The status and role of an individual in a small group. Small group structure. The position of the individual in the group

The first of the concepts used in this context is the concept of "status" or "position", denoting the place of the individual in the system of group life. The terms "status" and "position" are often used as synonyms, although a number of authors have a slightly different meaning of the concept of "position". The status of an individual in a group is a real socio-psychological characteristic of his position in the system of intra-group relations, the degree of real authority for other participants.

The concept of "status" finds the widest application in describing the structure interpersonal relationships for which the sociometric method is most suitable.

The internal setting of a person in the system of intra-group relations is a personal, subjective perception of his own status, how he assesses his real situation. The actual status and its perception by a person may not coincide.

Another characteristic of an individual in a group is the "role". Usually, a role is defined as a dynamic aspect of status, which is revealed through a list of those real functions that are given to the individual by the group, the content of group activity. The role taken on largely determines the perception and evaluation of a person in the system of intragroup relations.

There are many classifications and names of group roles. The set of role functions is determined by the type of group and its structure. So, for example, in a psycho-correctional group, many roles have bright names: “virtuous moralist”, “complainer”, “keeper of time”, “guardian of democracy”, “outsider”. The set of roles in a group also depends on the tasks it performs. The roles associated with group support are called: "encouraging", "harmonizing", "compromising", "guarding and fulfilling", "setting standards", "passive following".

In the most general view task-solving roles and roles associated with providing support to other team members are presented in Table 3.

There are a lot of typologies of group roles; as a rule, they are based on relations of power - subordination or preference - rejection. The most vivid idea of the role division in the group is given by the analysis of such groups where there is a rigid hierarchy, lack of resources and problems with their distribution. Using the Greek alphabet, the status-role distribution in such a group is usually defined by the following set of roles:

beta - the second person in the group with the corresponding right to benefits, less energetic, but often more intelligent than alpha; usually is the guardian of group norms and rules;

gamma-1 - approximate, support, associates, alpha team;

gamma-2 - usually a large subgroup of inert, submissive group members who become victims of manipulation by upper-level representatives;

gamma-3 - opposition, a subgroup of those dissatisfied with their status, but forced to obey; in relation to them, the policy of “carrot or stick” is applied, and the “carrot” can be an introduction to the number of close associates (co-optation), and the “stick” can be the restriction of rights, remuneration, contentment, expulsion from the group, and up to physical reprisal;

gamma-4 - a jester who allows himself (with the permission of the leader) critical remarks, maintaining the appearance of democracy, freedom of speech, etc.; by status it can be at the level from gamma-1 to gamma-3;

omega - "scapegoat" - a person who takes on group aggression. Such a role is necessary for the group to unite, demonstrate unity, feel the feeling of “we” as opposed to the omega, which is precisely “not us”. If the person in the omega position disagrees with their status and leaves the group, the group finds another person to fill that role.

Quite strongly, such a group division is also manifested in groups of socially immature personalities - children, criminals.

An important component of the characteristics of the individual's position in the group is the system of "group expectations". This term denotes the simple fact that each member of the group not only performs its functions in it, but is also necessarily perceived, evaluated by others. In particular, this refers to the fact that each position, as well as each role, is expected to perform certain functions. The group, through a system of expected patterns of behavior corresponding to each role, in a certain way controls the activities of its members. In some cases, there may be a discrepancy between the expectations that the group has regarding any of its members, and his actual behavior, real way fulfilling their role. To optimize control by group members, group norms and group sanctions are used.

In small groups, people know each other. They communicate for a long time. Getting, for example, into the production team at random, the worker gradually enters into close relationships with colleagues. Between them are established not only business, but also emotional relationship. They share with each other their experiences, hopes, disappointments and sorrows.

Each contact group member evaluates and is evaluated by others. Over time, preferences emerge and stable relationships of likes and dislikes are established. There are relationships of dominance and subordination in groups. Dominance relations in a number of small groups (formal) are set initially. In informal ones, they are established by virtue of the age, degree of influence and authority of individual members of the group.

To describe the position of an individual in the system of relationships of a small group, the concepts of "role" and "status" are used. We will use the material of the "Psychological Dictionary / Edited by A.V. Petrovsky and M.G. Yaolshevsky.

