Rolefulness, the sense of fulfillment and satisfaction derived from occupying and embracing meaningful roles in life, has a profound and positive effect on mental health. When individuals find clarity and purpose within their roles—whether personal, professional, or social—they experience improved emotional well-being and resilience. The structure and sense of identity that come with rolefulness reduce stress, promote self-esteem, and enhance overall life satisfaction.
Ineke Plaisier, a Dutch researcher specializing in the intersection of work, social roles, gender, and mental health, offers valuable insights into how the quality of social roles affects mental well-being. In her 2008 study, The Effect of Social Roles on Mental Health: A Matter of Quantity or Quality?, she writes:
“A good quality of each of the three social roles (partner, parent, worker) was associated with higher levels of mental health and lower risks of incident disorders over 3 years. More than the number of social roles, knowledge about social role quality might provide opportunities for prevention of depressive and anxiety disorders.”
Plaisier's findings suggest that individuals who perceive their roles as high in quality experience better mental health outcomes and a reduced risk of developing depression or anxiety over time. Importantly, the number of roles a person holds does not significantly impact mental health—what matters more is the quality of engagement in each role.
A fulfilling partnership or a meaningful work role, for instance, contributes more positively to mental well-being than simply holding multiple roles without depth or connection.
Can rolefulness decrease depression?
Together with Dr. Mikie Suzuki, Daiki explored this question and proposed a dynamic, interactive rolefulness path model between rolefulness, self-esteem, and depression.
Their findings showed that both social and internal rolefulness are significantly correlated with self-esteem and depression—with social rolefulness demonstrating a stronger correlation than internal rolefulness.
They hypothesized that social rolefulness is the starting point of a path model. The model was based on the idea that social rolefulness influences internal rolefulness, which then impacts self-esteem. In turn, self-esteem affects depression. Internal rolefulness enhances self-esteem, and this boost in self-esteem contributes to a decrease in depression.
They took a closer look at their model using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test how well it worked. Structural Equation Modeling is a statistical method used to test and estimate complex relationships among variables, both observed (measured directly) and latent (underlying concepts that are inferred).
This modelling is often used in social sciences to study concepts that can't be measured directly, such as satisfaction, motivation, or well-being. This helps them to understand not just whether variables are related, but how they influence one another within an overall system.
The SEM results showed that the model fit very well. Essentially, when social rolefulness improved, it led to better internal rolefulness, which boosted self-esteem and lowered depression.
They also found that internal rolefulness plays a key mediating role—it connects social rolefulness to self-esteem. And once self-esteem is stronger, it significantly reduces depressive symptoms.
Social rolefulness tends to come first, with internal rolefulness developing afterward. They also studied how collaborative group work affects rolefulness, and saw that it helps boost both social and internal rolefulness. However, social rolefulness tends to increase more quickly through group-based experiences, while internal rolefulness takes more time to grow.
In simple terms, social rolefulness is more responsive to change because it’s tied to interaction with others. Internal rolefulness, on the other hand, involves deeper aspects—like identity and self-confidence—so it develops more gradually.
What's the key ingredient to develop both internal and social rolefulness?
According to Daiki, self-awareness plays a crucial role in cognitive behavior therapy, and it turns out that being aware of your own thought patterns can help reduce depression. Studies show that understanding what’s happening inside you—how you view yourself and your identity—can make a significant difference when dealing with mental health challenges.
To put it simply, internal rolefulness is all about being aware of your core psychological components, such as your identity and self-esteem. That self-awareness helps explain how you handle social roles and how those roles relate to your emotional well-being.
Then we have self-esteem, which acts as a kind of bridge between rolefulness and depression. Research shows that self-esteem not only affects how we deal with stress but also influences how we experience loneliness, which is another key factor in depression. So, self-esteem is a vital piece in understanding how rolefulness supports mental health.
To put it simply, internal rolefulness is all about being aware of your core psychological components, such as your identity and self-esteem. That self-awareness helps explain how you handle social roles and how those roles relate to your emotional well-being.
Then we have self-esteem, which acts as a kind of bridge between rolefulness and depression. Research shows that self-esteem not only affects how we deal with stress but also influences how we experience loneliness, which is another key factor in depression. So, self-esteem is a vital piece in understanding how rolefulness supports mental health.