Everyone has a
role in a social system. One person may have a number of roles because he or she
belongs to various social systems, such as home, school, workplace, and
community. A person in a particular social role will follow the rules of
behavior for that role. Each role in a social system is related to other roles
in the system. Relationships such as parent and child, student and teacher, and
supervisor and staff are known as role partners. When there is competition or
conflict between the expectations of different role partners, we have something
called role conflict. Now cover the passage and listen to the
lecture. You may take notes, and you may use your notes to help you answer the
question. After you hear the question, begin preparing your response. You may
look at the question, but NOT at the passage. You have 30 seconds to prepare
your response and 60 seconds to speak. Explain role conflict
and how the examples given by the professor illustrate the concept.
For this task, you will read a short passage, listen to a lecture on the
same topic, and then speak in response to a question about what you have read
and heard. Do not look at the question until the lecture has ended.
Do not look at the reading passage while you are speaking. Read the
following information from a textbook.
【正确答案】Key points:
Role conflict occurs when our different role partners expect different behavior from us.
The professor discusses the role of student and the different expectations of parents and friends. Parents expect students to study, but friends want to go out and party.
The professor discusses role conflict over choosing an academic major. Parents and friends may expect different choices. Both examples illustrate conflict between the expectations of different role partners--parents and friends.
【答案解析】[解析]
Each of us plays more than one social role, so conflict among our various roles is a fact of life. When we experience stress and confusion, it's often because our different roles have different scripts for how we should behave.
For example, the role of student requires you to study, earn good grades, and ultimately complete a degree. As a college student, you've probably noticed that your parents and your friends--both role partners to you----often expect different behavior from you. Your parents want you to stay home and study hard, while your friends say, "You've studied enough; let's go out and party." In this case, you feel the stress of the conflict between your role as a child and your role as a friend.
You might also feel stress over choosing an academic major. Your parents may want you to study medicine or business, but you play guitar and write songs, and all of your friends are musicians. You dream about playing in a band with your friends. In this case, you feel the pressure of your parents' expectation, but you also feel drawn to your friends, your role partners in the music world. Explain role conflict and how the examples given by the professor illustrate the concept.