Table of Contents
Definition of Role Structure
(noun) The set of roles in a social system.
Example of Role Structure
- A classroom has a teacher and students with each performing particular roles or a restaurant has customers and employees.
Role Structure Pronunciation
Syllabification: role struc·ture
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /rOHl strUHk-chuhr/
- British English – /rOHl strUHk-chuh/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /roʊl ˈstrʌkʧər/
- British English – /rəʊl ˈstrʌkʧə/
Usage Notes
- Plural: role structures
- The terms “role structure” and “social role structure” are used interchangeably in a sociological context.
- Role structure changes in complexity and content in different situations, the constant is role expectation.
- Variant spelling: role-structure
Related Video
Additional Information
- Role Theory Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “role” and “structure” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
- norm
- role
- role conflict
- role exit
- role expectation
- role performance
- role set
- role strain
- role taking
- role theory
- status
Cite the Definition of Role Structure
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “role structure.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved September 14, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/role-structure/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
role structure. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/role-structure/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “role structure.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/role-structure/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“role structure.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 14 Sep. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/role-structure/>.