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A role model is a person or thing that is viewed as a trend-setting and idealized pattern or example . In a narrower sense, a is an example a person with whom one - mostly young - man identifies himself and his behavior he imitates or tries to imitate.

While “role models” are usually understood to mean people who are not close to the person concerned because of their high reputation, sociologists and psychologists are more concerned with role models in the immediate social environment (parents, peer group ), whose behavior is unconsciously imitated, which is of great importance for an individual development process.

Role model theories

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Sigmund Freud

Many theories about role models fall back on theories suggested by Sigmund Freud . He saw “identification” with a role model as a psychodynamic process that aims to bring one's own self into line with the role modeled self. As a result, the first ego behaves like the other in certain respects, imitates it and absorbs it to a certain extent. In early childhood, parents or primary caregivers are the most important role models, they are imitated without reflection. By identifying with the caregiver, the small child can resolve internal psychological conflicts, e.g. B. the fear of being alone, by creating an inner image of the caregiver and adopting behavior from them. During puberty , when self-awareness and critical judgment grow and the adolescent has gained more experience and insight into other social contexts, the parents are perceived more realistically. The young person is more oriented towards alternative role models or ideals that he can now choose himself.

When choosing a role model, the perceived similarity to the viewer (can also refer to attitudes, goals, etc.), the perceived success of the role model and the viewer's conviction that they can also emulate the model play a role. If these conditions are met, the role model has positive effects on the self-efficacy belief .

Robert K. Merton

The American sociologist Robert K. Merton , when he in the 1950s, the motivation of medical students at Columbia University studied the term role model (German: role model; "model" in English copy ) coined the since then in the English-speaking sociology is generally used. Merton understood role models as role models that are imitated as patterns for specific roles (e.g. basketball game), and distinguished them from reference individuals , which are imitated as patterns for the general way of life.

In American education, role modeling - alongside positive enforcement and discipline - is one of the main pillars of parental and school education.

Bandura / Walters and Swap / Swap: Learning on the model (role model)

imitation

In learning theory, learning from a role model or model is an important variant of the differentiation and further development of behavioral sequences. "When we learned to drive, we mostly knew where and how we had to sit, and we had already learned by observing other people what actions are necessary to start and drive a car and in what order".

Bandura and Walters (1963) see three different learning effects within model learning:

  • The observer acquires a new behavior.
  • By observing the model, existing behavior is uninhibited and inhibited.
  • Existing behavior is triggered.

Exchange and exchange address the attractiveness of role models / models:

  • Prestigious models are effective;
  • also the successful role models;
  • also models with a good relationship with the observer.

It can also be distinguished:

  • the real model
  • the model in the movie
  • the model in the cartoon
  • the model in literature.

These different possibilities have different effects (bandura). For example, the role model in animated films could be important for children with great interest.

A model with less than adequate behavior is after swap / swap z. B. a teacher who asks the children:

  • Please look at me!
  • Sit down!
  • Listen, what are you thinking of!

A model with appropriate social behavior would be e.g. B. a teacher who says:

  • Please repeat it again, it was correct.
  • I think we were a little wrong here.
  • I'm sorry you didn't make it.

Learning from a model plays an important role, especially with complex behavioral sequences - such as social behavior (e.g. the type of greeting) or learning about sports (table tennis). The forms of aggression towards certain people and groups are also based on role models / models. In this context, the models from films and TV are important; especially those who present themselves as socially successful or develop a positive relationship with the observer (here model learning is combined with reinforcement learning). Learning a language is unthinkable without suitable models.

Role models for children and young people

The role of exemplary behavior in parenting

While upbringing in the Western world today is heavily word-heavy and includes explicit verbal explanations of parenting behavior and parents' intentions, z. For example, the upbringing in China mainly depends on the exemplary behavior of the parents.

Role model choice among young people

According to a youth study from 2002, almost 60% of young people in Germany currently have a role model. The majority of the role models are celebrities and stars from the mass media : athletes , singers, actors or politicians . But mother and father still occupy first and second place in the hit list of role models. However, one must assume that not only conscious choices play a role. Unconscious or unconscious decisions or role model functions certainly have a significant share in learning in the context of imitation processes.

Parents and guardians have a limited influence on the choice of children / adolescents with regard to their role models. They also cannot control their own role as role models indefinitely. As soon as children are aware of their gender, and this is the case around the age of two, members of their own gender are automatically regarded as a reference group in many questions. Here lies the limit of the influence of the educator. No matter how much a boy can be confronted with “female” toys (dolls, for example); he will usually choose what his peers and older people prefer from his reference group. It's the same with girls. In this respect, the sex comrades play an important role as role models, whether it suits the educator or not. This connection is at the same time a central component of emancipation from the example of the parents.

