ABSTRACT
To the role theorist, the archetypical role is that seen in ritual or classic drama, in which every line and every gesture of every actor is rigidly specified in the sacred script. If interaction has qualities reminiscent of the extemporaneous theatre, there is still the problem of accounting for the nature of interaction as being dramatic. Communication between men in society is, therefore, not merely symbolic interaction, it is also dramatic symbolic interaction. Men conceive of the world in terms of the symbols they create, while simultaneously these symbols are expressive of the drama of everyday and community life. The norm of cynicism tends to see all politicians in terms of artificial dramatic performances which are easily discoverable by their constituents and opponents. Dramatic symbolization has the effect of channelling men’s energies into lines of activity which are not explicable purely in terms of the assumption of non-symbolic forces.
