What term describes the expected behavior of someone in a certain status?

The term "role" refers to the expected behavior, responsibilities, and duties associated with a specific status within a social structure. Each role embodies the norms and behaviors that society anticipates from individuals occupying that particular position. For example, the role of a parent includes expectations like nurturing, providing for, and guiding children, while the role of a student involves attending classes, completing assignments, and following school rules.

Understanding roles is essential for analyzing how individuals interact within families and larger social systems. The concept establishes a framework for how individuals are expected to behave based on their position in society, thereby facilitating social order and predictability in human interactions.

The other concepts, while related, describe different aspects of social structures. Norms pertain to the unwritten rules that guide behavior in society, institutions refer to established systems or organizations that fulfill social needs, and cohorts describe groups of individuals who share a certain characteristic, often within a specific time frame.