I conduct an experiment to test the impact of relative power differential on the relationship between gender and role-taking accuracy. First in an 80 subject study, and then in the current study, role-taking accuracy is conceptualized as the accuracy with which one can predict the behavior of another or others. In Study 1, I examined self-evaluative measures of role-taking ability and found that self-evaluative measures of role-taking do not correlate with actual role-taking accuracy. In addition, women were more accurate role-takers than were men in same-gender dyads regardless of the existence of a prior relationship between the two individuals. This prior experimental research showed that female friends were much more accurate role-takers than were male friends. In fact, female strangers were more accurate role-takers than were male friends. It is my conjecture however, that role taking ability is not directly connected to gender; rather I propose that it is a situationally prompted ability based on the need for individuals of relatively less power to predict the behavior of individuals with relatively more power. In other words, while women are, indeed, better role takers, this is not a general ability; rather it is prompted by their relatively low positions of power. In Study 2, I examine role-taking accuracy under conditions in which differential power is assigned to one member of a dyad and established through interaction. I predict that power position will account for variability in role-taking accuracy, but gender will not. I tested this hypothesis using power balanced and power-imbalanced, task-oriented, same and cross gender dyads. I found that power position does account for variation in role-taking accuracy while gender and gender composition of the dyad do not account for variation in role-taking accuracy.

This study examines a new method for conceptualizing and measuring roletaking ability. Role-taking is defined in a manner that facilitates further theory building and testing. The task of designing and validating a measure of role-taking that departs from the self-evaluative measures currently used is undertaken and validated with an experimental design. A computer-based survey instrument is created consisting of video and written vignettes designed to test subjects’ ability to predict their study partner’s behavior. It is found that one type of vignette is more suitable for measuring role-taking accuracy than is the other. Females, regardless of experimental condition, record higher role-taking scores than do their male counterparts. Subjects’ self-reported role-taking accuracy is not correlated with their actual role-taking accuracy scores. Because this is the case, it leads to a re-thinking of the meaning of studies that use self-reported ability as the sole measure of role-taking ability. An additional finding is that participants seem to overestimate individual differences. Personality factors measured by the Big Five Inventory were not correlated with role-taking accuracy.

This qualitative study was conducted to investigate how subordination and superiority emerges in the interaction between heterosexual couples between 20 to 30 years old, without children. Eight semi-structured interviews with four couples have been conducted to provide insight into how subordination and superiority is made in the interaction between the cohabiting couples. All interviews were transcribed and then manually categorized along specific main themes and sub themes. The empirical data were then assayed by a hermeneutic interpretation.   Three previous studies have formed the basis for this study, Det kallas kärlek by Carin Holmberg, the anthology, Jämställdhetens pris and Familjer i tiden by Christine Roman and Helen Peterson. The theoretical framework consists symbolic interactionism, and especially the concept of asymmetrical role-taking and also doing gender. By using these theories, we can gain knowledge about the interaction between the pairs. We have also enlisted the aid of the theory doing gender to gain an understanding of how household distribution of the pairs look like.   The analysis of the empirical material showed that the majority of the women were the initiator in the relationship, with regard to housework and leisure. It was also in the female and male informants' statements that the primary responsibility for the division in terms of housework was on the women. In this way, one can, using the theory of asymmetric role- taking, identify the subordination of the woman in the relationship.

The aim of this study is to understand which roles institutional personnel in HVB-homes (homes for care or living), that include animals ascribe the animals for the young clients in treatment. Using the terms role, role-taking, primary socialisation and secondary socialisation within the perspective of symbolic interactionism, we intend to analyse the expericences from the institutional personnel of what roles the animals are ascribed in treatment of young clients. We also wanted to find out if the institutional personnel have certain expectations on the animals as tools in the treatment and whether the institutional personnel believes that the animals have important roles in the treatment of the young clients. To find the answers of our aim and approach to our problems, we have used a qualitative study where we have interviewed six institutional personnel distributed in three different HVB-homes that uses animals in treatment of young clients. Our empirical material shows that the institutional personnel ascribe the animals a variety of roles, which among others are: friendly and familiar, meaningful, safe, comforting and soothing. Other roles that the institutional personnel ascribe the animals for the young clients are: teaching in order to develop empathy and responsibility; helping in therapy situation and having an activating role. Furthermore, the institutional personnel ascribe the animals crucial, meaningful and important roles to the young client´s positive development. The respondents also ascribe the animals a defenceless and inferior role. All respondents in the study argue unanimously that the animals are of significant importance for the treatment of the young clients. Hence, the animal can act as a link between the young client and the institutional personnel. Also, the institutional personnel believes that animals are meaningful to the young clients in many different contexts. When the animal is present the institutional personnel perceive that the young client is able to bring forth hidden emotions as well as activate the young client and help the young client to trust other individuals.

