Nick: This is episode 12 of the Rolefulness Podcast. Professor Daiki Kato and I are back to discuss role confusion and role conflict. Last week we discussed toraware or role captivity. So this episode ties to that episode. Role captivity is likely to include role confusion and role conflict. Daiki, good to see you again. How are you?
Daiki: Yeah, Yeah, good to see you again. So let's enjoy today's episode together.
Defining role conflict and role confusion
Nick: Yes, interesting subjects. So we should start with a definition. So can you define what role conflict and role confusion are and explain how they are different to each other?
Daiki: I'll explain role conflict first. Role conflict occurs when an individual is confronted with incompatible expectations or demands stemming from multiple roles they occupy. These roles may be in different areas of life, such as work, family, and personal life. For example, a person might experience role conflict when the demands of their job clash with their responsibilities as a parent.
Nick: For sure. Yeah, And then what about role confusion?
Daiki: Role confusion, on the other hand, is a state of uncertainty or lack of clarity about one's roles and expectations associated with them. It often occurs when individuals are unsure about their own identity or what is expected of them in a particular role. Role confusion can be a precursor to role conflict if not addressed. An example could be a teenager struggling to define their identity and responsibilities as they transition into adulthood. Yes,
Nick: Yes, and this is actually related to the work of Erik Erikson, isn't it?
Daiki: Yeah. Role confusion comes from the developmental theory of Erikson. Erik Erikson is a very famous developmental psychologist. The psychological crisis of adolescence is role confusion according to his theory. Adolescents become curious about the roles of adults. They are apt to experience some role confusion.
For example, they are interested in establishing intimate relationships with their friends, joining hobby and sports clubs, and being independent from their parents. These demands are necessary for their psychological development, but it may bring them role confusion at the same time.
Nick: Yes, I think so. As we move from child to adolescent, and then from adolescent to adult, it's not easy. Especially with societal expectation or maybe the influence of your own parents; what it means to be a man, for example, maybe in our case and our role models.
Causes of role conflict and role confusion
So adolescence is a tough time. But back on the subject, what are the causes of role conflict and role confusion?
Daiki: Role conflict and role of confusion can arise from various sources and circumstances. Here are some common causes: This time, I'll talk about two aspects, one is personal and interpersonal factors, and the other is organisational factors. So first I'll talk about personal and interpersonal factors.
So the first one is diverse expectations. Different individuals or groups may have conflicting expectations of what your role entails. For instance, your manager might have one set of expectations, while your colleagues or another department might have a different view, causing conflict.
The second one is overlapping responsibilities. When you are assigned or voluntarily take on multiple roles within an organisation, the responsibilities can sometimes overlap or clash. This can lead to conflicts in prioritising tasks or meeting various role demands at the same time.
The third one is poor communication. Communication is very important, so inadequate or unclear communication within an organisation can create role conflicts. When there is a lack of proper information or miscommunication about roles, individuals may step on each other's toes or carelessly disrupt another's responsibilities. So, communication affects role confusion.
And the last one is personal factors. For example, personal beliefs, values, and attitudes can also contribute to role conflict or confusion. Sometimes, an individual's personal goals or values may not align with expectations or demands of their designated role, leading to internal conflict.
Nick: Yeah, I can relate to all of those. I remember at my last job, I had three managers, and they all had expectations of me, and I had a lot of confusion about what was expected of me, or what was most important. And a lot of conflict, and there was poor communication in the company, and then some personal factors.
One manager was a very aggressive, unpleasant man, so that made it very difficult to work with him. And it became so stressful because it was so confusing, and all this sort of conflict, because I had to answer three managers. I walked out of that job. I just left one day and said, 'that's it, I'm quitting.' So yeah, it can be very stressful, these interpersonal factors at the workplace and even at home.
You know, when you become a parent, there's a lot of focus on the child, and less focus maybe on the partner, in the marriage, and the relationships, and you've got to juggle that role. Especially when your children start going to school, because then you get involved with the school, and maybe you have to volunteer and help out; so you're working, you have a partner, now you have a child or children, and you seem to take on more roles as you grow.
