Conformity to Social Roles
People adopt different behaviours depending on the role they want to play in society. Where it gets interesting is that people conform to roles by adopting the behaviour associated with them, even if the roles are randomly assigned
Social roles are behaviours that society expects from you:
People hold different positions in society, such as teenagers, grandparents, managers, priests etc. Most people occupy several positions at the same time- e.g. students, waiters, brother and son
Social roles are the sets of behaviours and expectations that come with holding these positions
For example, in our society a woman who has a baby might be expected to look after and love her child- these are the behaviours that fulfil the role of ‘mother’
The expectations of a role are held by society. When we accept a role, we internalise these expectations so that they shape our behaviour
Zimbardo et al (1973) Studied Conformity to Social Roles:
Zimbardo et al set up a mock prison to see if people would conform to the assigned roles of prisoner or guard
Stanford prison experiment:
Method:
Male students were recruited to act as either guards or prisoners in a mock prison.
They were randomly given the roles of prisoner or guard, and their behaviour was observed.
The prisoners were 'arrested' as they went about their day, taken to 'prison' and given uniforms and numbers.
The guards also wore uniforms and mirrored sunglasses.
Results:
Initially, the guards tried to assert their authority and the prisoners resisted by sticking together
The prisoners then became more passive and obedient, while the guards invented nastier punishments
The experiment was abandoned early because some prisoners became very distressed
Conclusion:
Guards and prisoners adopted their social roles quickly
Zimbardo claims this shows that our social role can influence our behaviour
seemingly well-balanced men became unpleasant and aggressive in the role of the guard
Evaluation:
This was a controlled observation, so there was good control of the variables
However, because it was an artificial environment, the results can't really be generalised to real-life situations
In terms of ethics, some participants found the experience very distressing
There's also a problem with observer bias, as Zimbardo ran the prison himself and later admitted that he became too personally involved in the situation
The conclusion Zimbardo reached doesn't explain why only some of the participants acted according to their assigned roles
Studies can help Explain how Social Roles Affect People in the Real World:
No one has ever replicated Zimbardo’s prison study exactly. This has been down to design problems, such as making it an ethical experiment
However, there have been similar studies on assigned roles
Orlando (1973):
He set up a mock psychiatric ward in a hospital for three days. 29 staff members of the hospital volunteered to be patients and were held in the ward. Another 22 staff members were involved, but they were just asked to carry out their normal daily roles.
It only took a little while for the 'patients' to start behaving like real patients of the hospital. It became very difficult to tell them apart — they seemed to be conforming to the roles that had been assigned to them. Many showed signs of depression and withdrawal, and six even tried to escape from the ward.
After the study, the mock patients reported that they had felt frustrated, anxious and despairing. Some felt that they'd lost their identity, that their feelings weren't important, and that they weren't being treated as people.
Studies like this can give really useful information about how real patients might feel in a hospital.
Orlando's (1973) study led to more of an effort by the staff to respect the patients and improved the relationship and cooperation between them.
People adopt different behaviours depending on the role they want to play in society. Where it gets interesting is that people conform to roles by adopting the behaviour associated with them, even if the roles are randomly assigned
Social roles are behaviours that society expects from you:
People hold different positions in society, such as teenagers, grandparents, managers, priests etc. Most people occupy several positions at the same time- e.g. students, waiters, brother and son
Social roles are the sets of behaviours and expectations that come with holding these positions
For example, in our society a woman who has a baby might be expected to look after and love her child- these are the behaviours that fulfil the role of ‘mother’
The expectations of a role are held by society. When we accept a role, we internalise these expectations so that they shape our behaviour
Zimbardo et al (1973) Studied Conformity to Social Roles:
Zimbardo et al set up a mock prison to see if people would conform to the assigned roles of prisoner or guard
Stanford prison experiment:
Method:
Male students were recruited to act as either guards or prisoners in a mock prison.
They were randomly given the roles of prisoner or guard, and their behaviour was observed.
The prisoners were 'arrested' as they went about their day, taken to 'prison' and given uniforms and numbers.
The guards also wore uniforms and mirrored sunglasses.
Results:
Initially, the guards tried to assert their authority and the prisoners resisted by sticking together
The prisoners then became more passive and obedient, while the guards invented nastier punishments
The experiment was abandoned early because some prisoners became very distressed
Conclusion:
Guards and prisoners adopted their social roles quickly
Zimbardo claims this shows that our social role can influence our behaviour
seemingly well-balanced men became unpleasant and aggressive in the role of the guard
Evaluation:
This was a controlled observation, so there was good control of the variables
However, because it was an artificial environment, the results can't really be generalised to real-life situations
In terms of ethics, some participants found the experience very distressing
There's also a problem with observer bias, as Zimbardo ran the prison himself and later admitted that he became too personally involved in the situation
The conclusion Zimbardo reached doesn't explain why only some of the participants acted according to their assigned roles
Studies can help Explain how Social Roles Affect People in the Real World:
No one has ever replicated Zimbardo’s prison study exactly. This has been down to design problems, such as making it an ethical experiment
However, there have been similar studies on assigned roles
Orlando (1973):
He set up a mock psychiatric ward in a hospital for three days. 29 staff members of the hospital volunteered to be patients and were held in the ward. Another 22 staff members were involved, but they were just asked to carry out their normal daily roles.
It only took a little while for the 'patients' to start behaving like real patients of the hospital. It became very difficult to tell them apart — they seemed to be conforming to the roles that had been assigned to them. Many showed signs of depression and withdrawal, and six even tried to escape from the ward.
After the study, the mock patients reported that they had felt frustrated, anxious and despairing. Some felt that they'd lost their identity, that their feelings weren't important, and that they weren't being treated as people.
Studies like this can give really useful information about how real patients might feel in a hospital.
Orlando's (1973) study led to more of an effort by the staff to respect the patients and improved the relationship and cooperation between them.
