social roles<\/h3>\r\n
A social role<\/strong> is a pattern of behavior that is expected of a person in a given setting or group (Hare, 2003). Each one of us has several social roles. You may be, at the same time, a student, a parent, an aspiring teacher, a son or daughter, a spouse, and a lifeguard.<\/p>\r\n<\/section>\r\n Social roles, and our related behavior, vary across different settings. Consider how you behave when fulfilling the role of son or daughter at a family function. Now imagine how you behave as an employee at your workplace. Your behavior likely differs dramatically.<\/p>\r\n With family, you might be relaxed and outgoing, making jokes and acting silly. At work, you probably speak more professionally. Although you may be friendly, you're also serious and focused on completing tasks. These examples illustrate how social roles influence and often dictate our behavior to the extent that our identity and personality can vary with context\u2014that is, in different social groups (Malloy, Albright, Kenny, Agatstein & Winquist, 1997).<\/p>\r\n Social roles carry powerful expectations that guide behavior even in ambiguous situations. When we enter a new role\u2014starting a new job, becoming a parent, or beginning college\u2014we often feel uncertain about how to act. We look to others in similar roles and follow social scripts that outline appropriate behavior.<\/p>\r\n These role expectations can be so strong that they sometimes override our personal preferences or values. The Stanford Prison Experiment (discussed elsewhere in this module) demonstrated how quickly people can adopt role-appropriate behaviors, even when those behaviors conflict with their typical personality. While that study had serious methodological flaws, it highlighted an important question: How much does the situation\u2014and our role within it\u2014shape who we become?<\/p>\r\n One major social determinant of human behavior is our social roles.<\/p>\n A social role<\/strong> is a pattern of behavior that is expected of a person in a given setting or group (Hare, 2003). Each one of us has several social roles. You may be, at the same time, a student, a parent, an aspiring teacher, a son or daughter, a spouse, and a lifeguard.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Social roles, and our related behavior, vary across different settings. Consider how you behave when fulfilling the role of son or daughter at a family function. Now imagine how you behave as an employee at your workplace. Your behavior likely differs dramatically.<\/p>\nContext Matters: Shifting Between Roles<\/h3>\r\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/855\/2015\/02\/04220755\/4d9657248a28ae35772f2abe123ad5f577dec341.jpeg\")
<\/a> Figure 1<\/strong>. Being a student is just one of the many social roles you have. (credit: modification of work by \u201cRural Institute\u201d\/Flickr)[\/caption]\r\n<\/figure>\r\nThe Power of Role Expectations<\/h3>\r\n
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Social Roles<\/h2>\n
social roles<\/h3>\n
Context Matters: Shifting Between Roles<\/h3>\n