Social role is a position that an individual or group occupies in a community. Such positions guide the behavior of people in the community and influence the relationships they have with one another.
Social roles are shaped by the beliefs and practices of the community. They are not instinctive. Social roles vary from one culture to another. For example, the primary social roles for women in some societies are wife and mother. But other societies offer women a wider variety of roles from which to choose.
A person typically occupies numerous social roles during his or her lifetime. For instance, a woman may be a daughter to her parents, a wife to her husband, a mother to her children, and a worker to her employer.
Some roles—such as those of student or hospital patient—are occupied by almost all members of society at some time. Other roles—such as those of teacher or doctor—are occupied only by certain individuals who have specialized training.
A person may experience problems if the demands of one social role interfere with those of another. This situation is called role conflict. For example, being out of town on a business trip (role as worker) may keep a person from attending his or her child’s school play (role as parent).
