The metaphor linking the world with the stage is one that has captured the imagination of philosophers, poets and social scientists for millennia. In Persona and Performance, Robert Landy shows that drama provides not only a metaphor for everyday life, but also a means of self-examination and life-enhancement. Encompassing the full range of human experience, role allows us to conceptualize the personality, which Landy views as a system of roles. He suggests that emotional well-being depends upon an individual's capacity to manage a complex and often contradictory set of roles, demonstrating...