20 social roles. social role

social role

Social role- a model of human behavior, objectively set by the social position of the individual in the system of social, public and personal relations. A social role is not something outwardly associated with social status, but an expression in action of the agent's social position. In other words, a social role is "the behavior that is expected of a person holding a certain status".

History of the term

The concept of "social role" was proposed independently by American sociologists R. Linton and J. Mead in the 1930s, and the first interpreted the concept of "social role" as a unit of social structure, described in the form of a system of norms given to a person, the second - in terms of direct interaction between people, a “role-playing game”, during which, due to the fact that a person imagines himself in the role of another, social norms are assimilated and the social is formed in the individual. Linton's definition of "social role" as a "dynamic aspect of status" was entrenched in structural functionalism and was developed by T. Parsons, A. Radcliffe-Brown, R. Merton. Mead's ideas were developed in interactionist sociology and psychology. With all the differences, both of these approaches are united by the idea of ​​a “social role” as a key point at which the individual and society merge, individual behavior turns into social, and the individual properties and inclinations of people are compared with the normative settings that exist in society, depending on what happens. selection of people for certain social roles. Of course, in reality, role expectations are never unambiguous. In addition, a person often finds himself in a situation of role conflict, when his different "social roles" turn out to be poorly compatible. Modern society requires the individual to constantly change the model of behavior to perform specific roles. In this regard, such neo-Marxists and neo-Freudians as T. Adorno, K. Horney and others made a paradoxical conclusion in their works: the “normal” personality of modern society is a neurotic. Moreover, role conflicts that arise in situations where an individual is required to simultaneously perform several roles with conflicting requirements have become widespread in modern society. Irwin Hoffman, in his studies of interaction rituals, accepting and developing the basic theatrical metaphor, paid attention not so much to role instructions and passive adherence to them, but to the processes of active construction and maintenance of the “appearance” in the course of communication, to areas of uncertainty and ambiguity in interaction. , mistakes in the behavior of partners.

Concept definition

social role- a dynamic characteristic of a social position, expressed in a set of behaviors that are consistent with social expectations (role expectations) and are set by special norms (social prescriptions) addressed from the corresponding group (or several groups) to the owner of a certain social position. The holders of a social position expect that the fulfillment of special prescriptions (norms) results in regular and therefore predictable behavior, on which the behavior of other people can be guided. Thanks to this, regular and continuously planned social interaction (communicative interaction) is possible.

Types of social roles

The types of social roles are determined by the variety of social groups, activities and relationships in which the individual is included. Depending on social relations, social and interpersonal social roles are distinguished.

In life, in interpersonal relations, each person acts in some kind of dominant social role, a kind of social role as the most typical individual image familiar to others. It is extremely difficult to change the habitual image both for the person himself and for the perception of the people around him. The longer the group exists, the more familiar the dominant social roles of each member of the group become for others and the more difficult it is to change the stereotype of behavior familiar to others.

Characteristics of a social role

The main characteristics of the social role are highlighted by the American sociologist Talcott Parsons. He proposed the following four characteristics of any role:

• Scale. Some roles may be strictly limited, while others may be blurred.
• By way of getting. Roles are divided into prescribed and conquered (they are also called achieved).
• According to the degree of formalization. Activities can proceed both within strictly established limits, and arbitrarily.
• By type of motivation. The motivation can be personal profit, public good, etc.

Role Scale depends on the range of interpersonal relationships. The larger the range, the larger the scale. So, for example, the social roles of spouses have a very large scale, since a wide range of relationships is established between husband and wife. On the one hand, these are interpersonal relationships based on a variety of feelings and emotions; on the other hand, relations are regulated by normative acts and in a certain sense are formal. The participants in this social interaction are interested in the most diverse aspects of each other's lives, their relationships are practically unlimited. In other cases, when the relationship is strictly defined by social roles (for example, the relationship of the seller and the buyer), the interaction can be carried out only on a specific occasion (in this case, purchases). Here the scope of the role is reduced to a narrow range of specific issues and is small.

How to get a role depends on how inevitable the given role is for the person. So, the roles of a young man, an old man, a man, a woman are automatically determined by the age and sex of a person and do not require much effort to acquire them. There can only be a problem of matching one's role, which already exists as a given. Other roles are achieved or even won in the course of a person's life and as a result of purposeful special efforts. For example, the role of a student, researcher, professor, etc. These are almost all roles associated with the profession and any achievements of a person.

