Role model

For other uses, see Role Model (disambiguation).

A role model is a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people. The term "role model" is credited to sociologist Robert K. Merton, who coined the phrase during his career. Merton hypothesized that individuals compare themselves with reference groups of people who occupy the social role to which the individual aspires. An example being the way fans (oftentimes youth) will idolize and imitate professional athletes or entertainment artists.

In the second half of the twentieth century, U.S. advocates for workplace equity popularized the term and concept of role models as part of a larger social capital lexicon—which also includes terms such as glass ceiling, networking, mentoring, and gatekeeper—serving to identify and address the problems barring non-dominant groups from professional success. Mainstream business literature subsequently adopted the terms and concepts, promoting them as pathways to success for all career climbers. In 1970 these terms were not in the general American vocabulary; by the mid-1990s they had become part of everyday speech. Although the term "role model" has been criticized more recently as "outdated", the term and its associated responsibility remains prominent in the public consciousness as a commonly used phrase, and a "powerful presence" in the entertainment industry and media.

Effect on career opportunity and choice

A person's chosen role models may have a considerable impact on his or her career opportunities and choices. The suitability of a role model depends, in part, on the admirer’s perceived commonality with the model, who should provide an image of an ambitious yet realistic goal. For example, Benjamin Franklin served as the role model for countless nineteenth-century white businessmen, including such notables as Thomas Mellon, B.F. Goodrich, and Frederick Weyerhäuser. Later, the lack of commonalities between potential role models and would-be admirers helped perpetuate barriers to American minorities and women as they tried to advance in a business world dominated by white men, thus spurring late twentieth-century efforts to develop suitable role models for these groups.

Role models show significant effects on female students' self-confidence in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) fields. The gender difference between role models and female students has shown to have no significant effect on student attitudes, whereas perceived dissimilarity with stereotypical role models showed a negative effect on self-confidence in pursuing STEM careers. Perceived similarity with non-stereotypical role models (of either gender) shows a positive effect on self-confidence to succeed in STEM occupations.

Parent role models also significantly influence a person's "education and training aspirations, task self-efficacy, and expectancy for an entrepreneurial career".

Celebrity role models

The ever-widening reach of the media in popular culture has elevated certain celebrities to worldwide acclaim. This boom of media coverage and constant exposure to these individuals resulted in a change of mindset toward celebrities in both adults and youth alike. According to a survey of teachers in the United Kingdom conducted in 2008 by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, young people most frequently chose sports stars as role models, followed by pop stars. Many, however, simply aspired to be "famous for being famous", believing that fame and fortune could be easily accessed through reality television.

Community role models

Community role models are often overlooked and scarce. Teachers and parents fill this gap and are considered a central influence to a child’s upbringing and future success. Teachers, because of the large amount of time spent with children, have such a huge impact on children that they’re being advised to be likeable in order to build strong emotional relationships with children. Research has shown that role models as teachers and doctors encourage people's support for tobacco ban more effectively and directly than policy promotion. Some community role models like the ones in western communities are usually experts in a certain field. Whereas in other communities, like in indigenous communities, role models are often based career choice (like teachers, doctors, etc.) but by demonstrating to others how to do something for example in indigenous Mexican communities parents take their children from newborns to work. Anybody from the community has the potential to become a role model.

Indigenous community’s role models influence on children is largely effective and powerful because of the high concentration. Indigenous community’s emotional relationships are naturally developed and flourish due to the concentrated space and knowing of one another. Close relationships further gives knowledge the opportunity to be passed down from generation to generation, often preserving it. For example, in the Warao indeginous society for a member to successfully enculturate they must learn how to build canoes.

Athlete role models

There is a lot of speculation and argument on whether or not athletes should be considered role models. Some athletes have been asked to behave as if they were role models for their local communities, and some such as Hank Greenberg have deliberately tried to set a good example but generally regarding athletes as role models has been criticised due to their appointment often being based solely on sporting ability rather than any moral qualities - it has been suggested that the discipline and control shown continuously by sportspeople on the field leads to a belief from viewers that these same qualities are continuously shown off the field. These and other factors such as the elements of competition, excitement and success are what make people want to emulate them. Charles Barkley has stated that he believes athletes are not the figures that children should be emulating and that it is the parent's responsibility to be role models, that the role is deliberately applied by the media out of jealousy in order to make life more difficult for sportspeople, and that it sets up the sportspeople as an unattainable target for most.

See also

• Identification (psychology)
• Celebrity
• Role engulfment