Social role

Social role- a model of human behavior, objectively determined by the social position of the individual in the system of social, public and personal relations. A social role is not something externally 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 occupying 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, with the former interpreting 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 latter - in terms of direct interaction between people, " 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 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 ​​\u200b\u200b"social role" as a nodal 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 attitudes existing in society, depending on which people are selected 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 an individual to constantly change his behavior pattern to perform specific roles. In this regard, such neo-Marxists and neo-Freudians as T. Adorno, K. Horney and others in their works made a paradoxical conclusion: the “normal” personality of modern society is a neurotic. Moreover, in modern society Role conflicts that arise in situations where an individual is required to simultaneously perform several roles with conflicting requirements have become widespread. Irwin Goffman, in his studies of interaction rituals, accepting and developing the basic theatrical metaphor, paid attention not so much to role prescriptions and passive adherence to them, but to the very processes of active construction and maintenance of “appearance” in the course of communication, to zones of uncertainty and ambiguity in interaction , mistakes in the behavior of partners.

Definition of the concept

Social role- a dynamic characteristic of a social position, expressed in a set of behavior patterns that are consistent with social expectations (role expectations) and set by special norms (social prescriptions) addressed from the corresponding group (or several groups) to the holder of a certain social position. Holders of a social position expect that the implementation of special instructions (norms) results in regular and therefore predictable behavior, which can be used to guide the behavior of other people. Thanks to this, regular and continuously planable social interaction (communicative interaction) is possible.

Types of social roles

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

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

Characteristics of a social role

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

• By scale. Some roles may be strictly limited, while others may be blurred.
• By method of receipt. Roles are divided into prescribed and conquered (they are also called achieved).
• According to the degree of formalization. Activities can take place either within strictly established limits or arbitrarily.
• By type of motivation. Personal profit may serve as motivation, public good etc.

Scope of the role depends on the range of interpersonal relationships. The larger the range, the larger the scale. For example, the social roles of spouses have a very large scale, since the widest 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 regulations and, in a certain sense, are formal. Participants in a given social interaction are interested in the most different sides each other's lives, their relationship is practically unlimited. In other cases, when relationships are strictly defined by social roles (for example, the relationship between a seller and a buyer), interaction can only be carried out on a specific occasion (in in this case- purchases). Here the scope of the role is limited to a narrow range of specific issues and is small.

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

Formalization as a descriptive characteristic of a social role is determined by the specifics of interpersonal relationships of the bearer of this role. Some roles involve the establishment of only formal relationships between people with strict regulation of rules of behavior; others, on the contrary, are only informal; still others may combine both formal and informal relationships. It is obvious that the relationship between the traffic police representative and the rule violator traffic 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 have been interacting for a while and the relationship has become relatively stable.

Motivation depends on the needs and motives of the person. Different roles are driven by different motives. Parents, caring for the well-being of their child, are guided primarily by a feeling of love and care; the leader works for the sake of the cause, etc.

Role conflicts

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

see also

Bibliography

• "Games People Play" E. Berne

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

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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 mode 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

A social role is the behavior expected of someone who has a certain social status. Social roles are a set of requirements imposed on an individual by society, as well as actions that must be performed by a person occupying this status in social system. A person can have many roles.

Children's status is usually subordinate to adults, and children are expected to be respectful towards the latter. The status of soldiers is different from that of civilians; The role of soldiers is associated with risk and fulfillment of the oath, which cannot be said about other groups of the population. Women have a different status from men and are therefore expected to behave differently than men. Each individual can have big number statuses, and those around him have the right to expect him to perform roles in accordance with these statuses. In this sense, status and role are two sides of the same phenomenon: if status is a set of rights, privileges and responsibilities, then a role is an action within the framework of this set of rights and responsibilities. A social role consists of role expectations (expectation) and the performance of this role (game).

Social roles can be institutionalized or conventional.

Institutionalized: institution of marriage, family (social roles of mother, daughter, wife)

Conventional: accepted by agreement (a person can refuse to accept them)

Cultural norms are learned primarily through role learning. For example, a person who masters the role of a military man becomes familiar with the customs moral standards and laws specific to the status of a given role. Only a few norms are accepted by all members of society; the acceptance of most norms depends on the status of a particular individual. What is acceptable for one status is unacceptable for another. Thus, socialization as the process of learning generally accepted ways and methods of actions and interactions is the most important process of learning role behavior, as a result of which the individual truly becomes a part of society.

Types of social roles

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

Social roles are associated with social status, profession or type of activity (teacher, student, student, salesperson). These are standardized impersonal roles, built on the basis of rights and responsibilities, regardless of who plays these roles. There are socio-demographic roles: husband, wife, daughter, son, grandson... Man and woman are also social roles, biologically predetermined and presupposing specific modes of behavior, enshrined in social norms and customs.

