Alternative spellings

• rôle

Noun

Singular role

Plural roles

role (plural roles)

1. A character or part played by a performer or actor.
2. The expected behaviour of an individual in a society.
3. The function or position of something.
4. (grammar): The function of a word in a phrase.

A role (sometimes spelled rôle as in French) or a social role is a set of connected behaviors, rights and obligations as conceptualized by actors in a social situation. It is an expected behavior in a given individual social status and social position. It is vital to both functionalist and interactionist understandings of society.

Social role posits the following about social behavior:

1. People spend much of their lives in groups.
2. Within these groups, people often take distinct positions.
3. Each of these positions can be called a role, with a whole set of functions that are molded by the expectations of others.
4. Formalized expectations become norms when enough people feel comfortable in providing punishments and rewards for the expected behavior.
5. Individuals are generally conformists, and insofar as that is true, they conform to roles.
6. The anticipation of rewards and punishments inspire this conformity.