Meaning of Role:

The position or the situation that a person occupies in society is

called status. As a result of that status and position he is expected to
discharge certain functions. These functions are known as roles. In
life, we have a great variety of roles – father, mother, businessman,
shop assistant, consumer, bus-driver, teacher, voter, and politician
and so on. These roles are an integral part of group behaviour.

“According to Linton. The term role is used to designate the sum

total of the cultural pattern associated with a particular status. It
thus includes attitude, values and behaviour ascribed by the society
to any and all person occupying this status…. In so far as it
represents overt behaviour and a role has the dynamic aspect of the
status: what is the individual has to do in order to validate the
occupation of the status.”

A role is, as Ogburn and Nimkoff say, “a set of socially expected and
approved behavior patterns, consisting of both duties and privileges
associated with a particular position in a group.” Role is “the
behavioural enacting of the patterned expectations attributed to
that position,” In role performance, the emphasis is on quality.
One’s role as a father implies a more specific and particular manner
of performance.

Roles are allocated according to the positions (called status) people

occupy in the social system. Each status has its own set of role
requirements. Social groups operates harmoniously and effectively
to the extent that performance conform to the role requirements.
Role is sociologically important because it demonstrates how
individual activity is socially determined and thus follows a regular
patterns.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

A role exists in a particular setting in relation to other roles. Thus,

the role bf father implies the role of child, the role of worker implies
the role of employer, and the role of doctor implies the role of
patient.

A person will play many such roles. Everyone has multiple roles in
life. ‘Multiple’ roles refer to cluster of roles which an individual is
expected to play in variety of situations (i.e. in the multiplicity of
groups to which he belongs). Thus, a person will be a husband, a
teacher, a father and a cousin. His roles continue to change as he
grows up.

Characteristics of the Role:

Characteristics of the role may be studied in the following
heads:
1. Action Aspect of Status:
The role is in fact the action aspect of status. In involves various
types of actions that a person has to perform in accordance with the
expectations of the society. These actions are dependent not on the
individual’s will but on the social sanction. That is why it is said that
every social role has a cultural basis.

2. Changing Concept of Role:

Social roles as already stated, are in accordance with the social
values, ideals, patterns etc. These ideals, values and objects change
and so the concept of the role also changes. The role which is
justified at a particular time may not be justified at some other time.

3. Limited Field of Operation:

Every role has a limited area of operation and the role has to be
confined within that. For example an officer has a role to play in the
office but when he reaches his family, that role ceases.

4. Roles are not Performed 100% for the Fulfillment of the

Expectations:
It is not possible for anyone to perform his role fully in accordance
with the expectations of the society. There is bound to be some
distinctions. For example one may not be able to perform his role to
the full satisfaction of the children.

5. Difference in the Importance of Role:

From the socio-cultural point of view all the roles are not equally
important. Some of the roles are more important while the others
are less. The, roles that are most important are called key roles
while the roles that are of general importance, are called general
roles.

Role Conflict:
Role conflict is the psychological stress created when persons do not
filter roles (personal role-conflict), when relevant others disagree
with the individual about his or her role (intra role-conflict), or
when several different roles make mutually exclusive demands on
an individual (intra role conflict).

ADVERTISEMENTS:
Role Conflict is a social-psychological concept used to investigate
and explain individual’s experiences of competing or conflicting
demands.

A social group, as already observed, carries on its life smoothly and

harmoniously to the extent that roles are clearly assigned and each
member accepts and fulfills the assigned role according to
expectations.

In actual practice, however, we find that there is doubt or

disagreement as to what behaviour is expected in a given role and
sometimes an individual resents the role assigned to him and fails
to live up-to the expectations. Consequently, there is much of group
tension and conflict.

In a simple culturally homogeneous and relatively stationary

society, there may be comparatively less role conflicts. But in a
complex and heterogeneous social system as ours the role conflicts
have increased leading to more and more group tensions.

In the family, in the industry, in the Government, in the politics,

everywhere tension is on the increase. An individual has to play
different roles in different groups. His role as the head of the family
may come into conflict with his role as a doctor. He may at times be
asked to sacrifice his obligations.

Conflict of roles arises when one has to perform number of roles or

the roles of several actors are ill-defined, or when one feels that the
role assigned to one is not in agreement with his status. It is
inevitable in complex and heterogeneous society. The possibility of
conflict of role, in a simple society, is less but it exists, all the same.
A woman as a wife as a mother of the married son and mother-in-
law, as mother of her married daughter and of unmarried (laughter
performs a complex role).

It has often given rise to conflict of roles causing mental turmoil and
social maladjustment. Of course, the growing social complexities
have intensified the conflict of roles. A busy lawyer may fail in his
ascribed roles. A conscientious Minister for industries, when called
upon to decide the claims of applicant such as one supported by the
capitalist, who partly financed his elections, and another who comes
through common channel for issuing’ an industrial license may face
such a situation.

The first systematic treatise of role conflict was presented by Robert

Kahn and his associates in their book Organization Stress: Studies
in Role conflict and Ambiguity (1964). According to Kahn et. al. in
individuals have jobs or functions, (i.e. roles) that typically depend
on a steady exchange of role-relevant information with others.

For example secretaries and supervisors depend on each other,

through exchange of facts, feedback, and directive, to work
effectively. Communication are laden with expectations that
constitutes role-pressure. For a particular individual (a focal
person), these role pressures are communicated by one or more role
senders, who along with individual, constitutes the member of a
role set.

According to Kahn, role conflict (specially sent role conflict) occurs

in three forms: (1) inter sender conflict occurs when incompatible
expectations or demands are communicated by two or more
members of a role set; (2) inter sender conflict occur when;
incompatible expectations or demands are communicated by a
single member of a role set; (3) inter role conflict occurs when
incompatible expectations or demands are communicated by J
members of different role set.

