This thesis takes as its starting point the dramaturgical metaphor of the world as a stage, which is used in sociological role theories. These theories often presume what stage acting is about in order to use it as a simile for every day acting. My intention is to investigate how stage actors actually work with their roles, in particular how they work with emotions, and how it affects their private emotions. The thesis draws on participant observation and interviews with actors during the rehearsal phase of two productions at a large theatre in Sweden. The results show that the inhabiting of a role for the stage is more difficult and painstaking than has been assumed in role theories so far. Shame and insecurity are common, particularly in the start up phase of the rehearsals. Interestingly, these emotions do not disappear with growing experience, but instead become recognized and accepted as part of the work process. The primary focus is the interplay between the actors' experience and expression of emotions, often described in terms of surface and deep acting, concepts which are elaborated and put into a process perspective. Analysis of the rehearsal process revealed that actors gradually decouple the privately derived emotional experiences that they use to find their way into their characters from the emotions that they express on the stage. Thus private experiences are converted to professional emotional experiences and expressions, triggered by situational cues. When the experience has been expressed the physical manifestation can be repeated with a weaker base in a simultaneous experience, since the body remembers the expression. It is important though, that the emotional expression is not completely decoupled from a concomitant experience; then the expression looses its vitality. The ability to professionalize emotions makes the transitions in and out of emotions less strenuous but can infiltrate and cause problems in the actors' intimate relations.

This study aims to investigate and assess how the role of a business controller and his or her tasks are influenced by digitalization. This study will provide theoreticians and practitioners with a deeper insight of the requirements, skills, experiences, tasks and expectations that fall on the controller in a digital world. The controller's main tasks involve analysis, communication, reporting, data management and forecasting. There are potential tools for the tasks to be implemented effectively. We are during a digital revolution. This brings along changes and it requires the will of adaptation and development. To succeed in running a business, it requires planning, strategy, and qualified personnel. This requires knowledge, but also the right conditions in the workplace to do the job. With the analytical and technical tools available today, controllers can become an invaluable resource if they can master the tools and learn to interpret and understand the information that IT-systems can provide. Companies are also required to implement the right system. This study is based on the theory of digitization, the business controller role and role theory. Empirical data were collected through 50 job advertisements and five interviews. Through inquiry of empirics and theories and an analysis of this material, an understanding could be created about how the controller's role and tasks are influenced by digitalization. Specifically, the extent to which the controller uses digital tools and the demand that companies have for controllers' digital skills and experience. It also provides an insight into the role and expectations of the controller in a digital world. The conclusion of this study is that controllers use digital tools to a large extent. Which in turn places demands on digital experiences and skills. The digital revolution can be considered a fact, which entails the controller to consider and monitor digital development and change. The job advertisements show a clear tendency that digital experience and skills are a large part of what is demanded from companies. Despite the high demand for digital skills, the review of job advertisements shows that companies still only require a person with a financial education. The role of a business controller in Sweden has gone from being a financial controller and an accountant to a role that is now in a borderland between IT and finance. Which means that the role can now be considered as something of a hybrid. However, the empirical evidence in this study shows that this is not yet fully seen in practice. This study is written in Swedish. / Denna studie syftar till att undersöka och bedöma hur business controllerns roll och arbetsuppgifter influeras av digitaliseringen. Studien ska ge teoretiker och praktiker en större insikt kring vilka krav, kompetenser, erfarenheter, arbetsuppgifter och förväntningar som faller på controllern i en digital värld. Controllerns huvudsakliga arbetsuppgift är i grunden analys, kommunikation, rapportering, hantering av data samt prognostisering. Det finns potentiella hjälpmedel för att detta ska genomföras effektivt. Vi är mitt uppe i en digital revolution. Detta för med sig förändringar och det kräver viljan av anpassning och utveckling. För att lyckas driva en verksamhet krävs planering, strategi och kvalificerad personal. Det kräver att kunskap finns men också rätt förutsättningar på arbetsplatsen för att uträtta arbetet. I och med de analytiska och tekniska verktyg som idag finns tillgängliga, kan controllers bli en ovärderlig resurs om dessa kan bemästra verktygen och lära sig att tolka och förstå den information som IT-system kan tillgodose. Studien grundar sig på teori kring digitalisering, controllerns roll samt rollteori. Empiri har samlats in genom 50 platsannonser samt fem intervjuer. Genom granskning av empiri och teori samt en analys kring detta material kunde förståelse skapas kring hur controllerns roll och arbetsuppgifter influeras av digitalisering. Specifikt i vilken utsträckning controllern använder sig av digitala verktyg och vilken efterfrågan företag har på controllers digitala kompetenser och erfarenheter. Det ges även en insikt i vilken roll samt vilka förväntningar som faller på controllern i en digital värld. Slutsatsen av denna studie är att controllers använder sig av digitala verktyg i bred utsträckning. Vilket i sin tur ställer krav på digitala erfarenheter och kompetenser. Den digital revolutionen kan anses vara ett faktum vilket för med sig ett krav på att controllern ska beakta och följa med i den digitala utvecklingen och förändringen. I platsannonserna påvisas tydlig tendens att digital erfarenhet och kompetens är en stor del av det som efterfrågas från företag. Trotts den höga efterfrågan på digital kompetens visar granskningen av platsannonser att företag fortfarande enbart efterfrågar en person med ekonomisk utbildning. Rollen som controller har gått från att vara en “styrekonom” och revisor till att rollen nu befinner sig i ett gränsland mellan IT och ekonomi. Vilket för med sig att rollen nu kan anses vara något av en hybrid. Dock visar empirin i denna studie att detta ännu inte ses helt i praktiken.

