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Jump to navigationJump to searchCreated page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgright|frame ==Origin== French ''rôle'', literally, roll, from Old French ''rolle'' *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_ce...'
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Social_roles.jpg|right|frame]]
==Origin==
French ''rôle'', [[literally]], roll, from Old French ''rolle''
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_century 1605]
==Definitions==
*1a (1) : a character assigned or assumed <had to take on the role of both [[father]] and [[mother]]> (2) : a socially [[expected]] [[behavior]] pattern usually determined by an individual's [[status]] in a particular society
:b : a part played by an [[actor]] or singer
*2: a [[function]] or part performed especially in a particular operation or [[process]] <played a major role in the negotiations>
==Description==
A '''role''' (from the French ''rôle'', and sometimes so spelt in [[English]]) or social role is a set of connected [[behaviours]], rights and [[obligations]] as conceptualised by actors in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behaviour and may have a given individual [[social status]] or social position. It is vital to both functionalist and interactionist [[understandings]] of [[society]]. Social role posits the following about social [[behaviour]]:
#The division of [[labour]] in [[society]] takes the form of the [[interaction]] among heterogeneous specialised positions, we call roles.
#Social roles included appropriate and permitted forms of behaviour, guided by social norms, which are commonly known and hence determine the [[expectations]] for appropriate behaviour in these roles.
#Roles are occupied by [[individuals]], who are called Actor.
#When [[individuals]] approve of a social role (i.e., they consider the role legitimate and constructive), they will incur costs to [[conform]] to role norms, and will also incur costs to punish those who [[violate]] role norms.
#Changed conditions can render a social role outdated or illegitimate, in which case [[social]] [[pressures]] are likely to lead to role [[change]].
#The [[anticipation]] of rewards and punishments, as well as the [[satisfaction]] of behaving prosocially, account for why agents [[conform]] to role requirements.
Roles may be [[achieved]] or ascribed or they can be accidental in different situations. An achieved role is a [[position]] that a person assumes voluntarily which [[reflects]] personal [[skills]], abilities, and [[effort]]. An ascribed role is a position assigned to [[individuals]] or [[groups]] without regard for merit but because of certain [[traits]] beyond their [[control]], and is usually forced upon a person.
Roles can be semi-permanent ("doctor", "[[mother]]", "[[child]]"), or they can be transitory. A well-known example is the sick role as formulated by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talcott_Parsons Talcott Parsons] in the late 1940s. In the transitory "sick role", a person is exempted from his usual roles, but is expected to [[conform]] to transitory behavioural [[standards]], such as following doctors' orders and trying to recover.
For many roles, individuals must meet certain conditions, [[biological]] or [[sociological]]. For instance, a boy cannot take the biological role of [[mother]]. Other roles require [[training]] or [[experience]]. For instance, in many [[cultures]] doctors must be educated and certified prior to practising [[medicine]].
Role development can be [[influenced]] by a number of additional [[factors]], including [[social]], [[genetic]] predisposition, cultural or situational.
*Societal influence: The [[structure]] of [[society]] often forms individuals into certain roles based on the social situations they [[choose]] to [[experience]]. [[Parents]] enrolling their children in certain programs at a young age increases the chance that the child will follow that role.
*Genetic predisposition: People take on roles that come naturally to them. Those with [[athletic]] ability generally take on roles of athletes. Those with mental [[genius]] often take on roles devoted to [[education]] and [[knowledge]]. This does not mean that people must choose only one [[path]], multiple roles can be taken on by each individual (i.e. Evelyn can be the point guard on the basketball team and the editor of her school newspaper).
*Cultural influence: Different [[cultures]] place different [[values]] on certain roles based on their [[lifestyle]]. For instance, soccer players are regarded higher in European countries than in the United States, where soccer is less popular.
*Situational influence: Roles can be created or altered based on the situation a person is put in outside their own [[influence]].
