Role Theory

By Bradley Wright

One of my favorite theories in sociology is role theory because it explains so much of what we do and don’t do in everyday life. It even explains why students don’t have pizzas delivered in the middle of class. 

A role is a set of expectations held by others about what we are supposed to do when we are in a given social position. For example, if you’re the secretary of a student organization, you may need to take notes during meetings, contact other members regarding events, and keep track of peoples’ dues. Likewise, if you work as a server at the local Mexican restaurant, you are expected to greet customers, take their orders, refill the chips and salsa, check in with them throughout the meal to see if they need anything, and collect their money. You do these things not because of who you are, but because these are the duties of the position. In sociological language, the expectations that you will do what you are supposed to do in a role are called norms.

Role expectations are not just behaviors but emotions and feelings as well. As a server, you greet customers with a corporate-imposed greeting such as: “Hi, I’m Taylor, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.” (At this point, I usually ask them to go wash my car or something, but they never do…) The role of a server requires you to be cheerful an interested. Don’t really feel that way? Doesn’t matter: You need to do it anyway. Imagine in you greeted customers with an angry snarl or sat down and started telling them all your problems. If you weren’t fired right away, you would at least have a manager instructing you in how to “properly” treat customers.

Roles have remarkably detailed and complex expectations for our behavior. You could fill a thick instruction manual for all the roles we act out. Let’s take a simple situation—what students are supposed to do in a college classroom. Sounds easy, right? There are actually many, many rules that you’re supposed to follow, and if it seems easy, it’s only because you know them already.

In a classroom, you are supposed to:

· Walk into the room—not run, crawl, dance or do handsprings into it.

· Talk with other students quietly—not yell greetings to them as you might if you saw the same person in a different situation. “Hey, you &#@*!, how the &#($)@^ are you doing!” won’t cut it.

· Sit in your chair facing forward. Don’t stand; don’t sit in front, facing the class (this is reserved for the professor); don’t put your feet up on somebody else’s desk.

· Look like you’re paying attention. Even if you’re bored out of your mind and ready to collapse into a deep sleep, face the general direction of the professor and keep your eyes open. Don’t lay down on the floor, put your head on your backpack, and take a nap. (Hey, if I have to be awake for my classes, my students do too!).

· If you have to say something, you raise your hand until acknowledged by the professor. Don’t just yell out, “Hey you, I’ve got something to say.” There are even norms on how to raise your hand! Lift your hand shoulder height and keep it mostly still. Don’t wave both arms frantically.

Over the years, I’ve had various experiences in the classroom that have indicated the power of these norms. In one class I had a student with a learning disability who would often do the “wrong” thing in the classroom. He would ask questions that were off topic. He would sometimes interrupt me during lecture with his comments. He would get really enthusiastic when talking. These behaviors didn’t bother me (professors are usually pretty happy just to have someone participate in class), but the other students were scornful of his violating classroom norms. At first they would roll their eyes and maybe snicker, but after a few weeks they would laugh out loud at him. Not the “we’re having fun” laugh, but the “you’re an idiot” laugh. He could tell what was going on, and after a few weeks, he just dropped the class.

Last semester I taught an evening class in a large lecture hall that holds 330 students. Since it was a two-and-a-half hour class, the students got hungry and usually brought food with them. One evening, a student forgot, and so at the start of class he asked if he could order a pizza. I thought it was a great idea, so I said sure. Well, about 30 minutes later, I was halfway up the stairs on one side of the classroom (I walk around a lot when I teach), and the class burst in to laughter. I looked back, and there in the front of class was this student paying a very confused Domino’s delivery person.

According to role theory, most of us are hardcore, rabid conformists. Whether it’s answering a telephone or ordering a coffee or getting married or playing softball or walking down the street or sending an e-mail or just about anything else, we conform to role expectations. They guide much of our lives, both in and out of the classroom. 

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Comments

[Pete]

Not everyone is so accepting of breaking those classroom norms, of course. The classic example is Sean Penn, as Spicoli, in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A_6y_RHnRU

Might be a great clip to bring into your class. Could spark a good discussion of why Mr Hand is so upset.

[Taryn!]

It is really strange to think of all the things we do because they are norms. It feels very awkward to break these norms. People feel as if you are breaking the rules and look down on you. It's interesting that norms are taught to you and you don't even know it. I can't remember anyone telling how to appropriately raise my hand, but someone must have, otherwise how would I have learned. Role theory is a well thought out idea that links everything together.

[Khameed]

In some case most people are in a rush when ordering something. It depends on what you want when we call to order we don't know what we want. We call to order a pizza yet we change our mind. People all love to be waited on hand and foot. More order is need when going to places such as the school libaraary. When ten people are listen to music, cell phones ringing and talking how are the one or two students to get their work done. When teachers would like the students to be more adult about their behaviors they are very childish.

[bhiser8929]

I find it interesting that we speak of norms which are instilled in our lives begining with early childhood. Who declares these "norms" as the right behavior? Many people notice people who do things different and tend to remember them better because of being different.

[Neil]

This all leads back to the "norms." We all have a role to play in life. Yes, must figure it out on our journey through it, but as of right now were students. As students we all should know how to act because ever since we were little we have known about rules and regulations. As students we are supposed to give our teachers the up most respect and pay attention because they didn't "have" to let us in the class. And not to mention when it comes to role play outside of class. When your at home you have the role as a child to give your parents or caretake the upmost respect due to the fact they are suffering enough putting up with you and raising you.(lol)

[Kimberly King]

It is hard to comment on something you do unconsiously. I mean it so intergrated in us that we often scorned others if they break with the norm. Might hear comments like: where you raise by wolves or did your mom drop you on your head etc. Alot of americans when they go over seas they eperience culture shock. This occurrs because what is normal for americans is not the norm for other societies as a whole.

