Civil Inattention: Signs and Significance
An Easy Social Concept
Every sociological concept has its real world application, its visible counterpart to that which exists only on a textbook page, yet civil inattention, though unfocused and indirect, has obvious signs and underlying significance.
Social Context and Civil Inattention
As with any type of concept which dwells on human interaction, you are most likely to recognize the signs of civil inattention once you know where to look for them.
Think of a crowded restaurant, for example, where the large number of people allows the overworked waitress to remain unfocused on a customer's obvious impatience.
She is still being civil, as she goes through the routine of her job, yet the context of the crowded restaurant affords her the opportunity to avoid eye contact with a hostile customer.
Civil inattention, therefore, is recognized in social situations where the focus of interaction can be diffused over a great variety of people.
Signs of Civil Inattention
As suggested in the preceding example, avoiding eye contact is one of the signs of civil inattention.
In truth, all the signs of civil inattention can easily be recognized once you begin to regard unfocused interaction as the direct opposite of face to face communication.
While direct conversation implies that focused interaction is taking place, civil inattention is displayed by body language that is indirect and unfocused.
Significance of Civil Inattention
Regarding the waitress' unfocused interaction with the impatient customer, you can see that civil inattention can have a significance that is rooted in self-interest.
But, in view of the many types of social gatherings, should self-interest be the only reason that civil inattention is a significant feature of human interaction?
Think of being on an airplane or on a bus. Many times you have seen how other people will look at you and then quickly look away. The significance of civil inattention in this example is rooted more in benevolence.
Again, with body language that expresses unfocused interaction, people will look at you briefly to acknowledge you as a person, yet will look away to indicate they don't want to harm you.
The unfocused interaction of civil inattention can have positive and negative implications depending on the circumstances.
In sum, the signs of civil inattention are easy to recognize as they are displayed in various circumstances.
Because it is a form of unfocused interaction, civil inattention is given sociological significance, whether the interaction takes place on behalf of self-interest or in the interest of others.
Source: "Behavior in Public Place" by Erving Goffman
www.paulos.net/hcc/papers/goffman.html
Published by Dan Reveal
Come walk with me. I'll share my umbrella. View profile
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20 Comments
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When restaurants are really busy, I can see why the waitress or waiter behaves with civil inattention.
Intriguing!
Looking away is more comfortable than eye contact, isn't it? I like this article.
I had never thought of this distinction, Dan. Thanks for the insight.
Interesting!
Very interesting article. It's the ones who don't recognize that there is a time to apply civil inattention, and try to stare you down as you walk past that probably would benefit from your article. :)
Possibly a good bit of that behavior comes from most of us being taught as children not to stare. And that is not a bad thing, it is a good thing.
Soooooo loving this. Excellent Dan.... :o)
Very interesting explanation!