Role vs Function
In our lives, we all take on a variety of roles at different times. For instance, a person can be a husband and father at home, a neighbor and friend outside their home, a manager to their employees at work, a valued customer at their bank, and a landlord when collecting rent from their property. In each of these roles, a person performs different functions, and their behavior and attitude change accordingly. Although there are similarities between roles and functions, there are also differences that are worth noting.
Take the role of a teacher as an example. When a person is a teacher at a school, they hold a position that requires specific social behavior, and they must adjust their behavior and attitude from that of a husband or father when they are at school. In the role of a teacher, they have certain rights and obligations, as well as a set of functions to perform, such as teaching, motivating, disciplining, punishing, encouraging, and sharing information with students.
Key Takeaways
- Every person has multiple roles to play in life, and every role entails a different set of functions and responsibilities.
- The role of a manager in an organization has different functions than a teacher at a school.
- Role is a position that one gets by its virtue, whereas function is the performance that a role entails.
In the role of an entertainer, a person is expected to perform functions that entertain spectators or audiences, rather than engaging in a sermon or preaching, which is the function of a priest or a Father in a Church. Some roles are predetermined by nature, and people in those roles must perform the functions associated with them, such as the role of a mother. Only a woman can give birth to a child and feed them. These functions are almost automatic, and no one teaches a woman or prepares her for them. However, for roles that one must play in real life, especially in workplaces, there are schools and colleges to prepare individuals to carry out associated functions efficiently and effectively.
Society functions by allocating different roles to different people. We cannot perform all roles by ourselves and must rely on the assistance of others to live our lives smoothly.
