Lecture Notes: Role Strain and Role Conflict

Key Concepts

Role Strain

• Definition: Tension between roles within a single social status.
• Example: A student facing multiple academic obligations:
  • Writing two papers
  • Completing five reading assignments
  • Preparing a speech
  • Studying for a midterm exam
  • Completing two lab reports
• Impact: Pulled in many directions due to responsibilities of one status, causing pressure and stress.

Role Conflict

• Definition: Conflict arising from competing demands of two or more social statuses.
• Example Scenarios:
  • Scenario 1:
    • Statuses Involved: Husband, Friend
    • Conflict: Anniversary versus monthly get together with friends.
    • Resolution: Prioritizing the status as a husband over a friend.
  • Scenario 2:
    • Statuses Involved: Parent, Student
    • Conflict: A school paper due versus attending to an injured child.
    • Resolution: Prioritizing the status as a parent.
  • Scenario 3:
    • Statuses Involved: Worker, Husband
    • Conflict: Big job meeting versus cleaning the garage at wife’s request.
    • Resolution: Prioritizing the status as a worker due to job dependency on meeting performance.

Summary

• Role Strain: Involves managing different roles within one status leading to stress.
• Role Conflict: Involves choosing between conflicting demands of multiple statuses, leading to prioritization of one status over another based on the situation.

These concepts illustrate the complexities of managing different roles and statuses in everyday life, highlighting the importance of prioritization and time management.