Sartain, A. Q., North, A. J., Strange, J. R., & Chapman, H. M. (1958). Roles and social behavior. In A. Q. Sartain, A. J. North, J. R. Strange, & H. M. Chapman, Psychology: Understanding human behavior (pp. 302-318). New York, NY, US: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/11635-014
The positions and roles of our culture are important determinants of behavior. A position is a place, function, or office in a social organization. Some positions--such as age category--are very general, whereas others are more specific and temporary. Some positions are ascribed, while others are achieved. Positions also vary in prestige. A role is the set of behaviors that is typical of the occupants of a position. People have norms--standards of behavior--for roles and also expectations regarding how people in a position will behave. People learn their roles from models, through instructions, and in practical situations. They transfer elements of learned roles to new settings. Some conditions (such as that of ambiguity in the role) often makes the learning of roles rather difficult. People carry out their roles in more or less individual ways. Many interacting factors influence the ways in which roles are carried out. Roles are carried out--or not carried out--at various levels. When people identify with roles, they generally carry them out well. In addition, the norms for the roles become standards for self-evaluation. How a person evaluates a role depends on how he perceives it in relation to his needs and values. Flexibility in carrying out roles involves adapting behavior to specific and changing conditions. People sometimes have personal conflicts about their roles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)