Role (from French role) means " social function personality; corresponding accepted norms the way people behave depending on their status or position in society, in the system of interpersonal relations. "The concept of R. introduced into social psychology D. Mead (representative of interactionism

T. Shibutani defines a role as a prescribed pattern of behavior that is expected and required from a person in a given situation, if the position taken by him in joint action is known. A role is a template for certain rights and responsibilities. Duty is what a person feels compelled to do, based on the role he plays; other people expect and demand that he act in a certain way. Playing a role is about fulfilling the duties that come with the role and exercising your rights towards others. Each person has some idea of what constitutes the proper course of action, both for himself and for others. Role learning occurs in groups where people learn from each other by observing the role behavior of others.

The range and number of roles are determined by the diversity social groups, activities and relationships in which the person is included, his needs and interests. . The individual performance of a role by a person has a certain “personal coloring”, which depends primarily on his knowledge and ability to be in this role, on its significance for him, on the desire to more or less meet the expectations of others.

Distinguish the following types roles:

social roles, determined by the place of the individual in the system of objective social relations (professional, socio-demographic, etc.), and

interpersonal roles, determined by the place of the individual in the system of interpersonal relations (leader, outcast, etc.).

Besides,

active, currently executing, and

latent, not manifested in this situation.

In addition, there are institutionalized roles (official, conventional), associated with the official requirements of the organization, which includes the subject, and spontaneous, associated with spontaneously emerging relationships and activities.

In Western sociology and psychology, various role concepts of personality have become widespread. In these concepts, the personality appears as a set of unrelated disparate role masks that define it. outward behavior regardless of her inner world, and the originality of the personality, its active principle and integrity are ignored

Another concept that characterizes the position of an individual in a group is status.

The status is defined as the position of the subject in the system of interpersonal relations, which determines his rights, duties and privileges. In different groups, the same individual may have a different status. Significant discrepancies in the statuses that an individual acquires in groups differ in the level of group development, the content of activity and communication, and often become causes of frustration, conflict, etc. The status is experimentally revealed by applying various socio-psychological methods. Important Features status are prestige and authority as a kind of measure of recognition by others of the merits of the individual.

T. Shibutani, author" Social psychology", introduces a distinction between social and personal status. Social status, in his opinion, refers to a person's position in society: the respect he enjoys and his prestige is based on which category he belongs to and how this category is valued in the prevailing system of social stratification A person retains his status if he lives in accordance with the conventional norms that govern the behavior of people in this category.

Multidimensional systems for measuring personality loneliness
One of the earliest multidimensional measurement systems for loneliness was compiled by Schmidt. She tried to identify four various types relationships: romantic, sexual, friendship, family, and community relationships. Schmidt developed her system with two age groups in mind: college students and...

"Sustainability of attention according to Riesz"
Research objective: Determination of the degree of stability of attention during its concentration and influence long work to concentration. This is a modification of the method proposed by the psychotechnician Riess in the early 1920s. Research order: The subject is given a form with mixed lines that start at the left side of the form and ...

Reading special literature and rest
The necessity of alternating work and rest is obvious. The work of the student in the learning process requires active rest. In the period of long independent studies, it is fruitful to develop a system of short-term "breaks". It can be several exercises for warming up, washing or dousing. cold water, a glass of tea or co...

An important parameter of the characteristics of the group is the position in the group of the individual as a member.

Any person occupies several positions in the group. Each of these social positions, associated with certain rights and obligations, is called status(answers the question: Who is he (or she) ) ?).

A person can have several statuses, of which one is the main one. Status can be: 1) prescribed (data from birth - gender, race, surname, etc.) and 2) achieved (determined by what a person has accomplished in his life - husband, writer). Some statuses combine prescribed and achieved elements (Doctor of Philosophy).

The basis for inequality of status is the differences between people. Any characteristic that distinguishes one person from others can become a status one (in a student group - “the smartest”, “the most fair”, “comedian”, “sex symbol”, etc.)

To determine the status of an individual in The sociometric method is applied to the group.

role called the expected behavior due to the status of a person (Answers the question: "What does he (she) do?").

