Title: Role Theory - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Headings: Role Theory
Role Theory
Social Participation in the Second Half of Life
Role theory
Family and Culture
5 Family Roles and Power
Data Collection: Interviewing
4 Role Theory
Animal-assisted interventions in mental health
Role theory
Social Psychology, Theories of
2.1 Belonging, Within the Individual
Neurosemantics and Categories
48.3.1 The Representation Relation
NEUROSEMANTICS AND CATEGORIES
3.1 The representation relation
Goffman, Erving (1921–82)
2.2.2 Roles and identities
Status and Role: Structural Aspects
2 Role Theory
Health and Well-Being Outcomes of the Work-Family Interface
Role Theory

Content: The originators of role theory are Ralph Linton in sociology and George Herbert Mead in social psychology. Role refers to the social expectations and the social scripts of family roles—how roles have been shaped by cultural conventions and by the collective ideologies of a society. One aspect of role theory studies how roles are learned during the process of social interaction. That is, people interact with others, they see themselves and others as occupants of particular statuses, and they learn guides for action. In other words, there are certain social scripts or expectations associated with certain roles. Structural role theory as developed by Linton and Parsons refers to the structural and functional aspects of status and role. By structure is meant the positions recognized by the specific social system and the content of the role. That is, what are the social scripts associated with the roles of mother and father in the society? For example, social scripts of gender roles in a society might be that the place of mother is in the home, she should raise the children, cook, etc., whereas in other societies mothers should work, share with the husbands the daily work of the home and care of children, etc.