Formalization as a descriptive characteristic of a social role is determined by the specifics of interpersonal relations of the bearer of this role. Some roles involve the establishment of only formal relations between people with strict regulation of the rules of conduct; others, on the contrary, are only informal; still others may combine both formal and informal relationships. Obviously, the relationship between a traffic police representative and a violator of traffic rules should be determined by formal rules, and relationships between close people should be determined by feelings. Formal relationships are often accompanied by informal ones, in which emotionality is manifested, because a person, perceiving and evaluating another, shows sympathy or antipathy towards him. This happens when people interact for a while and the relationship becomes relatively stable.

Motivation depends on the needs and motives of the person. Different roles are due to different motives. Parents, caring for the welfare of their child, are guided primarily by a feeling of love and care; the leader works in the name of the cause, etc.

Role conflicts

Role conflicts arise when the duties of the role are not fulfilled due to subjective reasons (unwillingness, inability).

see also

Bibliography

• "Games that people play" E. Bern

Notes

Links

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

• Chachba, Alexander Konstantinovich
• Fantozzi (film)

See what "Social role" is in other dictionaries:

SOCIAL ROLE- a normatively approved, relatively stable pattern of behavior (including actions, thoughts and feelings) reproduced by an individual depending on social status or position in society. The concept of "role" was introduced independently of each other ... ... The latest philosophical dictionary

social role- a stereotypical model of human behavior, objectively set by the social position of the individual in the system of social or personal relations. The role is defined by: title; the position of the individual; the function performed in the system of social relations; and… … Glossary of business terms

social role- socialinis vaidmuo statusas T sritis švietimas apibrėžtis Žmogaus elgesio būdų visuma, būdinga kuriai nors veiklos sričiai. Visuomeninis individo statusas (užimama vieta, pareigos ir atsakomybė) sukelia lūkestį, kad vaidmuo bus atliktas pagal… … Enciklopedinis edukologijos žodynas

social role- socialinis vaidmuo statusas T sritis Kūno kultūra ir sportas apibrėžtis Laikymasis normų, nustatančių, kaip turi elgtis tam tikros socialinės padėties žmogus. atitikmenys: engl. social role mode vok. sociale Rolle, f rus. Role; social role … Sporto terminų žodynas

social role- socialinis vaidmuo statusas T sritis Kūno kultūra ir sportas apibrėžtis Socialinio elgesio modelis, tam tikras elgesio pavyzdys, kurio tikimasi iš atitinkamą socialinę padėtį užimančio žmogaus. atitikmenys: engl. social role mode vok. soziale… … Sporto terminų žodynas

social role- (see Social role) ... human ecology

social role- A normatively approved by society image of behavior expected from everyone occupying a given social position. Social roles typical for a given society are acquired by a person in the process of his socialization. S.r. directly related to... Dictionary of sociolinguistic terms

Social role functions

In sociology, functions indicate what consequences (for society, its individual members) have actions committed by one or another person.

Personal behavior, priorities and attitudes, choices and emotions are determined by a number of factors:

• position in society;
• environmental conditions;
• the type of activity carried out;
• internal qualities of the personality, the spiritual world.

Due to the fact that people need each other to satisfy their individual needs, certain relationships and interactions are established between them. At the same time, each person fulfills his social role.

During life, the individual masters many social roles, which are often forced to play simultaneously. This allows you to make the coexistence of different people in one society as comfortable and possible as possible.

The social role performs a number of important functions:

1. Sets certain rules of the game: duties and norms, rights, plots of interaction between roles (boss-subordinate, boss-client, boss-tax inspector, etc.). Social adaptation implies the development and study of the rules of the game - the laws of a given society.
2. Allows you to realize different sides of your personality. Different roles (friend, parent, boss, public figure, etc.) enable a person to show different qualities. The more roles an individual masters, the more multifaceted and rich his personality will become, the better he will understand others.
3. It makes it possible to manifest and develop the qualities potentially inherent in a person: softness, rigidity, mercy, etc. Only in the process of fulfilling a social role can a person discover his capabilities.
4. Allows you to explore the resources of the personal capabilities of each person. Teaches to use the best combination of qualities for adequate behavior in a given situation.