Each status usually includes a number of roles (for example, a person who has the status of a teacher behaves differently with students, other teachers, the rector). Can be distinguished:

1) formal roles (serve for the functioning of various public institutions and social structures),

2) informal roles ("family clown", "soul of society", "scapegoat").

The set of roles corresponding to this status is called role set . So, a person can play several roles in various life situations. The situation associated with the need to satisfy the conflicting requirements of two or more roles is called role conflict. Ways to overcome it: separate roles in time, recognize one role as more important than another, humor.

The emergence of roles is associated with the phenomenon of "group expectations": each member of the group does not just perform its functions, each role requires a certain list and quality of their performance, and its performer is necessarily perceived and evaluated by others. The formation of roles requires long-term interaction between people, on the basis of which more or less stable patterns of interaction are formed.

End of work -

This topic belongs to:

Fundamentals of psychology and pedagogy

Educational institution.. Polotsk State University.. I N Andreeva N N Strunina N N Petriashvili ..

If you need additional material on this topic, or you did not find what you were looking for, we recommend using the search in our database of works:

What will we do with the received material:

If this material turned out to be useful for you, you can save it to your page on social networks:

All topics in this section:

Novopolotsk 2009
Table of Contents INTRODUCTION. 3 CURRICULUM ON THE BASICS OF PSYCHOLOGY AND PEDAGOGY. 5 MODULE 1. GENERAL

cognitive processes
Mental processes (sensations, perception, memory, thinking, imagination, speech) and attention, their features. four. mental states. Emotions and will. General concept of emotions

Social psychology and management psychology
7. The group and its influence on the individual. The concept of a group. Group classification. Small group, its characteristics and types. The concept of a team. Social status and social

Fundamentals of Pedagogy
10. Pedagogy as a science History of pedagogical ideas and educational practices. Pedagogy in the system of human sciences, its subject, tasks. Basic methodological principles and methods

The main historical stages in the development of psychological science
Since ancient times, the needs of social life have forced a person to distinguish and take into account the peculiarities of the mental make-up of people. The first ideas about the psyche were associated with animism (lat.

Structure of modern psychology
Despite the fact that a number of authors believe that psychology is a system of sciences that are at different stages of formation and are associated with various areas of practice, psychology as an integral scientific

The subject and main tasks of psychology
The specificity of scientific knowledge is given by the subject of scientific research and the methods corresponding to it, which allow revealing the patterns of the studied phenomena. What constitutes pre

The concept of methodology. Types of methodology
Any science develops dynamically and progressively if it has, on the one hand, creative ideas put forward by scientists, and, on the other hand, fairly objective, accurate and reliable methods.

Basic methodological principles in psychology
Studying the subject modern psychology relies on a number of principles, which are the starting points that allow you to meaningfully describe the object under study, plan procedures

Research methods. The concept of method in psychology
A method is a way, a way of knowing, through which the subject of science is known (S. L. Rubinshtein). Methods scientific research- those are

Non-Experimental Methods
Observation is a systematic, purposeful, deliberate and specially organized perception of phenomena, the results of which in one form or another

Psychodiagnostic methods (tests)
Test method (from the English test - test, verification) - an experimental method of psychodiagnostics used in empirical sociological research, as well as a method of measurement and about

Experimental Methods
Experiment is one of the main methods of modern psychology; this is a study in the process of which we ourselves evoke the mental phenomena that interest us and create conditions that

Methods of corrective action
There is a wide variety of corrective methods based on various psychological concepts, the views of their authors on the nature of the human psyche. The classic method

The development of the psyche in the process of ontogenesis and phylogenesis
The psyche is a property of highly organized living matter, which consists in the active reflection of the objective world by the subject, in the construction by the subject of a picture inalienable from him.