Whereas each of these three forms involves conflict between

multiple expectations or demands, it is possible for a single demand
to conflict with the focal individuals personal beliefs or preferences.
In other words, person-role conflict occurs when an expectation or
demand by a member of a role set is incompatible with the focal
person’s won beliefs.

Mechanisms for Dealing with Role Conflict:

Individuals confronted with unwelcome or incompatible
expectations with role conflict find themselves in stressful
circumstances. They are pulled in differing directions by opposing
forces. How do people deal with such circumstances?

One approach for dealing with conflicting expectations is

compartmentalization. Individuals subdivide their lives so to speak,
and within a given context act in accordance with the dictates of one
role while ignoring the other. In a word, individuals temporarily
abdicate one of the conflicting roles; they wall themselves off from
it.

Role conflict may be handled through a hierarchy of obligations.

Individuals interacting with one another usually recognize that
certain obligations take precedence over others.
Individuals can also handle their role conflict through banding
together for mutual support and concerted action.

Still another mode of individual resolution takes the form of

reducing dependence on the group or role partner supporting one of
the expectations. Individuals achieve this by leaving the group by
redefining its value to them or by making it irrelevant to the conflict
situation.

Role conflict need not be handled in a rational manner. For

example, Elton F. Jackson (1962) found that many people respond
to the stresses posed by role conflict with psychophysiological
symptoms. Those with role inconsistencies were more likely than
others to be troubled with spells of dizziness, upset stomachs,
nervousness, insomnia, nightmares and similar symptoms.

It does not imply that the role conflict is common and that the
multiplicity of roles cannot be performed. If it were so the social
system will break down. There are obviously the ways to eliminate
the conflict of roles. A simple device is to relinquish one of two
conflicting roles. A judge who finds that he has been assigned a case
in which he has some stake is expected to withdraw himself from it.

A Minister who finds that the Government policy is’ not in

agreement with the declared policy, of the party, has always the
option to resign. Another option is to rationalise and
compartmentalize the roles. This may be done in terms of value and
time. One may fix priority and time for the performance of the task.
One has to seek equilibrium in the conflict of roles.
Role conflict happens when there are contradictions between different roles
that a person takes on or plays in their everyday life. In some cases, the
conflict is a result of opposing obligations which results in a conflict of
interest, in others, when a person has roles that have different statuses, and it
also occurs when people disagree about what the responsibilities for a
particular role should be, whether in the personal or professional realms.

To truly understand role conflict, though, one must first have a solid grasp of
how sociologists understand roles, generally speaking.

The Concept of Roles in Sociology

Sociologists use the term "role" (as do others outside of the field) to describe a
set of expected behaviors and obligations a person has based on his or her
position in life and relative to others. All of us have multiple roles and
responsibilities in our lives, that run the gamut from son or daughter, sister or
brother, mother or father, spouse or partner, to friend, and professional and
community ones too.

Within sociology, role theory was developed by American sociologist Talcott

Parsonsthrough his work on social systems, along with German sociologist
Ralf Dahrendorf, and by Erving Goffman, with his numerous studies and
theories focused on how social life resembles theatrical performance. Role
theory was a particularly prominent paradigm used to understand social
behavior during the middle of the 20th century.

Roles not only lay out a blueprint to guide behavior, they also delineate the
goals to pursue, tasks to carry out, and how to perform for a particular
scenario. Role theory posits that a large proportion of our outward day-to-day
social behavior and interaction is defined by people carrying out their roles,
just like actors do in the theater. Sociologists believe that role theory can
predict behavior; if we understand the expectations for a particular role (such
as father, baseball player, teacher), we can predict a large portion of the
behavior of people in those roles. Roles not only guide behavior, they also
influence our beliefs as the theory holds that people will change their attitudes
to be in line with their roles. Role theory also posits that changing behavior
requires changing roles.

Types of Role Conflict and Examples

Because we all play multiple roles in our lives, all of us have or will experience
one or more types of role conflict at least once. In some cases, we may take on
different roles that are not compatible and conflict ensues because of this.
When we have opposing obligations in different roles, it may be difficult to
satisfy either responsibility in an effective way.
A role conflict can occur, for example, when a parent coaches a baseball team
that includes that parent's son. The role of the parent can conflict with the role
of the coach who needs to be objective when determining the positions and
batting lineup, for example, along with the need to interact with all the
children equally. Another role conflict can arise if the parent's career impacts
the time he can commit to coaching as well as parenting.

Role conflict can happen in other ways too. When the roles have two different
statuses, the result is called status strain. For example, people of color in the
U.S. who have high-status professional roles often experience status strain
because while they might enjoy prestige and respect in their profession, they
are likely to experience the degradation and disrespect of racism in their
everyday lives.

When conflicting roles both have the same status, role strain results. This
happens when a person who needs to fulfill a certain role is strained because
of obligations or extensive demands on energy, time or resources caused by
the multiple roles. For example, consider a single parent who has to work full-
time, provide child care, manage and organize the home, help kids with
homework, take care of their health, and provide effective parenting. A
parent's role can be tested by the need to fulfill all of these demands
simultaneously and effectively.

Role conflict can also ensue when people disagree about what the expectations
are for a particular role or when someone has trouble fulfilling the
expectations of a role because their duties are difficult, unclear or unpleasant.

In the 21st century, many women who have professional careers experience
role conflict when expectations for what it means to be a "good wife" or "good
mother" -- both external and internal -- conflict with the goals and
responsibilities she may have in her professional life. A sign that gender
roles remain fairly stereotypical in today's world of heterosexual relationships,
men who are professionals and fathers rarely experience this type of role
conflict.