Social roles

What is a social role? This concept, in very broad terms, we can

summarize it like this: it refers to the set of expectations shared by the
members of a group in relation to a person's behavior
that occupies a certain position within the same group. In other
terms, "the social role accounts for any set of behaviors and
behaviors that a person exhibits characteristically within
of a group" (Hare, 1962, p. 156).

From a more 'artistic' point of view, we can assert that the theme of
social roles can be closely related to the world
from the theater, in the sense of referring to those roles that Slide
we usually represent; of course, we do not do justice to the term or the
theater if we only establish this relationship. But we can affirm that in
to a certain extent, the issue of social roles recalls those roles that
we have had to represent; we can even refer to the
different scenarios, which have given rise to our
different interpretations.

Other ways to characterize the social role would be:

The social role is the pattern of expected behaviors of

someone who occupies a specific position within the group.
Confirm or not the expectations that are held in this regard.
A social role refers to a set of concrete activities and
necessary to perform a specific and concrete task
social commitment.
The social role consists, precisely, of a series of actions
specific, different, and closely linked to each role
social that we interpret.
Fulfilling a social role means behaving and taking it on according to the
patterns, the guidelines or the determined and associated norms
exclusively to him.

And how do we learn to interpret a social role? Continuing with the

theater metaphor, it would be relatively easy to assume the way in which
that an actor or an actress learns and performs a role, within a
specific situation, with a determined scenario, etc. But, starting from
the fact that the role is our own interpretation in life
everyday, how and where do we learn the pattern of behaviors more
suitable? Insisting on the theater, a good ovation or a tremendous
Abuse can be determining, but in everyday life how?
Do we know what role to follow? When do we know that we are not doing it?
Well? Exactly, the social agents report back and show us.
the expected behaviors from each one of
we, in the specific social situation.

And speaking of social situations and the roles that accompany them
situations, as social beings that we are, we develop throughout
our existence multiple roles, that is, we know how to carry out different
interpretations, some of which are more important than others. The
previously takes us to shape and modify a sort of repertoire
of roles (role set) which is nothing more than the order we give to our
roles according to their importance and what they mean to us.
Likewise, the repertoire of roles very well defines what role to perform,
thus achieving a good interpretation. Even our repertoire of roles
it allows us to choose the most suitable one, discard the one that doesn't fit well;
to increase our repertoire of interpretations and eliminate those that
we know that it did not give us a good result.

Personal experience is very important as one gradually defines,

our own and non-transferable social role; however, there are also
Some sources from where we obtain information about how to go
shaping our repertoire of roles. These sources are those
famous social agents:

the school,
the family,
the media,
the work context, etc.

Are roles assigned or acquired?

When talking about social roles, one of the issues that usually
To emerge is to question whether the role we play is assigned or acquired.
To answer this question, it would be necessary to differentiate them:

The ascribed role does not depend on the will of individuals, that is,
we do not intervene in anything to be able to become,
example, in children, in siblings. Another characteristic of the
assigned roles tend to be based on characteristics that
they can be defined with great precision. Although it should be noted
consider, having reached this point, that defining an assigned role,
ironically, it doesn't end up being very precise.
For its part, the acquired role is the one that, with activity or
effort on the part of the one executing it, has gradually been taking on little by little
a little. In other words, an ascribed role depends on the individual itself.
decision, of the skills or of the person's responsibility
that carry it out. It is also true that there are facilitators
contextual factors that can favor adherence to a certain
type of role. Thus, acquiring a certain role not only
it depends on wanting to execute it, but on having a context that
minimally favors it.

But for group dynamics, the classifications of social roles are

they have focused more on determining the different roles in three major
categories:

task-oriented roles,
roles oriented towards socio-emotional relationships,
personal roles (Benne and Sheats, 1948). Bibliography

The first ones are focused on achieving the task and the
fulfillment of group objectives; the seconds, just as it
suggest their name, they are primarily responsible for
maintenance and the satisfaction of emotional relationships between the
group members; while the latter have their point of interest.
in the personal needs of individuals, they are personal roles.

1) Task-oriented roles

Their roles prioritize completing the task that the group has.
as an objective. By way of example, the following can be mentioned:

Initiator. Recommends new ideas, new ways of

take ownership of the problems.
Informer. Provides opinions, values, and feelings.
Coordinator. Shows the relevance of each idea and its relationship.
with the set of problems.
Evaluator. Analyzes the group achievements and
evaluate the effectiveness of the procedures.

2) Socioemotional roles

These roles are closely related to those actions that

they aim to facilitate and thus be able to satisfy emotional needs
of the group members. Types of this role would be the following:

Animator. Rewards others by giving affection and

agreement.
Harmonizer. Acts as a mediator in conflicts between the
members.
Observer. Point out the positive and negative aspects of the
group dynamics.
Follower. Accepts the ideas given by others and serves as
audience.

Personal roles

Personal roles are those that relate to issues

characteristics of personality, although they are also directed towards the
satisfaction of individual needs. Examples of them include:

Aggressor. Questions the competence of others.

disapproves of his actions.
Blocker. Negative, reluctant, usually against
for no apparent reason.
Recognition seeker. Draws attention to oneself.
same, its merits and its achievements.
Dominant. Tries to impose their control over the group.