Do you feel the same, Daiki? As you're a professor, you're a husband, you're a father, you've most likely got good friends. So you've got multiple roles, but maybe within each of the roles there's also confusion and conflict. Yeah.
Daiki: So yeah. Every role is important for me--work and family. I love every role I have, but sometimes we feel conflict. As you said, both personal and interpersonal factors. We're working at the organisation, so organisational factors are also important for role conflict. Can I talk about the organisational factors a little more?
Nick: Yeah. Let's talk about organisational factors, then.
Daiki: Okay. So you said that you are wondering about the relationship with your manager. It is not only for you, many people sometimes think about or wonder about their relationship with their colleagues or the boss or managers. It is a common factor that affects the role confusion.
The first factor of the organisational factors is the organisational changes. Changes in the organisational structure, policies, or procedures can lead to confusion regarding roles. Reorganisations or changes in leadership can cause uncertainty about who is responsible for what, leading to role confusion.
And the next one is inadequate training or resources. If individuals are not adequately trained or provided with necessary resources to fulfil their roles, it can lead to confusion and conflict. Without proper guidance or resources, people may struggle to understand their duties and fulfil them effectively.
So the first time, when I worked at a university, I didn't have much resources and guidance, so I felt conflicted. But my experience helped me to achieve my work, and now it is okay. So, yeah, appropriate education and resources are very important.
The last one is conflicting goals or values. When there are conflicting goals or barriers between different departments or individuals within the organisation, it can create conflicts. For instance, if one department prioritises efficacy, while another prioritises innovation, it can cause conflicts in how roles are performed. It is very common, I think, in many companies or organisations.
So I experienced the same thing. Together with many colleagues, so in the meeting, someone has ideas and someone imagines goals. But if the other person imagines other kinds of goals, it becomes a conflict and very stressful. But it is a very similar and very natural thing, I think, so it is not a problem. But it is a very important factor, we feel the conflict and stress.
Nick: I wonder if it also relates to leadership, and if it might indicate poor leadership, if in one organisation, there are various goal or value conflicts. There's inadequate resources and training and organisational changes. They have to be prepared and done with planning and care. And I remember once, I worked, this is kind of interesting. So back in the 90s in Melbourne, we actually had a Daimaru department store.
Daiki: I visited the Daimaru department store when I was an undergraduate student, about 20 years ago.
Nick: Oh, really? In Melbourne?
Daiki: Yes.
Nick: Oh, really? Okay.
Daiki: One of my friends lived in Melbourne, and I visited there, and I visited Daimaru, and yeah, I ate a hamburger.
Nick: Okay, there you go, I didn't know that. So I worked there. I worked at a bakery there. There was a bakery, Paul Bocuse bakery. Paul Bocuse is a famous French chef. I think when they first opened Daimaru, they actually had staff saying Japanese greetings like irasshaimase.
It didn't really work because it sounded strange for foreigners to say this to others, or not foreigners, for Australians to say that to other Australians. So they stopped that. But I remember once there was a famous cafe, a very popular cafe, that also sold coffee beans.
And I think something was going on, and staff were stealing good quality coffee beans, and so just one day, they fired everyone in that section, and it was about 20 staff. Just one day, bang, everyone got fired, 'Don't come back into work, we're investigating this, all of you will be investigated whether or not we think you've been stealing.'
And so they had to pull all these different workers from other sections, and it was really stressful for us, because I had to start learning how to use their systems and making coffee and selling beans, and I was really kind of angry that they didn't handle it better. So that was a role conflict for me, where I was thinking, well, you want me to work here and there, and you haven't trained me here, and you fight all these staff, maybe some who weren't stealing.
So, yeah, that wasn't a very good experience. And as you mentioned, I imagine in education, sometimes there is a lack of resources.
Personal experiences of role conflict
So let's continue on that theme and share a little. Have you experienced role conflict, Daiki?