Relationship between social role and social status

Social status has an impact on the behavior of the individual. Knowing the social status of a person, one can predict what qualities are characteristic of him, what actions can be expected from him. The expected behavior of an individual associated with his status is called a social role.

Definition 2

A social role is a pattern of behavior that is recognized as the most appropriate for an individual of a given status in society. The role indicates exactly how to act in a given situation.

Any individual is a reflection of the totality of social relations of his historical period.

The social role and social status in communication perform the following functions:

• regulatory function - helps to quickly select the necessary interaction scenario without spending large resources;
• adaptive function - allows you to quickly find a suitable behavior model when changing social status;
• cognitive function - the ability to know your personal potential, to carry out the processes of self-knowledge;
• the function of self-realization is the manifestation of the best qualities of a person, the achievement of desired goals.

The process of learning social roles allows you to learn the norms of culture. Each status of this role is characterized by its own norms and laws, customs. Acceptance of most of the norms depends on the status of the individual. Some norms are accepted by all members of society. Those norms and rules that are acceptable for one status may be unacceptable for another. Socialization teaches role behavior, allows the individual to become part of society.

Remark 1

From the many social roles and statuses offered to an individual by society, he can choose those that will most fully help him to apply his abilities and realize his plans. The adoption of a certain social role is greatly influenced by biological and personal characteristics, social conditions. Any social role only outlines the scheme of human behavior, the choice of ways to fulfill the role of the individual chooses himself.

Some people confuse this concept with status. But these terms mean completely different manifestations. The concept of role was introduced by psychologist T. Parsons. K. Horney and I. Hoffman used it in their works. They revealed the characteristics of the concept in more detail and conducted interesting research.

Social role - what is it?

According to the definition, a social role is a behavior that society has found acceptable for people in a particular status. The social roles of a person change, depending on who he is at the moment. Society prescribes a son or daughter to behave in one way than, say, a worker, mother or woman.

What is meant by social role?

1. Behavioral reactions of a person, his speech, actions, deeds.
2. The appearance of the individual. He, too, must comply with the norms of society. A man dressed in a dress or a skirt in a number of countries will be perceived negatively, evenly, just like the head of the office, who comes to work in a dirty robe.
3. Individual motivation. The environment approves and reacts negatively not only to a person's behavior, but also to his inner aspirations. Motives are evaluated based on the expectations of other people, which are built on a generally accepted understanding. A bride who marries because of material gains will be perceived negatively in certain societies, they expect love and sincere feelings from her, and not commercialism.

The value of the social role in human life

Changing behavioral responses can be costly for an individual. Our social roles are determined by the expectations of other people, not justifying them, we risk remaining outcasts. A person who decides to break these peculiar rules is unlikely to build relationships with the rest of society. They will condemn him, try to change him. In some cases, such an individual is perceived as mentally abnormal, although the doctor did not make such a diagnosis.

Signs of a social role

This concept is also associated with the profession and type of human activity. This also affects how the social role is manifested. We expect different appearance, speech and actions from a university student and from a schoolchild. A woman, in our understanding, should not do what is included in the concept of normal behavior of a man. And a doctor has no right to act in a working environment in the same way as a salesman or engineer would act. The social role in the profession is manifested in appearance, the use of terms. Violating these rules can be considered a bad specialist.

How are social status and social role related?

These terms mean completely different things. But at the same time, social statuses and roles are closely related. The first gives a person rights and obligations, the second explains what kind of behavior society expects from him. A man who has become a father must support his child, and it is expected that he will devote time to communicating with his offspring. Expectations of the environment in this case can be very precise or fuzzy. It depends on the culture of the country where the person lives and is brought up.

Types of social roles

Psychologists divide the concept into 2 main categories - interpersonal and status-related. The former are associated with emotional relationships - the leader, the favorite in the team, the soul of the company. The social roles of the individual, dependent on the official position, are more determined by the profession, type of activity and family - husband, child, seller. This category is impersonal, behavioral reactions in them are defined more clearly than in the first group.