Role conflict
As we interact with others, we make use of
roles adecuados a las situaciones determinadas. Las expectativas y la
Social situation tends to be a good indicator of the role to follow.
This implies that we know how to make a good reading of the social situation.
which means knowing what kind of role to follow, at least that's what is
wait!

On the other hand, we already know that it is the agents of socialization who
they help to facilitate the repertoire of roles that can be used; for this reason
we know and hope that each social situation corresponds to a
determined behavior. But experience also confirms us
that it is not always like this, that is, that in people's lives one can
in the case that a social role is executed in a situation that does not pertain to it
It corresponds. There is then an asymmetry between the role played and the
social situation that corresponds to him.

When the previous situation occurs, we know that something has not gone well and it
they perceive embarrassing, difficult, inexplicable and even situations.
funny, although it is not always the case. When this happens, we say that it has Content
there has been a transgression of the social role. compl.

In that case, a sanction will be imposed for it (sanctions often in

shape of the very embarrassing situation). But if the role continues and is
executed correctly and scrupulously, there is also a kind of
reward and we know that things have gone well, that they have been fulfilled
the expectations, etc. Sanctions and rewards are ways that
has society and uses it to guarantee the action and the
reproduction of social roles.

When the social role is transgressed, what in

group dynamics is known as a conflict of
role, what actually occurs is a discrepancy
among the expectations that are held regarding
a certain behavior, that is, the
created expectations and behaviors
issued do not match.

From the above, we can draw the following conclusions:

When some of our roles come into conflict with

other roles of ours create an interrole conflict.
There are some roles that involve the coexistence of patterns that
they can be incompatible within the same role; that is the conflict
intrarrol.
Another conflict is one that is defined by the incompatibility of what
that a person is and the expectations inherent to the role that
develops. The above is known as a conflict between the person and
the role.
Role overload: demands that a person receives that
develop a role, situation in which it is necessary to make decisions
priorities.
The constant change or ambiguity in today's society
constitutes the ideal context for some roles to be able to
 be ambiguous.

What is the importance of roles in social life?

It is evident that, for group dynamics, the issue of social role

it gains a lot of importance, not only because it is the consequence of the place
that a person occupies within the group, but also because this
the subject suggests concepts that are not only interesting for psychology,
, but they are also for the sociology of organizations, such as,
for example, the topic of leadership.

For that reason, we cannot limit ourselves to the idea that the
social role is limited to those guidelines that direct our behavior,
or the set of behaviors that are contemplated from a specific role. It is
it is true that it refers to that, but it is also necessary to consider
that the social role includes the following:

The mobilization of a repertoire of behaviors.

A particular way of relating to each other.
The use and utilization of a specific language.
The incorporation of certain habits.

The above is true and we can even affirm that it constitutes the basis of
understanding of what the social role means for a discipline like the
psychology. However, the social role also implies:

Make the role increasingly personal for the one performing it.
To appropriate it with the own words of the one who executes it.
It also means consolidating it and visualizing it in relationships.

What we mean by the above is that the social role is constructed, it

experiments and appropriates. In other words, the roles, once we
we put them on top, we make them ours, we appropriate them and the
we act as we believe is best. With all this and for the rest,
we want to affirm here that social roles are constructed and
builders.

The social role shapes the one who performs it as well as the
role that is executed. This explains why we act in
different way in the same role or how a role is Activity
executed differently by different
people. Each one has made their own
construction of something that was already built in the
society. Therefore, authoritarian roles may exist,
participatory, etc., in different magnitudes.

The previous paragraph represents a clearly psychosocial view of

the concept of social role, as it sets aside the idea, quite common,
that a social role only refers to guidelines that guide or orient
the behavior. It is true that this is the part that is found
more on the surface and therefore the one that seems most evident when executing a
social role. But we must consider that, once we execute a role, and
As we make it our own, it allows us to relate.
in a certain way with other people. Likewise, and as
as Vázquez points out,

Quote
...taking on a role means making it more and more your own,
more our. In other words, consolidate it and make it
I live in relationships. Roles do not only involve the
to develop certain actions rather,
simultaneously, they imply the elaboration, the
experience and the expression of emotions and attitudes
corresponding. That is, they are constructed, but
they are also builders.
F. Vázquez (1997). Objectives and means in the
psychosocial research (p. 34). Working document
Social Psychology Unit. Autonomous University of
Barcelona.

As we represent or perform a social role,

we become part of this execution. But in this
We must also consider a very particular characteristic of
the situation: the one that refers to the context of interdependence. This
context implies that, as previously mentioned, the social role
requires a social situation. This social situation is created or is
maintains or even perpetuates or transgresses and changes to the extent that
the way one social role is performed in relation to another social role. In this
In essence, the context of interdependence means reciprocity:

A father or a mother requires a son/daughter to perform a role and

vice versa. Both roles create, among other things, a certain
parent-child relationship.
A teacher complements when they perform their role in front of
the students, creating, for example, a situation of
class, very authoritative, very participative, submissive, etc., or like those
roles build their social situation.

The social interaction of roles contributes not only

to define the social situation, but rather, at the same
time allows defining the roles that come into play;
therefore, the social role does not depend exclusively
from the person who executes it, nor from the
specific context, but also requires
the situation that all the elements foster.
This is the reason why we can affirm that the
social roles are interdependent.

At the same time that it provides, to the relationship and to the social situation, a
clearly dynamic character.