ABSTRACT
The widespread notion that institutions are made up of roles is fruitful because it links a somewhat more easily observable phenomenon, social behavior, to an important but less easily observable abstraction, social structure. In functionalist terms, this notion also links the observed acts and inferred values of the individual with the institutional imperatives or requisites of the society. At the same time, by focusing on the elements in the individual's action decision, it avoids the pitfall of supposing that people carry out their obligations because these are "functional" for the society.
