Role Strain vs Role Conflict vs Role Exit
- Malthusian Theory
- Maslow's Pyramid
- Deviance
- Role Strain vs Role Conflict vs Role Exit
- Nativist vs Learning vs Interactionist Language Theory
- Broca's vs Wernicke's Areas
Summary
A social role describes a set of behaviors, rights, and obligations expected of a person in a social situation. People may experience role strain, which describes tension within a single role. Alternatively, people can experience role conflict, which describes tension between two or more social roles. Finally, role exit describes the act of an individual leaving a role they previously occupied.
Key Points
- Social role: set of behaviors, rights, obligations expected in a social situation
- Role strain: tensions within one role
- Competing demands within the same social role
- Role conflict: tension between two or more roles
- Competing expectations between two roles held by same person
- Role exit: individual disengages from/leaves a role
- May result from role strain or role conflict
- People can replace exited role with a new social role
- Role strain: tensions within one role
Example
A student who is stressed by simultaneous commitments to student government and finishing her homework is experiencing role strain within her single role as a student.
A working mother may experience role conflict between her duties as a mother and her job as an employee.
When an individual retires from a long career, they experience role exit from the role of employee and transition to a new role of a retiree.