Neurophysiological mechanisms of the psyche
Nervous system- hierarchical structure of nervous formations in the human body and vertebrates. Due to its work, contacts with the outside world are provided, real

Localization of higher mental functions
A significant role in the development of ideas about the functional organization of the brain belongs to the Soviet psychologist, the founder of neuropsychology in the USSR, Alexander Romanovich Luria (

Consciousness as the highest form of the psyche
Consciousness is the highest level of mental reflection objective reality, as well as the highest level of self-regulation, inherent only to man as a social being

General psychological characteristics of activity
One of the most important features of a person is that he is able to work, and any kind of labor is an activity. Activity is a dynamic system

cognitive processes
3.1. Feelings and perception. 3.1.1. Cognitive mental processes. The structure of receiving information 3.1.2. Feelings: classification, general properties 3.1.3. Basic character

Cognitive mental processes. Information reception structure
cognitive activity a person is made up of a series of cognitive mental processes: sensations, perceptions, attention, memory, imagination, thinking and speech. The process of learning about

The main characteristics of the sensitivity of the analyzers
The lower threshold of sensations is the minimum value of the stimulus that causes a barely noticeable sensation. The upper threshold of sensations is the maximum

Perception, its types and properties
Perception is a holistic reflection of objects and phenomena of the objective world with their direct impact at the moment on the senses. Together with the process

General idea of attention
A person is constantly exposed to many different stimuli. Human consciousness is not able to cover all these objects simultaneously with sufficient clarity. Of the many surrounding

General characteristics of memory
The processes of memorization, preservation and reproduction by a person of his experience are called memory. Memory is the basis of any mental phenomenon. Feelings and perceptions

Types and features of memory
Being one of the most complex mental functions of a person, memory has different types and forms. First of all, we can distinguish such types of memory as genetic (hereditary) and lifetime

Imagination
3.5.1. The concept of "imagination", its types and forms of manifestation Imagination is a mental process of creating new images based on p

Imagination functions
The creative transformation of reality in the imagination obeys its own laws and is carried out in accordance with certain methods and techniques. New representations, thanks to ana operations

Imagination and thinking. Imagination and creativity
Imagination is closely related to thinking. Like thinking, it allows you to foresee the future. What are the similarities and what are the differences between imagination and thinking? Generalconclusion

The essence of thinking as a cognitive process
The process of human cognition of the surrounding reality is carried out in the unity and interconnection of its stages - sensual and logical. Sensual form of cognition of real

Individual features of thinking
There are different approaches to defining the types of thinking. According to the degree of deployment of the tasks to be solved, thinking is distinguished: - discourse

Qualities of thinking and the structure of intelligence
Breadth of thinking is the ability to cover the whole issue without losing at the same time the particulars necessary for the cause. Depth of thinking expressed

Speech as a tool of thinking and means of communication
Thinking is organically connected with speech and language. Their emergence and development mark the emergence of a new special form of reflection of reality and its management. It is important to distinguish language from speech.

General characteristics of the emotional sphere of a person
Interacting with the outside world, a person relates to it in a certain way, experiences some feelings about what he remembers, imagines, what he thinks about. The experience of a person

Regulation and self-regulation of the emotional state
When choosing diagnostic tools and interpreting the results obtained, one should take into account age features personality. One of the main tasks of a psychodiagnostic is to identify and

Volitional regulation of activity
AT Everyday life usually there is no difficulty in determining the phenomena that relate to the manifestations of the will. Volitional includes all actions and deeds that are not performed according to

Volitional personality traits
In the process of life practice, the manifestations of will in individual actions form the volitional organization of the personality. Volitional properties become inalienable

Individual personality traits
The specificity of human individuality is mediated by the entire history of the species Homo sapiens, which was refracted in the hereditary program. From the moment of his birth, the individual is a carrier

Temperament
Temperament is one of the most significant biologically determined personality traits. Interest in this problem arose more than two and a half thousand years ago.

