Table of Contents
Definition of Role Conflict
(noun) A situation in which contradictory, competing, or incompatible expectations are placed on an individual by two or more roles held at the same time.
Example of Role Conflict
- Military leaders must think about the safety of troops under their command and the need to complete the mission.
Role Conflict Pronunciation
Syllabification: role con·flict
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /rOHl kAHn-flikt/
- British English – /rOHl kOn-flikt/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /roʊl ˈkɑnflɪkt/
- British English – /rəʊl ˈkɒnflɪkt/
Usage Notes
- Plural: role conflicts
- The terms “role conflict” and “social role conflict” are used interchangeably in a sociological context.
- Role conflict was systematically studied in Organizational Stress: Studies in Role Conflict and Ambiguity (1964) by Robert Kahn (1918–2019).
Related Video
Additional Information
- Role Theory Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “role” and “conflict” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Kahn, Robert L. 1964. Organizational Stress: Studies in Role Conflict and Ambiguity. New York: Wiley.
Related Terms
- role
- role distancing
- role exit
- role expectation
- role performance
- role reversal
- role segregation
- role set
- role strain
- role taking
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Cite the Definition of Role Conflict
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “role conflict.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved December 2, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/role-conflict/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
role conflict. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/role-conflict/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “role conflict.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed December 2, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/role-conflict/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“role conflict.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 2 Dec. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/role-conflict/>.