According to
Erving Goffman a role set is the various kinds of relevant audiences for a particular role.
Robert K. Merton
Robert King Merton (born Meyer Robert Schkolnick; July 4, 1910 – February 23, 2003) was an American sociologist who is considered a founding father of modern sociology, and a major contributor to the subfield of criminology. He served as th ...
describes "role set" as the "complement of social relationships in which persons are involved because they occupy a particular social status." For instance, the
role
A role (also rôle or social role) is a set of connected behaviors, rights, moral obligation, obligations, beliefs, and social norm, norms as conceptualized by people in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behavi ...
of a doctor has a role set comprising colleagues, nurses, patients, hospital administrators, etc.
The term "role set" was coined by Merton in 1957. He made a clear distinction between a "role set" and a "
status set
A status set is a collection of social statuses that an individual holds. A person may have status of a daughter, wife, mother, student, worker, church member and a citizen.
The term "status set" was coined by Robert K. Merton in 1957. He made ...
".
[Robert K. Merton "On social structure and science" , page 113]
See also
*
Role conflict
Role conflict occurs when there are incompatible demands placed upon a person relating to their job or position. People experience role conflict when they find themselves pulled in various directions as they try to respond to the many statuses th ...
*
Role strain
Role theory is a concept in sociology and in social psychology that considers most of everyday activity to be the acting-out of socially defined categories (e.g., mother, manager, teacher). Each role is a set of rights, duties, expectations, norm ...
References
Role theory
Role status
{{Socio-stub