The argument that has been made in favor of the development ofa meaningful conceptual definition of leisure suggests the potentialusefulness of the symbolic interactionist theoreticalparadigm (see also Roadburg, 1977). This paradigm provides aframework within which meanings, perceptions, and definitionscan be explored. "Meaning," in this context, is seen to be somethingwhich is indicated both to the self and to others throughinteraction (Mead, 1934, p. 89). It is thus seen to originate, to bedefined, and to be continuously redefined through the process ofcommunication. The meaning of a significant symbol therefore—including leisure—has its origins in interaction, and isdefined and changed by individuals within a society or within asubgroup of that society during the process of communication.