Roles refer to the system of behaviour that we identify in each other that describes a person's social status. A ten year old girl is capable of playing the role of a student the moment she steps into the school compound but is also able to play the role of a daughter to her parents when she gets back home. The same individual can also play the role of neighbour to the occupant of the next flat or the role of customer to the food vendors she patronizes during break time. This implies that a person can be associated with many roles or even statuses.
Role performance therefore describes how an individuals display or express their roles. A particular sociologist once suggested that a human being is just like an actor. He referred to the this theory as "dramaturgy". He claimed that individuals use what he defined as "impression management" to express and present ourselves in the manner we intend to be perceived. He further postulated that any situation we (the actors) find ourselves becomes a different scene and we thus "act" depending on who or what is present.
With respect to Kaitlin, ever since she overhead a group of girls calling her "goth and emo". She then responded by playing the new role offered to her by donning more black clothing, dark makeup and seeking friends who dress the same.
Role performance refers to the way each person decides to express themselves. Regarding this, sociologist Erving Goffman compared people's behaviour to that of an actor on a stage: we assume a defined role and attempt to follow it, so that other people perceieve us the way we want them to perceive us.
Be more involved in your sons life and find out 1. if he actually has a friend named andrew or if its imaginary and 2. develope a better relationship with your son so he has no reason to lie.
