Editing Role theory (section)

== Role ==

Substantial debate exists in the field over the meaning of the ''role'' in role theory. A ''role'' can be defined as a [[social position]], behavior associated with a social position, or a typical behavior. Some theorists have put forward the idea that roles are essentially expectations about how an individual ought to behave in a given situation, whereas others consider it means how individuals actually behave in a given social position. Some have suggested that a role is a characteristic behavior or expected behavior, a part to be played, or a script for social conduct.

In [[sociology]], there are different categories of social roles: 
# cultural roles: roles given by culture (e.g. priest)
# social [[Differentiation (sociology)|differentiation]]: e.g. teacher, taxi driver
# situation-specific roles: e.g. eye witness
# [[Biosocial theory|bio-sociological]] roles:  e.g. as human in a natural system
# [[gender role]]s: as a man, woman, mother, father, etc.

Role theory models behavior as patterns of behaviors to which one can ''conform'', with this conformity being based on the ''expectations'' of others.{{efn|name=conform|See section "Conformity connotes compliance to some pattern for behavior"<ref name="dev">{{cite journal | last=Biddle | first=B. J. | title=Recent Developments in Role Theory | journal=Annual Review of Sociology | publisher=Annual Reviews | volume=12 | issue=1 | year=1986 | issn=0360-0572 | doi=10.1146/annurev.so.12.080186.000435 | pages=67–92}}</ref>}}

It has been argued that a role must in some sense being defined in relation to others.{{efn|name=status|"The role cannot be limited to one person's behaviour, but must include the behaviour of others which provide the rights enabling those actions"<ref name="BlauCoser1995">{{cite book|author1=Judith R. Blau|author2=Rose Laub Coser|author3=Norman Goodman|title=Social Roles & Social Institutions: Essays in Honor of Rose Laub Coser|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BgQpgor6xYsC&pg=PA1|date=1 January 1995|publisher=Transaction Publishers|isbn=978-1-4128-3444-5}}</ref>{{rp|1}}}} The manner and degree is debated by sociologists. Turner used the concept of an "other-role", arguing the process of defining a role is negotiating one's role with other-roles.{{efn|name=other-role|"The idea of role-taking shift emphasis away from the simple process of enacting a prescribed role to devising a performance on the basis of an imputer other-role"<ref name="turner"/>}}

=== The construction of roles ===

Turner argued that the process of describing a role also modifies the role which would otherwise be implicit, referring to this process as ''role-making'' arguing that very formal roles such as those in the military are not representative of roles because the role-making process is suppressed.{{efn|name=role-making|"The result is that in attempting from time to time to make aspects of the roles explicit he is creating and modifying roles as well as merely bringing them to light; the process is not only role-taking but role-making."<ref name="turner"/>{{rp|85}} }} Sociologist [[Howard S. Becker]] similarly claims that the [[Label (sociology)|label]] given and the definition used in a social context can change actions and behaviors.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Becker |first=Howard S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p30KygEACAAJ |title=Outsiders: studies in the sociology of deviance |publisher=Free Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-9821-0622-5 |edition=New |location=New York, NY |pages=169–172 |oclc=1033904462}}</ref>

Situation-specific roles develop ''[[ad hoc]]'' in a given social situation. However it can be argued that the expectations and norms that define this ad hoc role are defined by the social role.

The word consensus is used when a group of people have the same expectations through agreement. We live in a society where people know how they should act, which is a result of learned behaviors stemming from social norms. As a whole society follows typical roles and follows their expected norms. Subsequently, there is a standard created through the conformity of these social groups.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Biddle |first=B. |date=1986-01-01 |title=Recent Developments in Role Theory |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.12.1.67 |journal=Annual Review of Sociology |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=67–92 |doi=10.1146/annurev.soc.12.1.67 |issn=0360-0572|url-access=subscription }}</ref>