In sociology, when an individual struggles to meet conflicting obligations from multiple social identities, this is known as

• A. Role conflict
• B. Role confusion
• C. Social dissonance
• D. Normative strain

Answer: (A)

When someone faces incompatible demands from holding more than one social identity or role, the situation is role conflict. Each role carries its own expectations, and when those expectations pull in different directions, trying to satisfy one makes it hard to satisfy the other. For example, being both a parent and an employee can create a clash between needing to stay late at work and needing to attend a child’s event. Or a student who is also an athlete may have to choose between study time and training commitments. This tension between distinct roles or identities is what sociologists call role conflict.

Role strain would be about pressures within a single role, where meeting all the expectations of that one role is difficult, while the other options aren’t standard terms for this situation.