Daiki: Yes. We talked about in the previous episode about being trapped in a role. So the Japanese world toraware, being trapped in a role. This question is an important topic to understand role confusion, and I hope to talk about it again here. We often feel role conflict if we have several roles at the same time.
Work family conflict is one of the examples of role conflict. Work family conflict is a very important research topic in psychology. So organisational psychology or clinical psychology, it's very common. Now I'm working at the university, and also have a role of a father in my family.
In the past, I thought that I had to be a good father, the best father, and more successful in my job. But I felt heavy pressure from it. But it is okay now. But in the past, I felt very heavy, role conflict about it.
Nick: Me, too. Just right now, actually, I'm doing the podcast with you, but I heard my son close the door, he's leaving the house. I don't know why, so I just quickly waved to him now. So it's kind of like, oh, my role as a father, I better wave to him, but I'm trying to listen to you at the same time. So yeah, I totally understand. So how did you navigate through that role conflict?
Daiki: The thought of being perfect brings us high pressure, but we don't have to be perfect every time. Changing cognitive framework is important to be free from role conflict. Being good enough is a good way to be free from role conflict. We don't have to be perfect, but being good enough is good, I think.
Setting a goal that is too high may increase role conflict and it is better to set an adequate goal that is suitable for our abilities and capacities.
Nick: I agree. Yes.
Daiki: How about you, Nick? Do you have experience of role conflict like me?
Nick: Yeah, I guess I've been working at home for the last 20 years, and that definitely resulted in some role conflict. I often had, and still have trouble managing time around my work, my work role and fatherhood and domestic duties.
When my son went to primary school, in particular, that was quite hard, because he would end school at around 3:30, I'd go pick him up, and then I'd bring him home.
And then I felt guilty when working, because I felt well, you know, I'm working and I'm not spending time with my son. And then when I spent time playing with my son, I felt worried that I wasn't working, especially around four o'clock, five o'clock, I thought I should be working. And even now, I'm trying to manage my role with all these different time zones and managing my domestic duties.
So I'm often doing webinars at five, six or 7pm. And my wife works, so I cook most weeknights, and I kind of rush my cooking, and I'm thinking about work while I'm cooking, and then I'm kind of often disorganised in the early afternoon because I'm thinking.
Actually, last night, I had a big jar of rice, and I pulled out two cups of rice to wash, and as I put the big jar back, I was thinking about work, and I dropped the jar, a huge, really big jar, and smashed it on the ground.
So I was sort of worried, like, I've got to get work done, I dropped it, and then I couldn't clean it because I had to get back online so I could only clean half of it up. And then my wife came home, and I'm like, 'Oh, I'm sorry. I've dropped the rice jar.' And there was rice everywhere, all this uncooked rice.
But she was very good. She said it's okay. So that's not healthy to be kind of thinking of something else when you're doing something.
Impact of role conflict in our well-being
And I guess it does impact our emotional and mental state in the moment, but also has long-term effects. So how does role conflict impact our mental and emotional well-being?
Daiki: Role conflict can lead to stress, anxiety, and feelings of overwhelm. It can also cause feelings of guilt, especially when individuals perceive themselves as failing in one or more roles. Prolonged role conflict can have negative effects on mental health and overall well-being.
Role conflict and role confusion can significantly impact mental and emotional well-being in several ways. So I'd like to show the examples. The first one is anxiety and uncertainty. Role confusion and role conflict often bring about uncertainty regarding what is expected, causing anxiety about meeting conflicting demands. This uncertainty can lead to emotional strain and a sense of inadequacy.
The next one is physical health effects. Prolonged stress resulting from role conflict and confusion can have adverse effects on physical health, leading to issues such as sleep disturbances, headaches, and other stress-related conditions. The last one is impact on relationships. Role conflicts can extend beyond the workplace, affecting personal relationships and social interactions due to increased stress and emotional strain.
Nick: That's all significant, and maybe I was anxious yesterday, and that's why I dropped the jar of rice, because I wasn't focused.