Det svenska samhället präglas av en jämställdhetsdebatt där regeringen genom sociopolitiska åtgärder aktivt arbetar med att jämställa kvinnor och män. Det har skett förändringar i hur faderskapet och pappans roll framställs i samhället vilket resulterar i nya attribut på rollen som pappa. Denna studie syftar till att beskriva och skapa förståelse för mäns upplevelser av rollen som pappa. Studien är av kvalitativ ansats och genomförd med hjälp av tio semistrukturerade intervjuer. Teoretiska utgångspunkter är rolltagande och socialisation, normer köns- och genusroller samt rollkonflikt. Urvalsgruppen består av män som blivit pappor efter senaste revideringen i föräldraförsäkringslagen 2016-01-01 och är sammanboende med barnets mamma. Datan analyserades med hjälp av fenomenologisk analys. Resultatet visade att männen upplevde rollen som pappa präglad av ansvar, delaktighet och jämställd med den andre föräldern. Männen upplevde att det tog tid att socialiseras in i rollen som pappa där den sociala omgivningen och normer samt den egna pappans antagande av rollen som pappa påverkade. Männen upplevde att traditionella könsroller allt mer suddas ut vilket resulterade i förändrade attityder från omgivningen där främst arbetsgivarens stödjande förhållningssätt beskrevs uppmuntrande till att ta ut föräldraledighet. / The Swedish society is characterized of an ongoing gender equal debate where the government through social policy measures is actively working on equating men and women. There have been many changes about how fatherhood and the father's role is portrayed in the society which results in new attribute to the father’s role. This qualitative study aims to describe how men experience their role as a father in contemporary time. The study uses ten semi-structured interviews as an instrument. Role-takingand socialization, norms and gender roles and role-conflict, social normsand gender roleis constituted as theoretical framework. The sample consists of men who have children born after the latest revision of parental leave insurance 2016-01-01 and are cohabiting with the child’s mother. The data were analyzed by using a phenomenological analysis. The result showed that the men perceived their role as a father as being characterized by responsibility, participation and equal to the other parent. The men perceived that it took time to socialize in to the role as a father were the social environment, norms and also their own fathers role affected them when taking on the role as a father. The traditional gender roles are changing which results in transformed attitudes from the social environment where mainly the employers supporting approach was described to encourage the respondents to take out parental leave.

abstract: The current work investigated the emergence of leader-follower roles during social motor coordination. Previous research has presumed a leader during coordination assumes a spatiotemporally advanced position (e.g., relative phase lead). While intuitive, this definition discounts what role-taking implies. Leading and following is defined as one person (or limb) having a larger influence on the motor state changes of another; the coupling is asymmetric. Three experiments demonstrated asymmetric coupling effects emerge when task or biomechanical asymmetries are imputed between actors. Participants coordinated in-phase (Ф =0o) swinging of handheld pendulums, which differed in their uncoupled eigenfrequencies (frequency detuning). Coupling effects were recovered through phase-amplitude modeling. Experiment 1 examined leader-follower coupling during a bidirectional task. Experiment 2 employed an additional coupling asymmetry by assigning an explicit leader and follower. Both experiment 1 and 2 demonstrated asymmetric coupling effects with increased detuning. In experiment 2, though, the explicit follower exhibited a phase lead in nearly all conditions. These results confirm that coupling direction was not determined strictly by relative phasing. A third experiment examined the question raised by the previous two, which is how could someone follow from ahead (i.e., phase lead in experiment 2). This was tested using a combination of frequency detuning and amplitude asymmetry requirements (e.g., 1:1 or 1:2 & 2:1). Results demonstrated larger amplitude movements drove the coupling towards the person with the smaller amplitude; small amplitude movements exhibited a phase lead, despite being a follower in coupling terms. These results suggest leader-follower coupling is a general property of social motor coordination. Predicting when such coupling effects occur is emphasized by the stability reducing effects of coordinating asymmetric components. Generally, the implication is role-taking is an emergent strategy of dividing up coordination stabilizing efforts unequally between actors (or limbs). / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Psychology 2015

Police officers have one of the most stressful jobs in existence. However, information pertaining to stress management programs is limited, especially within a Canadian context. Furthermore, little is known about the processes through which officers construct their perceptions of stress and stress management since the literature has mainly focused on enumerating the frequency of existing stressors. The present study addresses these limitations by conducting a content analysis of 24 in-depth interviews with officers from a law enforcement agency in Ontario. By drawing on symbolic interactionism, the present study concludes that police officers gravitate toward the “me” or the socialized aspect of the self (Goffman, 1969) when constructing their perceptions of stress and stress management in order to protect their image and avoid stigmatization. Policy implications based on these findings are presented at the end of the study, along with directions for future research.

