- A
- B
- C
Listen to a lecture. Take notes on the information presented.
role – purpose
conflict – a situation where two things cannot exist together
incompatible – unable to cooperate or coexist
diagnosis – a statement about what is wrong with a medical patient
submit – to accept that someone else has power over you
Listening:
- Main topic: There are two kinds of role conflicts.
- Key point 1: Role conflict can happen when a person takes on two incompatible roles.
- Example: A father might have to act as both a father and a coach.
- Key point 2: Role conflicts can happen when someone has to take on a new role suddenly.
- Example: A doctor might have a conflict if he suddenly becomes a patient.
W: As members of society, we often take on many different roles; we may be students, daughters, tutors, competitors, and sisters all at the same time. Now what often happens, because we assume so many different roles, is that these roles will come into conflict with one another. In sociology, we have a term for this – we call it role conflict, and it can happen in one of two ways. One way role conflict occurs is by trying to be two incompatible things at the same time. For example, it's common for a father to also be the coach of a baseball team, but what happens when he is the coach of his son's baseball team? In this situation, he must act both the role of father and the role of coach. So say his son makes a bad play in a game. As a father, he might want to comfort his son when he does something wrong – put his arm around him and tell him it’s OK – but as a coach, he would want to tell the boy exactly what he did wrong. He must choose one role ... and there's no easy way out of the conflict. Role conflict also occurs when there is a sudden change in role, A doctor, for example, must at times be a patient, but because he sees himself as a doctor, he may have trouble assuming the role of a patient when he is suddenly ill or injured and cannot care for himself. He may try to make diagnoses or order tests when he should be listening to the advice of his own doctors and submitting to their care.
Read and think about the prompt below.
Using points and examples from the lecture, describe two ways that role conflicts can occur.
Look at your notes from the listening and answer the following questions in complete sentences.
- What are two ways that role conflicts can occur?
- How can a role conflict arise when a father is also the coach of a baseball team?
- How can a doctor experience a sudden change in role? How does this create a conflict?
Try to fill in the blanks of the sample response below using your notes.
Now listen to a sample response. How does it differ from your response above? Write down any differences in information or phrasing.
Listen again and repeat after the response during the intervals. Pay close attention to pronunciation, intonation, and word stress.
WITHOUT looking at the written sample response, make quick notes on your own response using your notes on the reading and the listening only.
Notes for the Response
Now give your own spoken response to the prompt. Try to incorporate useful expressions you remember from the sample, while also paying attention to your pronunciation and intonation. Record your time.
