Title: Role Theory | Encyclopedia.com
Headings: Role Theory
Role Theory
ROLE THEORY
HISTORY, DIFFERENTIATION, AND CONFUSION
FUNCTIONALIST ROLE THEORY
ROLE CONFLICT AND ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS
THE STRUCTURAL PERSPECTIVE
ROLE THEORY AMONG SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISTS
COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVES IN ROLE THEORY
RECENT TRENDS IN ROLE THEORY
ROLE THEORY AND THE FUTURE
references
Role Theory
Role Theory
Roles as Structure
Roles as Interaction
Accumulating and Changing Roles
Bibliography
Role Theory
Role Theory
THE STRUCTURAL SCHOOL
THE INTERACTIONIST SCHOOL
INTEGRATION
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Content: Role Theory | Encyclopedia.com
Social Sciences and the Law
Sociology and Social Reform
Sociology: General Terms and Concepts
Role Theory
Role Theory
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views 3,023,910 updated Jun 11 2018
ROLE THEORY
Role theory concerns the tendency for human behaviors to form characteristic patterns that may be predicted if one knows the social context in which those behaviors appear. It explains those behavior patterns, (or roles) by assuming that persons within a context appear as members of recognized social identities (or positions) and that they and others hold ideas ( expectations) about behaviors in that setting. Its vocabulary and concerns are popular among both social scientists and practitioners, and role concepts have generated both theory and a good deal of research. Nevertheless, conflicts have arisen about the use of role terms and the focus of role theory, and different versions of the theory have appeared among groups of authors who seem to be unaware of alternative versions. Role theory has been weakened by association with controversial theories in sociology, as well. HISTORY, DIFFERENTIATION, AND CONFUSION
Role theory arose when social scientists took seriously the insight that social life could be compared with the theater, in which actors played predictable "rôles." This insight was pursued independently by three major contributors in the early 1930s with somewhat different agendas. For Ralph Linton (an anthropologist), role theory was a means for analyzing social systems, and roles were conceived as "the dynamic aspects" of societally recognized social positions (or "statuses"). In contrast, George Herbert Mead (a social philosopher) viewed roles as the coping strategies that individuals evolve as they interact with other persons, and spoke of the need for understanding others' perspectives ("role taking") as a requisite for effective social interaction.