Imitation and construction

In connection with learning the mother tongue, David Crystal points out that although imitation plays a major role, it cannot explain everything. The child hardly learns the grammatical rules through imitation ("These forms (of grammar) cannot have been learned through imitation") Crystal uses the example of the American psychologist David McNeill (born 1933) as an indication:

  • Child: Nobody don`t like me.
  • Mother: No, say "Nobody likes me".
  • Child: Nobody don`t like me. (Dialogue is repeated eight times)
  • Mother: No, now listen carefully; say: "Nobody likes me"
  • Child: Oh! Nobody don`t likes me.

Quotes

  • Role models are respected, but sometimes also loved. ( John Flanagan )
  • You don't need to raise children, they imitate everything anyway. ( Attributed to Karl Valentin )
  • I think they [role models] are a basic human need. We are born as totally helpless beings, and therefore we need adults who can cope with the world and with whom we can orient ourselves. We also need ideals that we can strive to achieve. Otherwise we are exposed to a feeling of emptiness. Take religion, it too is due to this need. We have rightly been cautious about the collective worship of people. Because of our authoritarian tradition, we were very susceptible to this. We always longed for some gods to protect us. And after religion didn't seem quite right to us, we made Hitler God. This complete loser, who really had no talent or merit. After that there could be no more gods. ( Margarete Mitscherlich )

literature

  • Albert Bandura , Richard H. Walters : Social Learning and Personality Development. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York NY 1963.
  • Nathaniel L. Gage, David C. Berliner: Educational Psychology. Teacher's manual. Educational basics for teaching practice. Urban & Schwarzenberg, Munich et al. 1977, ISBN 3-541-40491-4 .
  • Susan Gilbert: Typical girls! Typical boy! Practice book for everyday parenting. (= dtv. 34078). Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-423-34078-9 .
  • Reinhard Tausch , Anne-Marie Tausch : Educational Psychology. Psychological processes in education and teaching. Verlag für Psychologie - Hogrefe, Göttingen 1963. (11th corrected edition, ibid 1998, ISBN 3-8017-1000-9 ).

See also

Web links

Wiktionary: Role model  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Wikiquote: Role Model  - Quotes

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ see: R. Tausch, A.-M. Exchange: educational psychology - person-to-person encounter. 9th edition. Psychology Publishing House Dr. CJ cheers, Göttingen / Toronto / Zurich 1979.
  2. ^ S. Freud: mass psychology and ego analysis. 1921, p. 68. archive.org
  3. ↑ last section see social cognitive learning theory / model learning and theory of self-efficacy by Albert Bandura
  4. ^ Robert K. Merton: Social theory and social structure. 1968, p. 357.
  5. ↑ E.g. Barbara Kay Polland: The Parenting Challenge: Practical Answers to Childrearing Questions. Tricycle Press, 1993, ISBN 1-883672-08-2 .
  6. ^ NL Gage, DC Berliner: Pedagogical Psychology. 1977.
  7. ↑ ShamAh Md-Yunus: Childcare Practices in Three Asian Countries. 2005, Retrieved July 17, 2017 (research article for Eastern Illinois University).
  8. ↑ z. BJ Zinnecker and others: Null Zoff & Voll Busy. 2002.
  9. ↑ J. Zinnecker et al .: zero zoff & fully busy. The first generation of youth of the new century. A self-image. Center for Childhood, Youth and Biography Research, Siegen 2002, pp. 52–56.
  10. ↑ Susan Gilbert: Typical girls! Typical boy! 2004.
  11. ↑ David Crystal: The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt / New York 1993, p. 234.
  12. ↑ Markus M. Ronner: The best punchlines of the 20th century: humorous-satirical flashes of inspiration, arranged alphabetically by keywords. Gondrom., Stuttgart 1990.
  13. ↑ Talking to each other in the family
  14. ↑ Anita Blasberg: Role Models. Land without heroes. In: The time . No. 9, 2007. (www.zeit.de) A conversation with Margarete Mitscherlich about the basic need for role models and the healthy doubt about collective veneration. Note: Margarete Mitscherlich published The End of Role Models in 1978 . The benefits and disadvantages of idealization . Piper, Munich 1990, ISBN 3-492-10183-6 .