Rôles

Rôles is the plural form of rôle, a term used across arts, social sciences, and information technology to denote the function, position, or part an actor, person, or system is expected to perform within a larger structure. In theatre, a rôle is the character that an actor embodies and voices on stage or screen. In sociology and organization studies, a social or occupational rôle encompasses the set of behaviors, duties, rights, and expectations associated with a given position, such as parent, student, or supervisor. These rôles arise from cultural norms and institutional rules and can influence interaction, status, and identity. In IT and security, rôles describe a collection of permissions assigned to users or services, enabling role-based access control that restricts actions based on stated duties rather than individual identity alone.

Etymology and usage: the word comes from the French rôle, meaning a roll or list and later a part in a play. In English, "role" is the common spelling; "rôles" is the French plural form and is sometimes used in English discourse to preserve the origin or to distinguish contexts, though "roles" is more frequent in non-specialized writing.

Related concepts: role theory in sociology examines how individuals perform expected functions; role conflict and role strain describe tensions when multiple rôles impose incompatible demands. In computing, assigning rôles can simplify permission management and governance, supporting structured access and accountability.

See also: job title, responsibility, user role, RBAC, character in theatre.