Character
The concept of "character" describes individual qualities person and his behavior. Character (Greek charakter - chasing, sign, feature) is a set

Capabilities
The second level of personality, which depends both on innate qualities and on their training, development and improvement, and influencing the success of a person’s activities, is considered with the help of

Personality theories in foreign and domestic psychology
Personality psychology is a branch of science that allows you to understand the essence of human nature and individuality. Modern psychology cannot today offer a single

The concept of personality and its development
The concept of "personality" is not purely psychological and is studied by other sciences and, for example, philosophy, sociology, and pedagogy. Each of the definitions of personality found in the scientific literature

Personality socialization
The third level of personality structure reflects cognition social organization society, and is traditionally referred to as the process of socialization. As a result of his acquisition of individual

Personal orientation
As the leading characteristic of personality, its orientation is singled out. Exist different definitions this concept, for example, “dynamic tendency” (S.L. Rubinshtein), “sense-forming m

Self-awareness of the individual and her life path
The specificity of a person’s conscious way of life lies in his ability to separate his “I” from his life environment in the representation of himself, to make his inner world an object of comprehension and

I-personality concept
The process of formation of the “I-concept” of a personality is associated with the tendency of self-actualization, which is especially active in the period of early adulthood. "I-concept" of a person - pr

Personal defense mechanisms
The term "defense mechanisms" was proposed by 3. Freud in 1926. At present, psychological protection is understood as the way in which a person

intrapersonal conflict
Intrapersonal conflict is a conflict within the mental world of a person, a clash of its oppositely directed needs, values, goals.

The concept of motive. Theories of motivation
In modern psychology, the term "motive" ("motivating factor") denotes completely different phenomena, such as instinctive impulses, biological drives, interests, desires.

Motivational sphere of personality
Any human activity is motivated not by one motive, but by several, i.e. activity is usually polymotivated. The totality of all motives for a given activity is called a motive.

The relationship of value orientations and motivation of the individual
AT recent times in domestic science increased interest in the problems of the personality, the formation of its self-consciousness and in one of its most significant characteristics - values and value

During adolescence and early adulthood
Students are a specific youth group, the features of the formation of value relations of the individual in which are determined, first of all, by adolescence, the most significant age.

Age-related personality crises
The concept of crisis Based on Z. Freud's ideas about the psychosexual development of a person, E. Erikson (Erikson, 1950) developed a theory that emphasizes the social aspects of this time.

Interhemispheric asymmetry of mental processes
The brain during the implementation of any mental function works as a paired organ. Each hemisphere has its own role to play. Lateralization of brain functions -

Calculation of Bias Test Results
Conventions: V - visual; K - kinesthetic; A - auditory; D - digital (digital) channel of information perception; Y - statement, R - rank of this statement.

Do you have a good memory? Test subject instructions. Within a minute, read and try to remember 25 words. Then close the text and try for five minutes

test material
1. Are you quick to adapt to new environments? 2. Are you sometimes happy or sad for no reason? 3. Does it happen that your thoughts are scattered when you need to compare

Interpretation of results
· from 0 to 6 points - emotional stability; · from 7 to 12 - emotional instability; · from 0 to 6 points - introversion, · from 7 to 12 points - extraversion.

Choose the correct answer
1. Psychology as a science of behavior - ... .. a stage in the development of psychological thought. 1. first; 2. second; 3. third; 4. fourth. 2. Into the pot

Small group development. Mechanisms of group dynamics
In social psychology, several models of group formation have been developed. One of the most famous is the stratometric concept of A.V. Petrovsky. She presents the group as

Phenomena of group life
The group has a constant influence on its members, which is realized in the phenomenon of group pressure. group pressure is the process of influence of attitudes, norms, values and behavior of groups

Concepts of management and leadership. Leadership theories
The word "leader" (leader), according to R. Stogdill, appeared in English language around 1300, and “leadership” around 1800. The word lead is translated as “lead”, “encourage”,

Components of the personality of an effective leader
There are a number of attempts to classify the components of the leader's personality. According to V. I. Shuvanov, three personal factors influence the effectiveness of workforce management: experience (i.e., co

The concept of interpersonal relationships. Communication, its types and structure
Personality cannot be studied outside the system social connections, since the personality itself is their “product” and at the same time their active creator. Since human communication is two-way, more precisely

Communication as a communicative process. Communication barriers
Communication is not limited to the transfer of information: information in the conditions of human communication is not only transmitted, but also formed, refined, developed. First, communication is not

Verbal and non-verbal communication
The transfer of any information is possible only through sign systems. Verbal communication uses human speech as a sign system. Speech is the most versatile

Interactive side of communication. Types and Styles of Interaction
Communication always involves some result - a change in the behavior and activities of other people. In the course of joint activities, it is important for its participants not only to exchange information, but also to organize

The perceptual side of communication. Mechanisms and effects of perception
In the process of communication, there must be mutual understanding between partners. To establish mutual understanding, it is important how the communication partner is perceived. The process of perception by one person of another

SUMMARY OF MODULE 2
A group is a community limited in size, distinguished from the social whole on the basis of certain characteristics. Group characteristics include size, composition, structure, group dynamics.

