Modeling Role Enactment: Linking Role Theory and Social Cognition

ABSTRACT In our dynamic social world, a premium is placed on the individual's ability to innovate and to change ( Giddens 1984 ; Sewell 1992 ; Simmel 1955 ). Yet traditional role theory has difficulty accounting for innovation, leaving unanswered the question of how individual level negotiations affect social‐structural processes (see Callero 1994 ). This study addresses this tension by linking role theory with social cognition. By positioning behavior and cognition as two interrelated continuums, I stretch the meaning of role enactment to include 4 role typologies. I utilize these typologies as a heuristic to chart the processes through which individuals adapt to and affect a role performance over time. I conclude by outlining how sociocognitive role typologies aid social researchers in accounting for individual efficacy in response to social‐structural situations.