Reading Activities and Notes
Directions : Review the first chart. Review the definitions for status and roles and study the given examples. Answer the question below the chart.
Status Examples of Roles
Fire Fighter
1.
Putting fires out
2.
Saving lives
3.
Wearing a uniform
4.
Driving a fire truck
Mother
Question: Read the chart above. In the space below, explain the difference between the statuses and roles.
Complete the following chart by filling in the missing status and roles.
Father
1.
Usually, earns money to take care of the family.
2.
Usually makes the major decisions for the family.
3.
Often likes to watch/play sports.
Movie Star
1.
Being famous
2.
Entertaining people
3.
Performing the show
4.
Meeting their fans
1.
Providing food and shelter
2.
nurturing family
3.
disciplining children
4.
cleaning house

Reading Activities and Notes
Complete the chart below by reading the directions in each box.
Status Examples of Roles
High-school student
1.
Learning from teachers
2.
Going to school
3.
Studying hard for college
Concept
Christian
1.
Going to the church on Sunday
2.
Taking religion class
3.
Believing in God
Define the following concepts:
Definition
Status
Master Status
Role
Role Set
Position in a group or in a society
The status that plays the greatest role in shaping a person’s life and determining his or her social identity
The behavior expected of someone occupying a particular status
The different roles attached to a single status

Reading Activities and Notes
Directions: For the following status web charts below, type in your master status in the center circle. Then, in the outer circles, state the role set that accompanies the status by describing the roles in the surrounding circles. Do the same thing for your secondary status web chart.
Master Status
Going to school
Obeying school’s rules
Studying hard
Student
Preparing for college
Learning from teachers

Reading Activities and Notes
Secondary Status
Believing in
God
Reading the bible
Going to the church on
Sunday
Christian
Praying
Concept
Define the following concepts:
Definition
Taking religion class
Reciprocal Roles
Role Conflict
Corresponding roles that define the patterns of interaction between related statuses
The thing that occurs when fulfilling the role expectation of one status makes it difficult to fulfill the role expectations of another status

Reading Activities and Notes
Role Strain The thing that occurs when a person has difficulty meeting the role expectations of a single status
Answer the following questions in the space below each item.
1.
What is the reciprocal role example provided in the book? List 3 pairs of statuses that would contain reciprocal roles. Explain why each status has a reciprocal role.
The example in the book is status of husband and wife. My first example is the status of teacher and student because teacher needs to teach students. Without student, the role of teacher cannot be fulfilled. Another example is doctor and patient. One cannot fulfill the role of doctor if there is no patient to treat. My last example is the status of coach and athlete. Coach has to coach athlete. If there is no athlete, the role of coach will not be able to be fulfilled.
2.
In either of your status web charts above, are their any reciprocal roles that help define your status. If so, what are the reciprocal roles?
Yes, one of my statuses is student, so another status that helps define my status is teacher. It is the status of teacher and student.
Directions: Complete the chart below by providing the book example and your example. In the last two columns describe the differences between Role Strain and
Role Conflict.
Role Strain
Role Conflict
Book Example
Your
Example
The boss who must maintain the morale of workers while getting them to work long periods of overtime
The student who must study hard while having enough time to rest
To be good a employee as the same time as the good parent
To be a good student by studying hard but also need to be a good brother by taking care of the sister
Similarity
Both of them are the thing occurring when it is difficult to fulfill a role
Difference
Role strain occurs when fulfilling a single status while Role conflict occurs when fulfilling two statuses.

Reading Activities and Notes
Role
Expectations
Ascribed
Status
Achieved
Status
Role

Examine your master status. What are the role strains you experience when fulfilling your master status? Explain how you experience this strain.
The role strain that I experience is when I need to study hard for college but I also need to have enough time to rest. If I don’t have time to rest, I might be sick. In contrast, I have to make sure that I study hard enough otherwise I might not be able to get into college.

Examine both statuses you identified. What are some possible role conflicts that might occur between these two statuses? Explain these conflicts and why they might happen.
I need to be a good student as the same time as to be a good Christian. The conflict might happen because I need to spend most of my time to study and I also need to do the things that Christian need to do. For example, I need to do my homework on
Sunday but also have to go to the Church.
Vocabulary Synthesis: For each word, create your own synthesized definition using your own words. Review the VRS and the notes above. Then, synthesize the two definitions to create one definition for the key terms below. Do not use the book for this exercise.
Performance
The behavior that one status occupies
The thing that others hope a person will do
To claim that something is caused by a particular reason
Position that a person has in society
To be accomplished
Position that a person has in society
The behavior that one status occupies
The way that a person acts
Role Expectations:
The behavior that others want from a person who occupies the particular status
Ascribed Status:
The status that occurs with a reason and we cannot control
Achieved Status:
The position that a person should accomplish in society
Role Performance:
The roles that a person actually acts

Reading Activities and Notes
Complete the chart below:
Book Example
Your
Example
Similarity Difference
Ascribed Status
Achieved Status
A person has a status of teenager because of his age
A person achieves the status of basketball player because of his physical skills
I occupies the status of a son because
I was born as a child of my family
A person has a status of scientist because of his scientific skills
Both of them are the status that we can see every day in society.
We have some control over achieved status but we don’t have control over ascribed status.
1.
In your Status Web Charts above, describe whether your statuses are ascribed statuses or achieved statuses. Explain why!!!
My statuses are achieved statuses. I occupy the status of student because I intend to come to school and study. Likewise, I decide to do everything as other Christians do because I want to keep being Christian.
2.
In the right column list 3 status examples you have not use above . In the second column, describe at least two role expectations for each example status. Finally, in the third column, explain each status’s role performance problems.
Status Role Performance Problems
Example: Doctor
Role Expectations
Example: Treat patients with skill
Treat patients with care
Honest with patients
Example: Doctor focuses on making money and ignores patient needs.
Politician
Husband
Merchant
Trying to do the best thing to develop the country
Taking care of the family as much as he can
Providing the good products for the buyers
Politian might attempt to cheat and get money for themselves
Some of them focus on other things such as their work, so they forget to care their family
Giving low-quality product to the buyers in the high price