SOC 201 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Judge Smith, Juvenile Court
Document Summary
Not only are some combinations of statuses perceived as inconsistent, but the actual demands of their roles can clash. Consider the juvenile court judge who is also a parent. The status of judge in our society requires the incumbent to play a role in which he or she treats all defendants alike. Parents are supposed to be loyal to and love their children, and when their child gets into trouble, the parents are expected to be that child"s advocate! A serious role conflict would exist if belinda smith, daughter of judge smith, was arrested and brought into judge smith"s court. No one would believe that judge smith could act as an impartial judge in such a case because of the conflict between the roles of parent and judge. Suppose you are baby-sitting some night for a 7-year-old kid. You have thus taken on the status of baby-sitter. The role expectations that accompany the status of baby-sitter are well known:
