The Power of Roles

As you have read in this chapter, The Stanford Prison Experiment suggests that individuals will adopt social
roles relatively quickly. Remember that a social role is a socially defined pattern of behavior that is expected of
a person in a given setting or group. These social roles may become even more pronounced when one person
has a greater amount of perceived power over another person as was shown by this famous study. Based on
your understanding of social roles, social norms, and scripts, how can this experiment be applied to everyday
life? Describe a situation where you believed yourself to be carrying out a social role? Did the social role feel
authentic to your own core beliefs and values? Why or why not?