The concept of social roles highlights the distinctive approach of sociology to the understanding of human behaviour to structural positions and social expectations. Role theory is fundamental to an understanding of social institutions, the nature of interpersonal influence, socialization and the the way in which individuals are implicated in structural change. Rose Laub Coser has continually demonstrated the centrality of role theory in her studies of hospitals, occupational groups, families and migration. The book takes up the challenge posed by her work, providing an examination of contemporary role theory and its application to a variety of substantive fields.