Each social role is different:

1. According to the degree of its formalization and scale. There are those where the behavior is written very clearly and those where the expected actions and reactions of the environment are described vaguely.
2. According to the method of receipt. Achieved are often associated with the profession, assigned with marital status, physiological characteristics. An example of the first subgroup is a lawyer, a leader, and the second is a woman, daughter, mother.

Individual role

Each person has several functions at the same time. Performing each of them, he is forced to behave in a certain way. The individual social role of a person is associated with the interests and motives of a person. Each of us perceives ourselves somewhat differently from how other people see us, so our own assessment of behavior and other people's perception of it can diverge greatly. For example, a teenager may consider himself quite mature, having the right to make a number of decisions, but for his parents he will still be a child.

Interpersonal roles of a person

This category is related to the emotional sphere. Such a social role of a person is often assigned to him by a certain group of people. An individual can be considered a merry fellow, a favorite, a leader, a loser. Based on the perception of the personality by the group, the environment expects a certain standard response from the person. If it is assumed that a teenager is not only a son and a student, but also a joker and a bully, his actions will be evaluated through the prism of these unofficial statuses.

Social roles in the family are also interpersonal. It is not uncommon for one of the children to have the status of a pet. In this case, conflicts between children and parents become pronounced and occur more often. Psychologists advise avoiding the assignment of interpersonal statuses within the family, because in this situation, its members are forced to restructure behavioral reactions, which leads to a change in personality, and not always for the better.

New social roles of youth

They appeared in connection with a change in social structure. The development of Internet communication has led to the fact that the social roles of young people have changed, become more variable. Development also contributed to this. Modern teenagers are more and more guided not by official statuses, but by those accepted in their society - punk, vaper. The appropriation of such perception can be group and individual.

Modern psychologists argue that the behavior that is considered normal for the environment is inherent not in a healthy person, but in a neurotic. With this fact, they associate an ever-increasing number of people who are not forced to turn to specialists for help.

The topic of personal growth is very popular right now. A lot of different trainings and methods of personality development have been created. It is expensive, and the efficiency is catastrophically low, it is difficult to find a qualified specialist.

Let's break down the concepts to avoid wandering around in search of the most effective way to become more successful. The process of personal development includes the development of social roles and communication skills(creation, maintenance and development of quality relationships).

It is through various social roles that personality manifests itself and develops. Learning a new role can change your life dramatically. The successful implementation of the main social roles for a person creates a feeling of happiness and well-being. The more social roles a person is able to play, the better he is adapted to life, the more successful he is. After all, happy people have a good family, successfully cope with their professional duties. Take an active and conscious part in the life of society. Friendly companies, hobbies and hobbies greatly enrich a person's life, but cannot compensate for failures in the implementation of significant social roles for him.

The lack of implementation of significant social roles, misunderstanding or their inadequate interpretation creates a feeling of guilt in a person’s life, low self-esteem, a feeling of loss, self-doubt, meaninglessness of life.
Observing and mastering social roles, a person learns the standards of behavior, learns to evaluate himself from the outside, to exercise self-control.

social role

is a model of human behavior, objectively given by the position of the individual in the system of social and personal relations.

Let's just say that society has a certain faceless pattern of expected behavior, within which something is considered acceptable, and something that goes beyond the norm. Thanks to this standard, quite predictable behavior is expected from the performer of a social role, which others can be guided by.

This predictability allows you to maintain and develop interaction. A person's consistent fulfillment of his social roles creates orderliness in everyday life.
The family man plays the roles of son, husband, father, brother. At work, he can simultaneously be an engineer, a foreman of a production site, a trade union member, a boss and a subordinate. In social life: as a passenger, driver of a private car, pedestrian, customer, client, patient, neighbor, citizen, philanthropist, friend, hunter, traveler, etc.

Of course, not all social roles are equivalent for society and equal for the individual. Family, professional and socio-political roles should be singled out as significant.

What social roles are important to you?

In the family: husband / wife; father mother; son daughter?

In profession and career: a conscientious employee, an expert and a specialist in his field, a manager or an entrepreneur, a boss or a business owner?

In the socio-political sphere: member of a political party/charitable foundation/church, non-partisan atheist?

What social role would your life be incomplete without?

Wife, mother, business woman?

Every social role has meaning and significance.

In order for a society to function and develop normally, it is important that all its members master and fulfill social roles. Since patterns of behavior are laid down and passed down from generation to generation in the family, let's look at family roles.