This study seeks to examine the how populism impacts foreign policy discourse. The study applies role theory to the empirical case of the Brazil-China bilateral relationship in order to observe changes within role conceptions or role prescriptions before and after the election of populist leader Jair Bolsonaro. The research question put forward is   As a result of the election of populist president Jair Bolsonaro, in the case of the bilateral relationship between Brazil and China, has 1)    the role conception of Brazil’s own role changed, and if so, how? 2)    the role prescription of Chinas role changed, if so, how?    3 hypotheses are developed, based on the chosen definitions of populism, and tested on the material. The chosen materials for the study are speeches and tweets by incumbent presidents or other high-ranking officials. The data has been collected from Brazil’s ministry of foreign affairs website, or the official government website of Brazil. The chosen methodology is a qualitative text analysis. The study finds support for two out of the three hypotheses. These relate to anti-pluralism and anti-elitism as central aspects of populist discourse. The study does not find bad manners to be a key aspect of populist foreign policy discourse. The analysis reveals that the role conception has changed in some ways whilst the role prescription has remained strikingly similar.

This descriptive essay aims to develop constructivist Role theory. Specifically, it examines the potential of applying role analysis to a case of two types of actors; marginalized citizens and their state decision makers. There has previously been little role analysis applied to domestic political settings, as opposed to internationally between states. Therefore, research has been encouraged in this area. The selected empirical case is the controversial Bakun hydroelectric dam project in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. It involves the resettlement of the marginalized indigenous Orang Ulu people and is driven by the Sarawak state government. By analyzing the role conceptions and norms of these actors, together with the concept of power, a new perspective on their relationship is developed. The successful application of Role theory in this new setting and case is a contributing point of the study. The role analysis is conducted using a qualitative critical text analysis method; an analytical framework is established with which the actors’ roles are retrieved from the text material. The results are then analyzed, and the conclusion of the case study is that the actors have incoherent conceptions of their roles and norms, leading to a conflict between the two in which the government has the upper hand due to (illegitimate) power structures.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women worldwide with one in 29 women diagnosed with breast cancer each year in South Africa (CANSA, 2010). Breast cancer diagnosis and treatment can impact important areas of a woman’s life: her relationship with herself as an individual and woman; her relationship with family members as a mother, wife, daughter and caregiver; her relationship with the environment as community member and career woman and her relationship with her religion and spiritual deity. In the reality of a woman with breast cancer, there are certain roles that arise from her relationship with herself and the world around her. This is related to with social functioning which is the fulfilment of an individual’s roles, that are created by the individual’s interactions with his/her own self, family, society and environment. The diagnosis of breast cancer is marked by mixed emotions from the patient, including shock, denial and anxiety. Cancer treatment includes surgical intervention such as biopsy, lumpectomy and mastectomy; chemotherapy; radiation therapy and hormone therapy. The various cancer treatments have different side effects that the patient needs to cope with and adjust to. Breast cancer has an adverse effect on women and can influence social functioning in different ways during the phases of diagnosis, treatment and recovery. This study focuses on breast cancer’s influence on the social functioning of women. The goal of this study was: to explore the social functioning of women with breast cancer. The research question that guided this study is: how does breast cancer affect the social functioning of women? A qualitative research approach was followed with a collective case study research design. The population for this study was women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and are clients of CANSA Potchefstroom. In this study non-probability, purposive sampling was used to generate a sample. Eight participants who were diagnosed with breast cancer were selected for this study. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with participants. Interviews were voice recorded with the permission of the participants and were transcribed by a contracted professional transcriber. The data were analysed by the researcher and themes and sub-themes were identified. The research findings are presented by providing a profile of the research participants and presenting the thematic analysis of the themes and sub-themes. In support of the findings a literature review and verbatim quotes from the transcriptions are given. The themes include the following: Theme One – Understanding cancer; Theme Two – Social functioning of women with breast cancer within the context of their life world; Theme Three - Social functioning of women with breast cancer within the context of their family and Theme Four - Social functioning of women with breast cancer within the context of their community. The conclusions of this study indicate that breast cancer affects the social functioning of women in different areas of their lives. These women experienced changes in their personalities, spiritual aspects, physical abilities and roles. The family and community are supportive towards patients with breast cancer and this assists the woman diagnosed with breast cancer to cope. The recommendations offered by this study can be used by professionals working with women who are diagnosed with breast cancer, to understand the influence of breast cancer on the social functioning of women and to assist social workers in their intervention with these women. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / lmchunu2014 / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

