ABSTRACT
Some theories, such as Freud's psychoanalysis or the, have an explicit theory of human motivation; others, like most of the sociological action theories, exhibit more implicit assumptions. In sociology, the concept of motive is closely linked with that of action. The classic concept of action assumes that actors attribute a subjective meaning to their actions. Actions come about in social space due to the fact that actors mutually attribute motives. Typical action motives are inferred from typical situational behavior; and if one asks actors about their motives, they fall back on the appropriate vocabularies of motive. Habermas even speaks with a view to Goffman about the model of dramaturgical action. Goffman examines the staging and presentation techniques of interacting people and often relies on metaphors from the theatre. Because Goffman wanted to exclude them from his interaction analyses, the intrapsychic dynamics of emotions and how they in turn influence interaction order escaped him.
