ABSTRACT
One of the primary ways human associations pay off is via a role-based division of labor. If functional roles are to be complementary, they must be predictable. It is impossible for two (or more) people to work together if they cannot calculate their respective actions. An excessively dynamic role structure would therefore send everyone scurrying to care for their own needs, thereby wiping out interpersonal cooperation. There is a social psychological tradition that defines roles in terms of the “expectations” of role partners. Role partners “demand” compliance. If a role partner does not deliver what is desired, an “order” backed by force may be forthcoming. Role partner enforcement is more pervasive and robust than that imposed by any prospective despot. Sociologists generally distinguish between ascribed and achieved roles. The scapegoat role provides a useful vehicle for demonstrating how these elements operate. In learning this role, scapegoats are instructed in a variety of causal connections.
