Role Conflict Theory

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To the greatest extent, we all play some kind of role in our lives. Whether we are parents, employees, educators or co-workers, our position of assuming a role is highly pronounced. According to William E. Thompson and Joseph V. Hickey (Society in Focus: an introduction to sociology p.118), a role is defined as; a set of expectations, rights, and duties that are attached to a particular status. In addition, our roles can sometime be subjected to circumstances that disrupt our assumed responsibility within any particular role we fulfil. Michelle J. Hindin (The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2007), describes acting out of socially defined categories in everyday events as “role theory”. For instance, a police officer who is also a father and a husband is categorized as fulfilling more than one role in his daily life. …show more content…
Thompson and Mr. Hickey, one of the proponents involved in role theory is role conflict. Role conflict is when a person cannot fulfil the roles of one status without violating those of another. Ms. Karen Brown, a hearings officer for the State of Connecticut, gave an example of what role conflict constitutes. In her example, she described her own personal experience of role conflict, in which, she had to deny an individual public assistance because this person exceeded the income limit to receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. Similarly, another example of role conflict is the circumstance of a husband and wife who works together while, respectfully, either or undertakes the position of being the boss or the supervisor. On more than one occasion, the husband is late to work and gets reprimanded for it. As a consequence his wife is forced to, according to policy, write her husband up, in which she does, causing a mutual rift between the two.

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