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Hello! Role conflict — this is a clash of two or more social roles that are completely incompatible at the moment or at all. And today we will consider in detail why it occurs and how to deal with it.
Some general information
The concept itself arose thanks to Robert Merton in 1957. He believed that each individual has to try on several social roles at once. That is, it is necessary to fulfill the requirements according to the position held, for example: to be a son, father, husband and boss.
The process of learning these positions takes place in childhood, when a little girl plays with dolls, prepares breakfast for them and puts them to bed. So she learns to be a mother and the mistress of the hearth.
Boys mostly prefer soldiers, cars, working equipment, trains, joining the male world. Then, gradually socializing, that is, socially developing, communicating with other people and roles that are still unfamiliar to themselves, they adopt experience and knowledge. This knowledge will help you to be stable in any position in the future.
1. Scale
They can be limited and, accordingly, blurred, or, as they are also called, wide in range. Limited is when there is a specific goal between the participants in the interaction. To satisfy it, they need certain services from each other.
To make it clearer, I will give examples: you came to the store for bread, being in the role of a client. You turn to the seller not with a request to hear what a hard day was and how tired your boss is, but to tell you which bread is the freshest and how much it costs. Because formally, your interaction should be within the framework of the services offered by the store.
But between husband and wife there is a wide range, so to speak, of services. They have the right to claim knowledge about each other’s various fields, they have certain duties towards each other and rights.
2. According to the method of receipt
They are divided into such types as prescribed and conquered. That is, when we are born, the role of a child, son or daughter, we receive automatically, by default. Also, growing up, we become a man, then a woman, then a grandmother or grandfather.
But over the conquered one has to work hard, make efforts, because they characterize the profession or field of activity, achievements. For example, to become a surgeon, you must first graduate from a medical university and an internship. Then some time to train and only then get the right to operate.
3. According to the degree of formalization
If you violated the rules of the road, the traffic police officer will communicate with you not at all like parents or close friends. The complexity is manifested in the fact that sometimes people lose their professional position and take any criticism personally.
For example, in a store, a customer cursed at the seller about the quality of the goods, and the latter injured himself, believing that the insults relate directly to him. Sometimes it happens that formal relationships develop into informal, that is, closer ones.
This happens when people often come into contact in activities, and begin to experience any feelings for each other’s life stories and in general, communication. Their behavior changes, the boundaries of the topics under discussion expand, and so on.
4. By type of motivation
Everyone satisfies a certain need, performing some kind of duty, function. Suppose a parent takes care of the life and health of a baby out of feelings of love and a desire to ensure the safety of his child for the continuation of his kind, in order to feel that he is a good father.
But as a boss, he pursues completely different goals — the desire to win competition with other companies and win over consumers. To fulfill the tasks assigned to him or in general, just to work for a good cause.
Types of role conflicts
1. Interrole
It occurs due to the fact that one person has to perform several functions at the same time. They are completely opposite in meaning and requirements. I think many will be familiar with the situation when a person tries to combine building a successful career and creating a happy family.
It is impossible to succeed everywhere. To get the expected results in business, you need to spend enough time at work, and not relax with your children and wife. And, accordingly, in order to save a marriage, you need to pay enough attention to family members, which will make it less work nuances.
And, torn between two fires, a person can pretty exhaust himself, and even lead to nervous exhaustion and depression. Indeed, while receiving scolding from management or clients, a person simultaneously listens to accusations from his wife. The tension from the constant choice, in the end, makes itself felt, health is collapsing or even some valuable area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXblife.
2. Situational
Occurs when a person has to meet expectations to which for some reason he is not able to meet. Most often, because some functions are new for him, or he is not psychologically ready for them, there is no experience or awareness.
For example, in some countries it is customary to marry underage girls, who are sometimes still just children. So, they are not able to fulfill the duties of a woman for a banal reason — because the process of maturation has not yet been completed. Why, when giving birth to children, they cannot cope with maternal chores and responsibilities, to the point that newborns die.
Also, frequent causes of this type of complexity are a long time to complete some work or being in the same conditions. As a result, a certain habit is formed. For example, speaking loudly at home and in a public place, because a person has worked for many years in a factory where it is very noisy.
3. Intra-role
When completely different understandings are layered in relation to the same role. Here a child is born in the family, and the woman becomes a mother. In her understanding, a good mother takes care of the baby, that is, he is healthy, fed and clean.
But the husband imagines this picture a little differently, it is important for him that the child be obedient, study well and not indulge. While the child himself needs his mother to simply hug him and play something. And from time to time scandals arise in such a family. Everyone has different ideas, which is why each side has claims.
4. Intrapersonal
The bottom line is that the requirements of society and ideas about oneself and one’s own personality do not coincide at all. A person has to be in an anxiously tense state of choice, either to remain true to their own convictions, or to agree to meet the expectations of others. The choice is really difficult, especially if it depends on whether the needs will be satisfied.
A lawyer, getting into a prestigious company where he can move up the career ladder and reach the heights he dreamed of, learns that he is obliged to forge documents and commit other frauds, protecting criminals, otherwise he is threatened with dismissal. And what if from childhood he dreamed of becoming a lawyer in order to fight for justice? Yes, and grew up quite an honest and sincere person?
At this moment, internal discomfort and anxiety are brewing. Because it is difficult to betray yourself, but it is also difficult to give up your desires and dreams.
What to do?
1. First of all, it is important to learn to be responsible for your decisions, as well as to accept them.
Let the situation take its course — give up the opportunity to manage your life.
And choices and decisions should be made every day, so leaving the comfort zone is inevitable.
Suppose, as sometimes happens, a man marries and brings a woman to his parental home, whom his father or mother categorically does not like. They express their dissatisfaction with her ability to cook. Why does the unfortunate person become a hostage of the situation, sometimes protecting his beloved, then subsequently “breaking down” on her.
The only way out will be to leave home for free bread in order to manage your life freely. Only now you have to give everything, find an additional source of income, save money, and even start denying yourself something.
2. Sometimes you can deal with a conflict only by “destroying” the situation that created it. That is, if it is of course possible, to leave a group, leave or change the environment. This is a cardinal method, but, in some cases, the only option, especially if the person has decided to change the quality of life by improving it.
3. You can also try to change the expectations, both personal and partners, groups. This is not easy to do, so this article will help you.
4. Get creative, even if you can’t draw or write poetry. It is very important to give vent to accumulated emotions, otherwise there is a risk that any psychosomatic diseases will arise, up to depression and apathy.
It is also important to play sports. Running or yoga perfectly restores peace of mind, helping to make choices and find solutions to problems. You can see the article about meditation to practice on your own at a convenient time.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today, dear readers! I recommend that you also read the article on how to realize yourself in life. Take care of yourself and loved ones!