Role conflict facts for kids

Role conflict happens when a person has different jobs or positions, and the things they need to do for each one don't fit together. Imagine you have many roles, like being a student, a friend, and a child. Role conflict is when these roles ask you to do things that clash. This feeling can last a short time or a long time. It often depends on the situation you are in.

What is Role Conflict?

Role conflict is when you feel pulled in different directions. This happens because you have many "roles" in your life. A role is like a set of expectations for how you should act. For example, your role as a student means you should study. Your role as a friend means you should be supportive. When these expectations clash, you experience role conflict.

Different Kinds of Role Conflict

There are two main types of role conflict:

• Intra-role conflict: This happens when the clashing demands are all within one single role.
  • For example, imagine you are a student. Your teacher expects you to finish a big project quickly. But your study group also expects you to spend time helping them. Both are part of your student role, but they might be hard to do at the same time.

• Inter-role conflict: This happens when the clashing demands come from different roles you have.
  • For example, imagine you are a student and also a soccer player. Your coach expects you to be at practice every day after school. But your parents expect you to come home right after school to help with chores. These are two different roles (student/athlete and child), and their demands conflict.

Why Does Role Conflict Happen?

Role conflict often starts because people want to do well in all their roles. It also happens because of pressure from different demands. These demands might be impossible to meet at the same time.

Sometimes, role conflict can be about your own personality. You might have different parts of your personality that clash. For example, you might want to be very organized, but also very spontaneous.

It can also come from your relationships with others. When you interact with different people, they might have different expectations for you. These different expectations can lead to conflict.

Role Conflict in Groups

In a group, like a school club or a sports team, people often have different roles. Sometimes, a person might feel they have more than one role in the group. These roles might not agree with each other.

For example, a team captain might be a friend to their teammates. But they also need to be strict and make sure everyone follows the rules. Being a friend and being a strict leader can sometimes cause role conflict for the captain.

See also

• Organizational conflict
• Organizational expedience
• Role engulfment
• Role set
• Role strain
• Workplace conflict