According to the study, the bulk of men marry in order to have a permanent partner for sex and entertainment. In addition, a wife for a man is an attribute of success that maintains his status. Hence, the meaning of the social role of the wife in sharing the hobbies and interests of her husband, in order to look worthy at any age and in any period of life. If a man does not receive sexual satisfaction in marriage, he will have to look for a different meaning of marital relations.

The social role of the mother provides for the care of the child: health, nutrition, clothing, home comfort and education of a full-fledged member of society. Often women in marriage substitute the role of a wife for the role of a mother, and then wonder why the relationship is destroyed.

The social role of the father is to ensure the protection and safety of their children, to be the highest authority in children's assessment of their actions, in the skills of maintaining a hierarchy.

The task of parents, both father and mother- during the time of growing up, to help the child form a personality capable of living and creating results in his life on his own. To instill moral and spiritual norms, the foundations of self-development and stress resistance, to lay healthy models of relationships in the family and society.

Sociological research claims that the majority of women marry in order to have the status of a married woman, a reliable rear for raising children in a full-fledged family. She expects from her husband admiration and openness in relationships. Hence, husband's social role in having a legal marriage with a woman, taking care of a wife, participating in the upbringing of children throughout the period of their growing up.

Social roles of adult daughters or sons imply independent (financially independent) life from parents. In our society, it is believed that children should take care of their parents at a time when they become helpless.

The social role is not a rigid model of behavior.

People perceive and perform their roles differently. If a person perceives a social role as a rigid mask, the behavioral stereotypes of which he is forced to obey, he literally breaks his personality and life turns into hell for him. Therefore, as in the theater, there is only one role, and each performer gives it its own original features. For example, a research scientist is required to adhere to the provisions and methods established by science and at the same time create and justify new ideas; A good surgeon is not only the one who performs conventional operations well, but also the one who can go for an unconventional solution, saving the patient's life. Thus, the initiative and the author's style is an integral part of the fulfillment of a social role.

Every social role has a prescribed set of rights and responsibilities.

Duty is what a person does based on the norms of a social role, regardless of whether he likes it or not. Since duties are always accompanied by rights, performing their duties in accordance with their social role, a person has the right to present his requirements to the interaction partner. If there are no obligations in a relationship, then there are no rights. Rights and obligations are like two sides of the same coin - one is impossible without the other. The harmony of rights and obligations presupposes the optimal fulfillment of a social role. Any imbalance in this ratio indicates a poor-quality assimilation of the social role. For example, often in cohabitation (the so-called civil marriage), a conflict arises at the moment when the requirements of the social role of the spouse are presented to the partner.

Conflicts in the performance of social roles and, consequently, psychological problems.

1. Each person has an author's performance of generally accepted social roles. It is not possible to achieve complete agreement between a given standard and personal interpretation. Proper fulfillment of the requirements associated with a social role is ensured by a system of social sanctions. Often fear of not meeting expectations leads to self-condemnation: “I am a bad mother, a worthless wife, a disgusting daughter” ...
2. Personal-role conflict arises if the requirements of a social role contradict the life aspirations of the individual. For example, the role of a boss requires strong-willed qualities, energy, and the ability to communicate with people in different, including critical, situations from a person. If a specialist lacks these qualities, he cannot cope with his role. The people on this occasion say: "Not for Senka hat."
3. When a person has several social roles with mutually exclusive requirements or he does not have the opportunity to fulfill his roles in full, there is role conflict. At the heart of this conflict lies the illusion that "the impossible is possible." For example, a woman wants to be an ideal housewife and mother, while successfully managing a large corporation.
4. If different requirements are imposed on the performance of one role by different representatives of a social group, there is intra-role conflict. For example, a husband believes that his wife should work, and his mother believes that his wife should stay at home, raise children, and do housework. At the same time, the woman herself thinks that it is important for her wife to develop creatively and spiritually. Staying inside the role conflict leads to the destruction of the personality.
5. Having matured, a person actively enters into the life of society, striving to take his place in it, to satisfy personal needs and interests. The relationship between the individual and society can be described by the formula: society offers, the individual seeks, chooses his place, trying to realize his interests. At the same time, she shows, proves to society that she is in her place and will perform her assigned role well. The inability to choose a suitable social role for oneself leads to a refusal to perform any social functions - to self-elimination .
   • For men, such a psychological trauma is fraught with a reluctance to have a wife and children, a refusal to protect their interests; self-affirmation due to the humiliation of the defenseless, a tendency to a passive lifestyle, narcissism and irresponsibility.
   • For women, the unfulfillment of some social roles leads to uncontrolled aggression not only towards others, but also towards themselves and their children, up to the rejection of motherhood.

