpected. Behavioral economics suggests these responses are not irrational, but actually adaptive strategies to maintain social harmony and manage perceptions. From a cognitive perspective, your brain swiftly appraised both the physical and social environment, activating automatic behaviors to minimize threats, especially in social contexts. What may have felt irrational was actually your brain’s efficient, evolved response to maintaining social cohesion and self-image.
Lecturer at Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
1 个月This reminded me of an incident in one of my previous workplaces where I was reclining back in my chair (as you do) and somehow the chair completely slipped and I keeled over headlong with it. I quickly recovered, straightened the chair, sat in it, and laughed. A worried colleague next to me asked why I was laughing when I could have been badly hurt. I don't know myself! I think as you said I was too embarrassed by what had happened and laughing was my abnormal reaction to restore the 'order'!