Roles and role positions

4 important questions on Roles and role positions

- What role does a norm play in a role position?

- What is a position? Give examples.

- What is a position set?

Norms can be tied to
a. the situation
b. the position you hold in it (ex: dental hygienist)

Position = the place you hold in relation to others
- ex: someone is a daughter, wife, teacher
- some are acquired (student)
- some are assigned (child of your parents)

The set of positions = called a position set

- What does structure mean and which role does it play in positions?

- In which ways can structure be designed?

We call the relationships between positions
--> Structure

Structure: can be designed in different ways


a. from highly hierarchical (ex: army)
b. to highly democratic (ex: group of friends)

What is the difference between:

- Status
- Status symbols
- Appearances

Give examples for each.

Status:
= valuation --> assigned to a postion
(ex: authority, respect, compensation)
--> often there is a status hierarchy
(ex: dentist > dental hygienist > dental assistent)

Status symbols:
= symbols:

- can accentuate status
ex: expenses due tot greater income -> large houses, cars

Appearances
- related to fulfilling the role are = role attributes
- ex: uniform, instruments
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Expectations linked to roles, can cause role conflicts:

- What kind of role conflicts are there and what do they mean? Give examples.

1. Internal role conflicts
= conflicting expectations
--> play out within the same role

Example
- student: parents want you continue studying
--> government don't bc you run out of study credit

2. External role conflicts
= different positions
--> held by one and the same person
--> create expectations

Example
- student: wants to study
- but also be a good friend that makes time for his loved ones)

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