The change in Swedish foreign and security policy that took place during the post-Cold War era is well known. Sweden left the foreign and security policy based on the principle of “nonalignment in peace, aiming at neutrality in the event of war” and headed towards international cooperation within the field of foreign and security policy as well as signing the Lisbon Treaty in 2008 with the EU, which included the principle of solidarity. By implementing a role-theory based analysis, this thesis aims to contribute to an understanding of the changes in Swedish security and foreign policy, which developed after the signing of the Lisbon Treaty in 2008. The research stretches from 2006 until 2011 and examines Swedish foreign and security policy role change and role conceptions by using a comparative case study design of the Swedish Government’s annual foreign declarations. Finally, this study suggests that Sweden no longer perceives itself as a neutral state, but rather as a solidarity state. This shows that Sweden’s foreign and security policy has gone from neutrality to solidarity. In conclusion, the study’s result is that Sweden’s foreign and security policy change from neutrality to solidarity would not be possible without the changes in the foreign policy role conceptions.

The purpose of the study was partly to investigate the experiences of school counselors the factors that may be behind young people's stress (16-25 years) and partly to explore school counselors' perceptions of what tools are needed to reduce young people's stress. All school counselors participated in the study working at the student health care in Sweden. The study is based on twelve qualitative interviews with school counselors in Sweden. The theoretical frameworks used are tacit knowledge, work alliance, role theory and professional theory. The results showed that many different factors contributed to young people's stress, for example too little sleep, inactivity and large examinations. It became clear that the school counselors had similar opinions about what was behind young people's stress. Furthermore, it became clear that school counselors use different tools to reduce young people's stress. These tools consisted of getting students to think positively, to have a balance between leisure time, school and work, and to have time for recovery.

This paper analyses how Putin legitimizes his role conceptions in order to justify his annexation of Crimea. In order to reduce the likelihood of the foreign role being challenged while subscribing to the ego and alter expectations, it is necessary for decision makers to legitimize role perceptions. In this paper, the concept of role legitimation is developed and two mechanisms for legitimating roles are proposed. The first mechanism is ego expectations, namely the revival of roles from a specific period of time that is deeply embedded as an inalienable historical feature of the state. The second is alter expectations, namely the reproduction of international expectations in foreign policy discourse. To illustrate the argument, Putin's speech after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 is analyzed.

Forskning inom ämnet kontrollerande beteende visade att män uppfattades mer kontrollerande än kvinnor, och att detta hade sin grund i flera historiska och sociala faktorer. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka könets betydelse för uppfattningen av kontrollerande beteende i nära relation. 126 personer (43 män och 83 kvinnor) i åldrarna 19–66, fick läsa en fiktiv vinjett inspirerad av Graham-Kevan och Archers CBR-S skala, med en manlig, kvinnlig eller ej könsbestämd kontrollerande person, för att sedan skatta sin uppfattning om personen och relationen. Resultatet visade att män uppfattades som mer kontrollerande och obehagliga än kvinnor när båda betedde sig på samma sätt. Det visade också att en kvinna som kontrollerar en relation uppfattades som mindre kontrollerande av män än av kvinnor. Slutsatsen var att manliga och kvinnliga normer även hade inverkan på uppfattningen av kontrollerande beteende. Bakgrunden till studien var att belysa ursprunget till ett av vår tids största samhällsproblem, våld mot kvinnor.

While framing its foreign and security policy, Sweden continuously uses formulations aimed at Russia. The relations between the two states have experienced various stages during the course of time, with the more companionable relations characterising the periods of 1990s and majority of 2000s, while experiencing a turmoil throughout the 2010s. These periods mirror the overall change in Sweden's foreign policy which overlaps with the shift from an increased focus on the European Union towards the Nordic region. This research is articulated as a single-N case study where role theory is applied to descriptively investigate how Sweden framed its foreign and security policy vis-à-vis Russia in the period from 2002 to 2020. In order to do so, a qualitative content analysis was conducted to explore how Sweden's Ministry for Foreign Affairs formulated the official documents in relation to Russia. From the analysis, it resulted that in the observed time period, Sweden's foreign policy revealed a blend of both change and continuity in its relations to Russia. This was a reflection of a general pattern in Sweden's foreign and security policy, but also a consequence of Russia's gradual turn towards a more authoritarian state. Therefore, this study will contribute to the broader question how Sweden has responded to the newly formed security issues in Europe and Nordic region.