The aim of this thesis is to study how self-narratives work as displaying identity construction and meaning making in school. The study draws from a theoretical frame made up by narrative inquiry, the theory of Communities of Practice and Ervin Goffman’s dramaturgical model of role-taking and positioning on the educational scene. The method used is narrative inquiry. In total, 96 sixth grade pupils in four different schools in Sweden, have written a text based on a PowerPoint presentation titled “Tell about yourself in school”. The data is analyzed with an emphasis on the organization and structure of the narrative as well as on its content. The findings reveal that the pupils in the study are active identity constructors and meaning makers when they are given the opportunity to tell about themselves and their experiences in school. These pupils position themselves in their narratives by choosing who they want to be and how they wish to be perceived by others. These roles are thus not solely selected by the narrator itself but are also influenced by the school community with its expectations, culture and social norms. Furthermore, the analyses yielded that pupils currently move within a complex landscape of communities of practice in the school’s context where they are continually compelled to make decisions, take stands and reflect upon their lives. To nurture meaningful relationships with peers and with others in school is viewed by the pupils in the study as the main element for meaning making in school.

The present investigation was designed to increase the moral judgment and simultaneous role-taking skills of institutionalized male juvenile delinquents and investigated possible effects of affect on the subjects' responses to treatment.

Polisen är en tungt belastad yrkesgrupp som får möta en stor hotbild samt misär. Detta samtidigt som högt ställda krav och ouppnåeliga förväntningar utgör en stor del av det polisiära yrket. Detta påverkar samhället i stort men främst individerna bakom uniformen. Forskarparet vill med denna studie belysa polisens egen upplevelse av sin yrkesroll. Studiens formulerade syfte är därför att förstå manliga polisers upplevelser av den polisiära yrkesrollen. Syftet besvaras genom en socialpsykologisk ansats där rollteoretiska begrepp tillhörande strukturell symbolisk interaktionism likt roll, rolltagande och rollkonflikt utgör studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt. Empiriinsamlingen består av tio stycken enskilda semistrukturerade intervjuer med poliser som arbetar inom yttre tjänst. Resultatet visar att den polisiära yrkesrollen präglas av komplexitet, utmaningar, tungt belastande normer samt förväntningar från poliskåren och allmänheten. Vidare är polisens egen uppfattning att yrkesrollen innehåller en hel del positiva aspekter och de uttrycker att det finns en stor passion för yrket. Gemenskap, engagemang och identifiering med yrket anses vara viktiga faktorer för poliserna och har en betydande roll för hur poliserna upplever sin yrkesroll. Kollegor motiverar rolltagande mest, där sökandet efter en hög självkänsla motiverar poliserna att utvecklas. Symboliken i uniformen hjälper poliserna att gå från privatperson till yrkesverksam polis och anses därmed ytterligare motivera rolltagande. / The police are a heavily burdened professional group that has to face threat and misery. Simultaneously, high demands and unattainable expectations make up a large part of the police profession. This affects society at large but mainly the individuals behind the uniform. With this study, the research couple wants to shed light on the police's own experience of their professional role. The formulated purpose of the study is therefore to understand male police officers' experiences of the police professional role. The purpose is answered through a social psychological approach where role theoretical concepts belonging to structural symbolic interactionism such as role, role taking and role conflict form the theoretical starting point of the study. The empirical collection consists of ten individual semi-structured interviews with police officers who work in the external service. The results show that the police professional role is characterized by complexity, challenges, heavy burdensome norms and expectationsfrom the police force and the public. Furthermore, the police's own opinion is that the professional role contains a lot of positive aspects and they express that there is a great passion for the profession. Community, commitment and identification with the profession are considered important factors for the police officers and have a significant role in how the police officers experience their professional role. Colleagues motivate role taking the most, where the search for a high self-esteem motivates the police officers to develop. The symbolism in the uniform helps the police officers to go from private to professional police and is thus considered to further motivate role taking.