Garfinkel suggests that each member of society uses “background expectancies” to interpret and decide how to act in a social situation. However, individuals are unable to explicitly describe what each of these expectancies, or rules, are. One way to help make background expectancies more visible is to be a stranger to the life as usual character of everyday scenes.
S: Hi Ray. How is your girlfriend feeling?
E: What do you mean, “How is she feeling?” Do you mean physical or mental?
S: I mean how is she feeling? What’s the matter with you? (He looked peeved)