[Matt Ritten]

I'm not one of those people who will try to make themself notice right of the bat. I like to go through steps and stay with the norms. Students help other students with norms by sticking to the norms of school.

[Sarah Connell]

I try to do what is "normal" so to say. I like to avoid conflict. There is a quote in my room that I think of sometimes when I want to break the rules or have some fun.

"If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun." Katharine Hepburn.

Sometimes it is a matter of just being respectful. If you break a "norm" people may consider you disrespectful.

[Jewell Johnson]

I really don't understand the first question. I know what the words mean but I don't comprehend the context in which they are used. From my experice in college most times when someone is doing something out of the norm people look at them with disapproval rather they say something or not the simple look has to make you think twice.

[K. Stovall]

I do believe most of us do conform to our roles, but only because we have to. If we don't, we could lose our job or be asked to leave the classroom or whatever the case may be. I think that maybe the only help or encouragement someone might get from another student is a disapproving look or embarrassing laughter. That would definitely encourage most people to follow classroom norms.

[Amanda Finley]

I think we're all conformist. Few people dare to be different and most of the time their made fun of. Students help other students to conform by voicing their ideas class and to the other students this show the others what is important in skool. :)

[J Turley]

The things mentioned in this article just come natural to me. i never even thought about doing some of the things that were discussed in here. i like to be in the normal, quiet group. anything that would bring attention to me i try to avoid

[Kenendra C.]

I think we all break the norms from time to time in the classroom. We may not get permission to get out of our seats, or raise our hand to talk, or even come to class prepared. I think sometimes those things could be overlooked, but not all the time. Some order has to be stored at some point in time.

[Karen Lane]

We all break the "norm" from time to time. Heck some of us break it all the time to show that we are different. But who is really to say what is normal. Some places you can burp out loud in a resturant and other places it is just completly rude and disgusting. But who is to say if its right or wrong. Which person is right? The person that believes there is a God and he built this earth or the person that says there is scientific explanation for everything on this earth. Personally I am a christian but its really neat to see what kind of responses I get from this.

[Christopher Mosley]

I think this article is very true! Its a little scary to me to think how people look at you when you violate these social norms! America is the place where you should dare to be different, the land of the free, the land of opportunity! Yet, if you step one step out of bounds in your actions, speech, or social norms people look at you like you're an alien.

[Wes Johnson]

Now a days, more and more people are breaking the rules and going outside of the norm. In a way, yes, if you think of it really in depth, there are traits of conformist in all of us. But only to a certain extent. I think we do this for the small, unimportant things. However, when it comes to bigger things, we stand our ground. For the most part, most of us do stick to the norms in the classroom.

[aThomas]

I do agree with the article in a sense. Maybe we are conformist not on purpose just instinct. I mean certain norms are driven into our heads since birth its hard to think outside of that. As a result the norms almost make us up as a person without us knowing. Students keep it going by observing each other and acting accordingly. Common sense tells us that usually when something is accepted a group an individual might feel that is the right thing to do.

[Sunnie Norris]

I do believe that most of us are in fact hardcore rabid conformists. We make sure that we play our roles properly so that we are not looked at funny or laughed at for the wrong reasons, or fired from our jobs. Other students help to encourage other students by praticipating properly when it comes to norms. It's sort of like a "go with the flow" thing.

[npullum]

I dont like to be noticed right off the bat either I like to take it slow and learn the environment that im in first.

[Tristen Loyd]

In most of my classes, yes I did stick to the norms. In one of my classes, because I didn't respect the teacher, I acted out in a way that was out of the norm. I talked loudly, was disrespectful, but only when she acted out of the norm, and was disrespectful first. Most people would like to think that they are hardcore conformists. Most don't realize that in a way, they are not conformists because they are going to do whatever they want, however they want, and whenever they want. Everybody, at one point in time, steps out of the box. To most students, majority rules. If most of the students in the class are quiet and respectful, everybody will conform with that and act the same. If the class is disrespectful and rude, chances are that everyone else is going to act the same. To be truthful, I try to stick to the norms; but when I want to shock or disrupt people, I love to act out. I can't stand to be quiet, or to be in a quiet-type setting. So, I guess I really can't stand to conform to the norms.

[A. Santillan]

In a way I do but at the same time all of us are different. If you dont do what is expected of you to do your peers my put you down and that will make you not do it again. Peers have a lot of inflience in what you do so if its something that is not normal you will get bullied in a way. But if it something that people like even through its different they will start to do it.

[sean goodman]

I believe we’re currently experiencing an interesting time in our nation’s history. We can now see a subtle transformation from a nation that clings tightly to their idea of cultural norms, and conformity to one with more tolerance and unity.

[k wooten]

We as people do conform to as the article states, "hardcore, rabid conformists". We all so exactly what we think is right. Following rules in a classroom keeps people from acting out. For example, we are taught from kindergarten how to not talk when others are, raise your hand, walk in a straight line etc.

[Npatty1291]

Yes, I do beleive that most of us stick to the role of rabid comformists. They are encouraged by students that have been taught the norms and meaning of there actions.

[Jody Nixon]

Being a student I completely agree with the normal behavior that has to be defended in classrooms, particularly if it's midterms or final exams and you have to pay attention. But then again there are also things that have to be factored in with this topic. Like where you are or what type of people you are around because you could do other things that are normal to some and just disgusting and rude to others.