History of pedagogical ideas and educational practices. Folk and scientific pedagogy
The pedagogical branch of human knowledge is perhaps the most ancient and is essentially inseparable from the development of society. When talking about pedagogy, this term is usually associated with the concept

General cultural significance of pedagogy
Pedagogical problems are of great vital and general cultural significance. Modern man it is necessary to have information about styles of behavior, about forms of education and upbringing, about different types of

Modern pedagogical technologies
Pedagogical technology is a consistent system of teacher actions aimed at solving pedagogical problems. The technology is developed for a specific pedagogical design; in her

Education and its sociocultural functions
Education is an organic part of the life of the individual and at the same time is one of the most important spheres of society. World socio-cultural trends determine the socio-cultural situation

Trends in the modern sociocultural situation
There are the following major global socio-cultural trends that determine the direction of development of education, science, culture in any country: - a tendency to change the type of cultural and historical

Sociocultural situation in the Republic of Belarus
An analysis of the socio-cultural situation in our country can be carried out using the term "modernization". The essence of modernization in Belarus is a gradual transition to a new society. G

World educational trends
The global educational space unites national educational systems different type and level, which differ significantly in philosophical and cultural traditions, goals and objectives, their

Development, education, socialization of personality
12.1. The concept of development. Factors of personality development. Education as a purposeful process of personality development 12.2 Education as a purposeful impact on personality 12.3 Social

Social environment and socialization of the individual
From the moment of his birth, a person enters a certain social environment and is in constant interaction with it; here he develops, learns and educates, here his innocence is formed.

General characteristics of family education
Family education in the narrow sense of the word (educational activity of parents) is understood as the interaction of parents with children, based on related intimate and emotional closeness,

Family types
A real family is a specific family as a social group, an object of study. The typical family is the most common variant of the family model in a given society. Ideal -

Types of wrong family education
Indulgent overprotection - lack of supervision and uncritical attitude towards behavioral disorders. Promotes the development of unstable and hysterical traits. Hypoprotection is a lack of

Legal basis of family education
The family is connected with society, state and public organizations and institutions. It sensitively reacts to all changes that occur in the state and public life of the country. Vnu

Acmeological foundations of personality self-improvement
The problems of self-improvement and the realization of a person's creative potential are studied by acmeology. Acmeology (from the Greek acme - peak) - the science of the development and implementation of creative sweat

The creative potential of the individual
Creativity is an activity that generates something qualitatively new, which has never been before. Creativity is the highest form human life activity. Creativity is associated with the ability of people

Life path as programming and as creativity
Personality, as we know, a person is not born; he becomes a person. This formation of the personality is essentially different from the development of the organism, which takes place in the process of a simple organization.

Module Summary
Pedagogy as a science and social practice has long history development and is essentially inseparable from the development of society. Already in the most developed countries ancient world have been taken seriously

in general psychology
1. Alekseenkova, E. G. Personality in conditions of mental deprivation: Proc. allowance / E. G. Alekseenkova. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2009. - 96 p. 2. Asmolov, A. G. Psychology of personality: Principles of general psychology

in social psychology
1. Ageev V.S. Psychology of intergroup relations: Monograph. / V. S. Ageev. - M.: MGU, 1983. - 144 p. 2. Andreeva, G.M. Psychology of social cognition: Tutorial for universities / G. M. Andreev

Management psychology
1. Andreeva, G.M. Social psychology: Proc. for higher educational institutions/ G.M. Andreeva. - M.: Aspect-Press, 1997. - 376 p. 2. Andreeva, I. About “terminators” in management / I.N. Andrew

How to listen and take notes
The lecture continues to be the leading form of student learning. This is a theoretical form of teaching, the main method of which is a consistent oral presentation of the content.

