ABSTRACT
The analysis of etiquette-of the ritual order which links the micro to the macro world, lending weight and stability to each and every encounter-is central to Goffman's writings. This chapter focuses on the balance of power, which contains an exposition of Goffman's view of the ritual order, a description of systematic ethnographic methods for its analysis, an illustration of the use of such methods, and an appraisal and critique of Goffman's position. A central argument in much of Goffman's work is that the ceremonial order of the encounter, the etiquette that can be found on any social occasion, is not some trivial matter, of interest solely to mothers, pedants and social climbers, but has instead a profound importance for the viability of the micro-social order. Goffman's theory of the ceremonial order of encounters could be explored in many ways. Constant comparison is a means for systematically elaborating detailed hypotheses about a complex, general phenomenon.
