Leisure sociology, existing on the margins of the discipline, has contributed to theory only in occasional illustrative references. However, when the existential side of the social dialectic is incorporated in theory, then the relative freedom of leisure becomes a salient element in developing an understanding of how decision and self-definitions enter into social action. The role-identity model is proposed as a valuable approach to analyzing the structural and existential dimensions of interaction. Leisure research is employed to begin to advance theory development on roles, socialization, primary communities, the emergent character of face-to-face interaction, and identity formation through the life course. Leisure is proposed as a social space in which the dialectical balance of social interaction may be further investigated.