What to do to avoid problems?

1. Determine for yourself the SIGNIFICANT social roles and how to update them.
2. Describe the model of behavior in this social role, based on the meaning and significance of this role.
3. State your system of ideas about how to behave in a given social role.
4. Describe the perception of people significant to you about this social role.
5. Assess the actual behavior, find the discrepancy.
6. Adjust your behavior so that your boundaries are not violated and your needs are met.

A social role is a certain set of actions or a model of a person's behavior in a social environment, which is determined by his status or position. Depending on the change in the environment (family, work, friends), the social role also changes.

Characteristic

The social role, like any concept in psychology, has its own classification. The American sociologist Talcott Parsons identified several characteristics that could be used in describing the social role of an individual:

Stages of formation

A social role is not created in a minute or overnight. The socialization of the individual must go through several stages, without which normal adaptation in society is simply not possible.

First of all, a person must learn certain basic skills. This includes practical skills that we learn from childhood, as well as thinking skills that improve along with life experience. The main stages of learning begin and take place in the family.

The next step is education. This is a long process and we can say that it does not end throughout life. Education is carried out by educational institutions, parents, the media and much more. A huge number of factors are involved in this process.

Also, the socialization of the individual is not possible without education. In this process, the main thing is the person himself. It is the individual who consciously chooses the knowledge and skills that he wants to possess.

The following important stages of socialization: protection and adaptation. Protection is a set of processes that are primarily aimed at reducing the significance for the subject of any traumatic factors. A person intuitively tries to protect himself from moral discomfort by resorting to various mechanisms of social protection (denial, aggression, repression, and others). Adaptation is a kind of mimicry process, thanks to which the individual adapts to communicate with other people and maintain normal contacts.

Kinds

Personal socialization is a long process during which a person acquires not only his personal experience, but also observes the behavior and reactions of the people around him. Naturally, the process of socialization takes place more actively in childhood and adolescence, when the psyche is most susceptible to environmental influences, when a person is actively looking for his place in life and himself. However, this does not mean that changes do not occur at an older age. New social roles appear, the environment changes.

Distinguish between primary and secondary socialization. The process of forming the personality itself and its qualities is called primary, and the secondary already refers to professional activity.

Socialization agents are groups of people, individuals who have a direct impact on the search and formation of social roles. They are also called institutions of socialization.

Accordingly, the agents of socialization are primary and secondary. The first group includes family members, friends, a team (kindergarten and school), as well as many other people who influence the formation of personality throughout their conscious life. They play the most important role in the life of every person. This can be explained not only by the informative and intellectual influence, but also by the emotional underpinnings of such close relationships. It is during this period that those qualities are laid that in the future will influence the conscious choice of secondary socialization.

Parents are considered to be one of the most important agents of socialization. The child, even at an unconscious age, begins to copy the behavior and habits of his parents, becoming like him. Then dad and mom become not only an example, but they themselves actively influence the formation of personality.

Secondary agents of socialization are members of society who participate in the growth and development of a person as a professional. These include employees, managers, customers, and people who are related to the individual in his line of duty.

Processes

Personal socialization is a rather complex process. It is customary for sociologists to separate two phases, which are equally important for the search and formation of each of the social roles.

1. Social adaptation is a period during which a person gets acquainted with the rules of behavior in society. A person adapts, learns to live according to new laws for him;
2. The phase of internalization is no less important, since this time is necessary for the full acceptance of new conditions and their inclusion in the value system of each individual. It must be remembered that in this phase there is a denial or leveling of certain old rules and foundations. This is an inevitable process, since often some norms and roles contradict existing ones.

If at any of the phases there was a “failure”, then role conflicts may appear in the future. This is due to the inability or unwillingness of the individual to fulfill his chosen role.