In thinking of a recent situation in which you participated

In thinking of a recent situation in which you participated where it would have been helpful to address underlying assumptions. Describe the situation, who was involved, their roles, what they were trying to accomplish, and what actually happened. What did you observe that leads you to believe assumptions played a role in this situation? What could you have done differently to change the situation? What will you do or say differently in similar situations in the future?

Solution

Role strain happens when an individual has difficulty meeting the responsibilities of a certain role in his or her life. Like if a student is unable to cope with his studies.

A role is a concept used by sociologists, and often in society at large, to explain a set of expected behaviors and obligations an indidual has based on their particular place in the world. All of us have multiple roles and responsibilities in our lives.

At times, this might imply one role is in conflict with another. This is called role conflict. For instance, if you are both a student and are also employed, and your superior at work insists that you work late, this could interfere with your ability to study for an exam the coming day. In this situation, your role as a student and as an employee are in conflict with each another. You might feel that it is difficult to meet the demands of both well.

Role strain and role conflict explain different phenomena. Strain is experienced within one particular role, like being a student, while conflict takes place between two different roles, such as being a student and an employee.