Which term is used to refer to incompatible competing expectations that arise when the same person holds two or more social statuses?

• Definition of Role Conflict
• Example of Role Conflict
• Role Conflict Pronunciation
• Usage Notes
• Related Video
• Additional Information
• Related Terms
• Works Consulted
• Cite the Definition of Role Conflict

Definition of Role Conflict

(noun) A situation in which contradictory, competing, or incompatible expectations are placed on an individual by two or more roles held at the same time.

Example of Role Conflict

• Military leaders must think about the safety of troops under their command and the need to complete the mission.

Role Conflict Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: role con·flict

Audio Pronunciation

Phonetic Spelling

• American English – /rOHl kAHn-flikt/
• British English – /rOHl kOn-flikt/

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /roʊl ˈkɑnflɪkt/
• British English – /rəʊl ˈkɒnflɪkt/

Usage Notes

• Plural: role conflicts
• The terms “role conflict” and “social role conflict” are used interchangeably in a sociological context.
• Role conflict was systematically studied in Organizational Stress: Studies in Role Conflict and Ambiguity (1964) by Robert Kahn (1918–2019).

Related Video

Additional Information

• Role Theory Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Word origin of “role” and “conflict” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
• Kahn, Robert L. 1964. Organizational Stress: Studies in Role Conflict and Ambiguity. New York: Wiley.

Related Terms

• role
• role distancing
• role exit
• role expectation
• role performance
• role reversal
• role segregation
• role set
• role strain
• role taking

Works Consulted

Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 2011. Sociology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Brinkerhoff, David, Lynn White, Suzanne Ortega, and Rose Weitz. 2011. Essentials of Sociology. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Brym, Robert J., and John Lie. 2007. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Ferrante, Joan. 2011a. Seeing Sociology: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Ferrante, Joan. 2011b. Sociology: A Global Perspective. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.

Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.

Henslin, James M. 2012. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Hughes, Michael, and Carolyn J. Kroehler. 2011. Sociology: The Core. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Kendall, Diana. 2011. Sociology in Our Times. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Kimmel, Michael S., and Amy Aronson. 2012. Sociology Now. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Kornblum, William. 2008. Sociology in a Changing World. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Macionis, John. 2012. Sociology. 14th ed. Boston: Pearson.

Schaefer, Richard. 2013. Sociology: A Brief Introduction. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Scott, John, and Gordon Marshall. 2005. A Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Shepard, Jon M. 2010. Sociology. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Shepard, Jon M., and Robert W. Greene. 2003. Sociology and You. New York: Glencoe.

Stolley, Kathy S. 2005. The Basics of Sociology. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Turner, Bryan S., ed. 2006. The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).

Cite the Definition of Role Conflict

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “role conflict.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved August 13, 2022 (https://sociologydictionary.org/role-conflict/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

role conflict. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/role-conflict/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “role conflict.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed August 13, 2022. https://sociologydictionary.org/role-conflict/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“role conflict.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 13 Aug. 2022. <https://sociologydictionary.org/role-conflict/>.

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