ABSTRACT
Interaction is a dynamic concept. An interaction involves at least two people each of whose behaviour is orientated towards the other. Social behaviour takes place within situations, usually interactional ones. Normally the situation itself imposes constraints which a person must take into account in performing his role. To ascribe social behaviour, or even mere role performance, to an interaction between role and personality is either a gross oversimplification or, taking 'role' and 'personality' as synonyms for 'social' and 'individual', merely a statement of the obvious. Attempts have been made to link the concepts of role and personality by such concepts as that of role style. Although the concept of role seems to be essential to the analysis of human interaction, especially the early stages of interaction, it is not in itself adequate to complete the whole job. Interactional situations vary along a continuum of the degree to which there is a structure inherent in the interaction.