Roles are also frequently interconnected in a role set, that [[complement]] of role-[[relationships]] in which persons are involved by virtue of occupying a particular social [[status]]. For example, a high school football player carries the roles of [[student]], [[athlete]], classmate, etc.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role]
[[Category: Sociology]]
==Origin==
French ''rôle'', [[literally]], roll, from Old French ''rolle''
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_century 1605]
==Definitions==
*1a (1) : a character assigned or assumed <had to take on the role of both [[father]] and [[mother]]> (2) : a socially [[expected]] [[behavior]] pattern usually determined by an individual's [[status]] in a particular society
:b : a part played by an [[actor]] or singer
*2: a [[function]] or part performed especially in a particular operation or [[process]] <played a major role in the negotiations>
==Description==
A '''role''' (from the French ''rôle'', and sometimes so spelt in [[English]]) or social role is a set of connected [[behaviours]], rights and [[obligations]] as conceptualised by actors in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behaviour and may have a given individual [[social status]] or social position. It is vital to both functionalist and interactionist [[understandings]] of [[society]]. Social role posits the following about social [[behaviour]]:
#The division of [[labour]] in [[society]] takes the form of the [[interaction]] among heterogeneous specialised positions, we call roles.
#Social roles included appropriate and permitted forms of behaviour, guided by social norms, which are commonly known and hence determine the [[expectations]] for appropriate behaviour in these roles.
#Roles are occupied by [[individuals]], who are called Actor.
#When [[individuals]] approve of a social role (i.e., they consider the role legitimate and constructive), they will incur costs to [[conform]] to role norms, and will also incur costs to punish those who [[violate]] role norms.
#Changed conditions can render a social role outdated or illegitimate, in which case [[social]] [[pressures]] are likely to lead to role [[change]].
#The [[anticipation]] of rewards and punishments, as well as the [[satisfaction]] of behaving prosocially, account for why agents [[conform]] to role requirements.
Roles may be [[achieved]] or ascribed or they can be accidental in different situations. An achieved role is a [[position]] that a person assumes voluntarily which [[reflects]] personal [[skills]], abilities, and [[effort]]. An ascribed role is a position assigned to [[individuals]] or [[groups]] without regard for merit but because of certain [[traits]] beyond their [[control]], and is usually forced upon a person.
Roles can be semi-permanent ("doctor", "[[mother]]", "[[child]]"), or they can be transitory. A well-known example is the sick role as formulated by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talcott_Parsons Talcott Parsons] in the late 1940s. In the transitory "sick role", a person is exempted from his usual roles, but is expected to [[conform]] to transitory behavioural [[standards]], such as following doctors' orders and trying to recover.
For many roles, individuals must meet certain conditions, [[biological]] or [[sociological]]. For instance, a boy cannot take the biological role of [[mother]]. Other roles require [[training]] or [[experience]]. For instance, in many [[cultures]] doctors must be educated and certified prior to practising [[medicine]].
Role development can be [[influenced]] by a number of additional [[factors]], including [[social]], [[genetic]] predisposition, cultural or situational.
*Societal influence: The [[structure]] of [[society]] often forms individuals into certain roles based on the social situations they [[choose]] to [[experience]]. [[Parents]] enrolling their children in certain programs at a young age increases the chance that the child will follow that role.
*Genetic predisposition: People take on roles that come naturally to them. Those with [[athletic]] ability generally take on roles of athletes. Those with mental [[genius]] often take on roles devoted to [[education]] and [[knowledge]]. This does not mean that people must choose only one [[path]], multiple roles can be taken on by each individual (i.e. Evelyn can be the point guard on the basketball team and the editor of her school newspaper).
*Cultural influence: Different [[cultures]] place different [[values]] on certain roles based on their [[lifestyle]]. For instance, soccer players are regarded higher in European countries than in the United States, where soccer is less popular.
*Situational influence: Roles can be created or altered based on the situation a person is put in outside their own [[influence]].
Roles are also frequently interconnected in a role set, that [[complement]] of role-[[relationships]] in which persons are involved by virtue of occupying a particular social [[status]]. For example, a high school football player carries the roles of [[student]], [[athlete]], classmate, etc.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role]
[[Category: Sociology]]