Interpersonal roles are associated with interpersonal relationships that are regulated at the emotional level (leader, offended, neglected, family idol, loved one, etc.).

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

Main characteristics of a social role

The main characteristics of the social role were highlighted by the American sociologist Talcott Parsons. He suggested the following four characteristics of any role.

By scale. Some roles may be strictly limited, while others may be blurred.

By method of receipt. Roles are divided into prescribed and conquered (they are also called achieved).

According to the degree of formalization. Activities can take place either within strictly established limits or arbitrarily.

By types of motivation. The motivation can be personal profit, public good, etc.

The scope of the role depends on the range of interpersonal relationships. The larger the range, the larger the scale. For example, the social roles of spouses have a very large scale, since the widest 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 regulations and, in a certain sense, are formal. The participants in this social interaction are interested in a variety of aspects of each other’s lives, their relationships are practically unlimited. In other cases, when relationships are strictly defined by social roles (for example, the relationship between a seller and a buyer), interaction can only be carried out for a specific reason (in this case, purchases). Here the scope of the role is limited to a narrow range of specific issues and is small.

The way a role is acquired depends on how inevitable the role is for the person. Thus, the roles of a young man, an old man, a man, a woman are automatically determined by the age and gender of a person and do not require special efforts to acquire them. There can only be a problem of compliance with one’s role, which already exists as a given. Other roles are achieved or even won during the course of a person's life and as a result of targeted special efforts. For example, the role of student, researcher, professor, etc. These are almost all roles related to the profession and any achievements of a person.

Formalization as a descriptive characteristic of a social role is determined by the specifics of interpersonal relationships of the bearer of this role. Some roles involve the establishment of only formal relationships between people with strict regulation of rules of behavior; others, on the contrary, are only informal; still others may combine both formal and informal relationships. It is obvious that the relationship between a traffic police representative and a traffic rule violator 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 have been interacting for a while and the relationship has become relatively stable.

Motivation depends on the needs and motives of a person. Different roles are driven by different motives. Parents, caring for the well-being of their child, are guided primarily by a feeling of love and care; the leader works for the sake of the cause, etc.

Some people confuse this concept with status. But these terms mean absolutely 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 studies.

Social role - what is it?

According to the definition, a social role is behavior that society has deemed acceptable for people in a particular status. A person's social roles change depending on who he is in this moment. Society dictates that a son or daughter behave in one way than, say, a worker, a mother, or a woman.

What is included in the concept of social role:

1. Human behavioral reactions, his speech, actions, actions.
2. The appearance of the individual. He must also conform to the norms of society. A man wearing a dress or skirt in a number of countries will be perceived negatively, just like an office manager 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 assessed based on the expectations of other people, which are built on the generally accepted understanding. A bride who marries for material benefits will be perceived negatively in certain societies; love and sincere feelings are expected from her, and not commercialism.

The importance of 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; if we fail to meet them, we risk remaining outcasts. A person who decides to break these peculiar rules is unlikely to build relationships with other members of society. They will condemn him and 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 does not have the right to act in a work 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. By violating these rules, you can be considered a bad specialist.

How are social status and social role related?

These concepts mean completely different things. But at the same time, social statuses and roles are very closely related. The first gives a person rights and responsibilities, the second explains what behavior society expects from him. A man who becomes a father must support his child, and he is expected to devote time to communicating with his offspring. The expectations of the environment in this case can be very precise or vague. It depends on the culture of the country where the person lives and is raised.

Types of social roles

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

Each social role is different:

1. By the degree of its formalization and scale. There are those where the behavior is very clearly defined and those where the expected actions and reactions by the environment are described vaguely.
2. By method of receipt. Achievements are often associated with 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 related to 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 differ greatly. Let's say 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 associated with emotional sphere. This social role of a person is often assigned to him by a certain group of people. An individual can be considered a fun guy, a favorite, a leader, a loser. Based on the group’s perception of the individual, 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 assessed through the prism of these unofficial statuses.

Social roles in the family are also interpersonal. There are often situations when one of the children has the status of a favorite. In this case, conflicts between children and parents become pronounced and arise more often. Psychologists advise avoiding assigning interpersonal statuses within the family, because in this situation its members are forced to rebuild behavioral reactions, which leads to personality changes, 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 and become more variable. Development also contributed to this. Modern teenagers are increasingly focusing not on official statuses, but on those that are accepted in their society - punk, vaper. The assignment of such perception can be group or individual.

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

Functions of social role

In sociology, functions indicate what consequences (for society and its individual members) actions performed by a particular person have.

