 Goffman made substantial advances in the study of face @-@ to @-@ face interaction , elaborated the " dramaturgical approach " to human interaction , and developed numerous concepts that have had a massive influence , particularly in the field of the micro @-@ sociology of everyday life . Many of his works have concerned the organization of everyday behavior , a concept he termed " interaction order " . He contributed to the sociological concept of framing ( frame analysis ) , to game theory ( the concept of strategic interaction ) , and to the study of interactions and <unk> . With regard to the latter , he argued that the activity of speaking must be seen as a social rather than a linguistic construct . From a methodological perspective , Goffman often employed <unk> approaches , specifically ethnography , most famously in his study of social aspects of mental illness , in particular the functioning of total institutions . Overall , his contributions are valued as an attempt to create a theory that bridges the agency @-@ and @-@ structure divide – for popularizing social <unk> , symbolic interaction , conversation analysis , ethnographic studies , and the study and importance of individual interactions . His influence extended far beyond sociology : for example , his work provided the assumptions of much current research in language and social interaction within the discipline of communication . 