Daiki: Under the covid situation, many countries, people experience lockdown, and we couldn't go out and stay at home. For example, before the covid lockdown, I went to university driving a car, and I went to the university and worked at my office, having conversation with my colleagues and the students.
But under the lockdown, we should stay at home all day and do work online, remotely, so the situation has dramatically changed, and so the time spent with family became very long, the time has increased.
Actually, I had the same experience as you, so I dropped the rice. I cooked something and dropped it. So I said sorry to my wife. Many people have the same experiences. So this kind of situation under covid has changed our lifestyle, experience, and, of course, role conflict.
Nick: I heard in Japan, particularly for young women, there was increase in, unfortunately, quite serious suicide because they lost their role, they lost their professional role, and then they went home, and maybe their husbands or fathers were stressed because they were at home, and there was this increase in domestic violence.
Daiki: Yeah, that's a big problem.
Nick: I'm sure it was a global thing. And, yeah, for the first time in Japan, there was a significant spike in female, young female suicide during covid And so the interpersonal aspect of role at home, sometimes, I guess if you're spending too much time with someone, lead to problems.
Daiki: Yeah, it is a big factor to increase the problem.
Nick: And if you're both having problems, obviously domestic violence is a very, very unhealthy way to relieve stress, it should not happen. But unfortunately it happens everywhere. So it's almost as if it was a mental and physical toraware during covid; we were trapped in a box, literally, but also sort of psychologically during covid.
How can people cope with role conflict
So how can we manage these distress around role conflict or role confusion, or what strategies can people use to manage it effectively?
Daiki: Our research showed that keeping good rolefulness decreases depression. So depression is a risk factor for many psychological problems or physical problems like the headache or difficulty sleeping, or, of course, suicide. So rolefulness is a very good factor to decrease depression.
In other words, if we are exposed to role conflict and role confusion for a long time, it has a crucial effect on our mental health. Therefore, it is important to maintain and solve role conflict and keep good rolefulness. I'll introduce strategies to manage role conflict. I'll show you some ideas.
So the first one is prioritisation. Prioritisation is very important. Identifying and prioritising roles based on importance and urgency can help individuals focus their time and energy on what matters most. So what is important? So the order of the work; at first, I do this work, and so after that, I do that work. And this kind of prioritising is very important.
The next one is communication. Open and honest communication with those affected by your roles can help manage expectations and reduce conflicts. This is particularly important in professional settings. So communication with very similar people like friends or family is, of course, important, and also in your work or job, communication is important.
The next one is time management. Effective time management techniques can help allocate sufficient time to different roles. This might involve setting boundaries, delegating tasks, or using time management tools.
And the other one is self-care. Self-care is very important. Prioritising self-care is crucial to maintaining mental and emotional well-being. Taking time for relaxation, exercise, and hobbies can reduce the negative effects or role conflict.
The last one is seeking support. In some cases, seeking support from a therapist, counsellor, or mentor, can be variable in addressing role conflict and developing coping strategies.
Sometimes it is difficult to solve the problem only by ourselves. So during those times, I recommend you to seek support from professionals.
How can organisations reduce role conflict
Nick: Makes sense. I agree. And just to end, what about organisations? How can organisations or societies contribute to reducing role conflict for individuals?
Daiki: Organisations play an important role in minimising role conflicts by offering flexible work arrangements, promoting a healthy work-life balance, and fostering a culture that values open communication.
Societies can contribute by challenging traditional gender roles and stereotypes, allowing individuals to explore diverse roles without judgement or social pressure. So both organisations and society can do good things to reduce role conflict and improve our mental health.
Nick: And increase rolefulness.
Daiki: Yes, that's right, yes,
Nick: All right. Well, this has been quite an episode, so that's a lot to process. And then in the next episode, we will look at, I guess, another role related problem, and that is role overload. And I'm sure that happens a lot. I'm sure you feel it sometimes, Daiki, and I feel it as well. So I look forward to that episode with you, Daiki.
Daiki: Thank you today, and I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time.
Nick: Me, too.