Role

This article is about the Sociology term. For the Performing Arts term, see Role (performing arts).

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A role (sometimes spelled as rôle) or social role (in sociology) is a set of connected behaviours, rights and obligations as conceptualised by actors in a social situation. It is mostly defined as an expected behaviour in a given individual social status and social position.

Related Topics:
Sociology - Behaviour - Right - Obligation - Actor - Social situation - Individual - Social status - Social position

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A function is part of an answer to a question about why some object or process occurred in a system that evolved or was designed with some goal. Thus function refers forward from the object or process, along some chain of causes to the goal or evolutionary success. For example, the function of chlorophyll in a plant is to capture the energy of sunlight for photosynthesis, which contributes to growth and reproduction, and reproduction contributes to evolutionary success. Compare this to the mechanism of the object or process, which looks backward along some chain of causation.

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The term is used in two ratdifferent but related senses. It is vital to both functionalist and interactionist understandings of society, but is of only peripheral relevance to conflict theory.

Related Topics:
Sense - Functionalist - Interactionist - Society - Relevance - Conflict theory

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Role confusion is a situation where an individual has trouble determining which role he/she should play. For example, you, a college student, go to attend an convention of fun club and find your teacher there. Should you behave as a student or as an enthusiast who shares the same interest?

Related Topics:
Situation - Individual - Trouble - College student - Convention - Fun club - Teacher - Student - Enthusiast - Interest

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Role strain characterises a situation where fulfilling a certain role has a conflict with fulfilling another role. For example, you found your teacher made a mistake and should you report that? If you did, you might disgrace him and if you didn't, you might not fulfil your role as student. While role conflict takes place across different role sets, role strain happens within the same role set.

Related Topics:
Conflict - Mistake - Role set

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