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67 Examples of Social Roles

 , September 30, 2022
A social role is a set of expectations, responsibilities and norms that placed on an individual in a society. These include roles that are based on systems and formal authority such as a judge and roles that are cultural without any formal definition or authority such as boyfriend. Social roles allow societies to organize into complex structures that are highly specialized and efficient. They also allow societies to achieve goals such as social stability, justice or economic production. The following are illustrative examples of a social role.
Administrator
Adult
Agent
Artist
Audience
Board Member (governance structures)
Boss
Boyfriend / Girlfriend / Significant Other
Celebrity
Citizen
Coach
Comedian
Company President / Chief Executive Officier
Creative Director
Director (of a company)
Doctor
Elder
Elected Official
Employee
Expert
Fan
Film Director
Follower
Friend
General (military)
Grandmother / Grandfather / Grandparent
Guardian
Investor
Journalist
Judge
Juror
King / Queen
Lawyer
Leader
Manager
Matriarch
Mayor
Mentor
Mother / Father / Parent
Musician
Neighbor
Nurse
Owner (e.g. business owner or home owner)
Patriarch
Performer / Actor
Philanthropist
Player
Police
Politician
President / Prime Minister
Professional
Professor
Rebel / Dissident / Protester
Religious Leader (e.g. Priest)
Research
Scientist
Service Staff / Customer Service Representative
Soldier
Son / Daughter / Child
Speaker
Student
Supporter
Teacher
Technologist
Volunteer
Wife / Husband / Spouse / Partner
Writer
In many cases, social roles resemble archetypes such that they are deeply ingrained in a culture. In this case, the meaning attached to the role may be extremely complex and intricate.
People often have many social roles. For example, a person could be a citizen, business owner, spouse, parent, neighbor and rebel.
Overview: Social Roles
Type
Definition
A set of expectations, responsibilities and norms that placed on an individual in a society.
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