A department chair learns that an employee who is also the chair's adult child has repeatedly violated a workplace rule. The chair is expected to enforce the rule impartially as a supervisor but feels obligated to protect the employee as a parent. This situation best illustrates which sociological concept?
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Answer: C (Role conflict)
Role conflict occurs when the expectations associated with two or more social positions are incompatible. The department chair's supervisory role calls for impartial enforcement of workplace rules, whereas the chair's parental role encourages protection of the employee. Because the incompatible expectations arise from separate roles, the situation illustrates role conflict.