The Dynamics of Role Acquisition

A developmental approach to role acquisition, containing both social and psychological dimensions, is presented in this paper. It entails four stages in the acquisition of a role: anticipatory, formal, informal, and personal. Each stage is discussed in terms of the variety of sources, content, and forms of expectations present, as well as the degree of consensus on the expectations and individuals' reactions to them. It is suggested that the acquisition of roles involves passage through all four stages. Implications of the formulation for sociological and psychological research regarding role acquisition are offered.