How to prepare for practical (seminar) classes
The purpose of the seminars is the synthesis of the literature studied by students, its correlation with the lecture material, the formation of skills to analyze and critically evaluate various sources.

How to prepare an abstract (oral communication)
Abstract (from Latin “report, report”) means an independent study and a summary in written or oral form of the content of a scientific problem, article or monograph

How to prepare for a discussion
Discussion (from Latin discussio - consideration, research) - dispute, discussion of an issue; presupposes competence in the issues discussed and compliance with

In small groups, people know each other. They communicate for a long time. Getting, for example, into the production team at random, the worker gradually enters into close relationships with colleagues. Not only business, but also emotional relations are established between them. They share with each other their experiences, hopes, disappointments and sorrows.

To describe the position of an individual in the system of relationships of a small group, the concepts of "role" and "status" are used. We will use the material of the “Psychological Dictionary / Edited by A.V. Petrovsky and M.G. Yaolshevsky.

Role(from French role) means "social function personality; a way of behavior of people corresponding to accepted norms, depending on their status or position in society, in the system interpersonal relationships." The concept of R. introduced into social psychology D. Meade(representative interactionism

T. Shibutani defines roles as a prescribed pattern of behavior that is expected and required of a person in a given situation, if the position he takes in joint action is known. A role is a template for certain rights and responsibilities. Duty is what a person feels compelled to do, based on the role he plays; other people expect and demand that he act in a certain way. Playing a role is about fulfilling the duties that come with the role and exercising your rights towards others. Each person has some idea of what constitutes the proper course of action, both for himself and for others. Role learning occurs in groups where people learn from each other by observing the role behavior of others.

The range and number of roles are determined by the variety of social groups, activities and relationships in which the individual is included, his needs and interests. . The individual performance of a role by a person has a certain “personal coloring”, which depends primarily on his knowledge and ability to be in this role, on its significance for him, on the desire to more or less meet the expectations of others.

There are the following types of roles:

· social roles , due to the place of the individual in the system of objective social relations (professional, socio-demographic, etc.), and

· interpersonal roles , determined by the place of the individual in the system interpersonal relationships(leader, outcast, etc.).

Besides,

· active, currently executing, and

· latent, not manifested in this situation.

In addition, distinguish

· institutionalized roles (official, conventional) associated with the official requirements of the organization to which the subject belongs, and

· natural, associated with spontaneously emerging relationships and activities.

In Western sociology and psychology, various role concepts of personality have become widespread. In these concepts, the personality appears as a set of unrelated disparate role masks that determine its external behavior regardless of its inner world, and the originality of the personality, its active principle and integrity are ignored.

Another concept that characterizes the position of an individual in a group is status.

Status is defined as the position of the subject in the system of interpersonal relations, which determines his rights, duties and privileges. In different groups, the same individual may have a different status. Significant discrepancies in the statuses that an individual acquires in groups differ in the level of group development, the content of activity and communication, and often become causes of frustration, conflict, etc. The status is experimentally revealed by applying various socio-psychological methods. Important characteristics of status are prestige and authority as a kind of measure of recognition by others of the merits of an individual.

T. Shibutani, author of Social Psychology, introduces a distinction between social and personal status. Social status, in his opinion, refers to a person's position in society: the respect that he enjoys, and his prestige is based on which category he belongs to and how this category is evaluated in the prevailing system of social stratification. A person retains his status if he lives in accordance with the conventional norms that govern the behavior of people in this category.

Personal status, according to T. Shibutani, is the position that a person occupies in the primary group, depending on how he is evaluated in the group as a member. Personal status, like the position of a person in society, is a social process, and it can only be determined in connection with the relationships that are established between people in primary groups. The maintenance of larval status, therefore, consists in acting like this. To ensure the continuation of these relationships.

Social status affects how a person evaluates himself. His ideas about himself are supported mainly by the reactions of people he knows personally. Feelings of pride, modesty or inferiority depend partly on social status, but even more on the evaluations that he receives from significant others.