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sick role

Definition of Sick Role

(noun) The expected patterns of behavior attached to individuals who are sick and those that take care of them.

Sick Role Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: sick role

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /sIk rOHl/
  • British English – /sIk rOHl/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /sɪk roʊl/
  • British English – /sɪk rəʊl/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: sick roles
  • Variant spelling: sick-role

Additional Information

Related Terms


Works Consulted

Bradby, Hannah. 2009. Medical Sociology: An Introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

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Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).

Cite the Definition of Sick Role

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “sick role.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 29, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/sick-role/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

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

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

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “sick role.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 29, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/sick-role/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“sick role.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/sick-role/>.