Using the metaphor of the theater to describe and explain how roles influence social life has more limitations than benefits. One of the early proponents of sociological drama theory was Erving Goffman. An overview of his concepts reveals that, among other shortcomings, drama theory fails to account for the role of the self in social interaction and the influence of environmental factors.
Goffman admitted that his sociological discourse focused not on the organization of society, but on social interaction (Giddens, 1988, p. 252). Drama theory assumes a pre-set stage. The actors perform on this stage, but play no role in its construction, remodel, or maintenance. It can be assumed that Goffman would be opposed to the notion that a person creates his or her own reality. The organization of society, however, does exert a powerful impact on a person's social interactions. People are influenced by their environments. Giddens (1988) claims that Goffman's work is located somewhere in the continuum between macro and micro studies. Goffman, however, rarely analyzed the links that exist in the wider social realm.
The chief concern in Goffman's theories is face-to-face interaction. Individuals must be physically in one another's presence before his dramaturgical theories come into play. In this micro-social world, a distinct set of rules and forms exist. Goffman believed that individuals who were co-present shared a common awareness: "Focused interaction, Goffman's main concern throughout his writings, involves individuals directly attending to what each other are saying and doing for a particular segment of time" (Giddens, 1988, p. 256).
One of the central themes of Goffman's writings is the analysis of ritual order characteristic of etiquette. The establishment and maintenance of face-to-face interaction is based on socially acceptable conventions. For instance, among strangers, an opportunity of inattention on the p...