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

• position in society;
• environmental conditions;
• type of activity performed;
• internal qualities of the individual, 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.

Throughout life, an individual masters many social roles, which he is often forced to play simultaneously. This allows for coexistence different people in one society as comfortable and possible.

The social role performs a number of important functions:

1. Sets certain rules games: responsibilities and norms, rights, plots of interaction between roles (boss-subordinate, boss-client, boss-tax inspector, etc.). Social adaptation implies mastering and studying the rules of the game - the laws of a given society.
2. Allows you to implement different sides of your personality. Different roles (friend, parent, boss, public figure etc.) enable a person to express different qualities. The more roles an individual masters, the more multifaceted and rich his personality will become, the better he will understand others.
3. Provides an opportunity to demonstrate and develop potential qualities inherent in a person: softness, toughness, 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 each person's personal capabilities. Teaches you to use the best combination of qualities for adequate behavior in a given situation.

The relationship between social role and social status

Social status influences individual behavior. 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. A role specifies exactly how to act in a given situation.

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

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;
• adaptation function – allows you to quickly find a suitable model of behavior when changing social status;
• cognitive function – the ability to recognize one’s personal potential, carry out processes of self-knowledge;
• function of self-realization - manifestation best qualities person, achieving desired goals.

The process of learning social roles allows one to assimilate cultural norms. Each status of a given role is characterized by its own norms, laws, and customs. The acceptance of most 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 and allows the individual to become a part of society.

Note 1

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

Every person living in society is included in many different social groups (family, study group, friendly company, etc.). In each of these groups he occupies a certain position, has a certain status, and certain requirements are imposed on him. Thus, the same person should behave in one situation like a father, in another - like a friend, in a third - like a boss, i.e. act in different roles. Social role is a way of behavior of people that corresponds to accepted norms, depending on their status or position in society, in the system of interpersonal relations. Mastering social roles is part of the process of socialization of the individual, an indispensable condition for a person to “grow into” the society of his own kind. Socialization is the process and result of an individual’s assimilation and active reproduction of social experience, carried out in communication and activity. Examples of social roles are also gender roles (male or female behavior), professional roles. By observing social roles, a person learns social standards of behavior, learns to evaluate himself from the outside and exercise self-control. However, since in real life a person is involved in many activities and relationships, is forced to perform different roles, the requirements for which may be contradictory, there is a need for some mechanism that would allow a person to maintain the integrity of his “I” in conditions of multiple connections with the world (i.e. to remain himself , playing various roles). Personality (or rather, the formed substructure of orientation) is precisely the mechanism, the functional organ that allows you to integrate your “I” and your own life activity, carry out a moral assessment of your actions, find your place not only in a separate social group, but also in life in general, to develop the meaning of one’s existence, to abandon one in favor of another. Thus, developed personality can use role behavior as a tool for adaptation to certain social situations, while at the same time not merging or identifying with the role. The main components of a social role constitute a hierarchical system in which three levels can be distinguished. The first is peripheral attributes, i.e. those, the presence or absence of which does not affect either the perception of the role by the environment or its effectiveness (for example, the civil status of a poet or doctor). The second level involves those attributes of the role that influence both perception and effectiveness (for example, long hair a hippie or an athlete in poor health). At the top of the three-level gradation are the role attributes that are decisive for the formation of personal identity. The role concept of personality originated in the American social psychology in the 30s of the XX century. (C. Cooley, J. Mead) and became widespread in various sociological movements, primarily in structural-functional analysis. T. Parsons and his followers consider personality as a function of the many social roles that are inherent in any individual in a particular society. Charles Cooley believed that personality is formed on the basis of many interactions between people and the world around them. In the process of these interactions, people create their “mirror self,” which consists of three elements: 1. how we think others perceive us (“I’m sure people notice my new hairstyle”); 2. how we think they react to 3. what they see (“I’m sure they like my new hairstyle”); 4. how we respond to the reactions we perceive from others (“I guess I’ll always wear my hair like this”). This theory places importance on our interpretation of other people's thoughts and feelings. American psychologist George Herbert Mead went further in his analysis of the process of development of our “I”. Like Cooley, he believed that the “I” is a social product, formed on the basis of relationships with other people. At first, as small children, we are not able to explain to ourselves the motives for the behavior of others. Having learned to comprehend their behavior, children thereby take the first step into life. Having learned to think about themselves, they can think about others; the child begins to acquire a sense of his “I”. According to Mead, the process of personality formation includes three different stages. The first is imitation. At this stage, children copy the behavior of adults without understanding it. This is followed by the play stage, when children understand behavior as the performance of certain roles: doctor, fireman, race driver, etc.; during the game they reproduce these roles.