Roles are just mental constructs

They are not based on reality, just an idea of how people in certain roles 'should' act, based on someone's life experience. As a result, it is really easy for people to get really strange ideas about how to fulfill the roles they have internalized. It is common for people to act out roles in ways that are of the contrary or even destructive to the ideal of the role. For example:

• A parent who believes children should receive physical pain as punishment. Research shows hitting your child only has long term negative consequences. But parents still do it - usually because their parents did it to them.

• Police officers who believe 'they are the law.' An idea they pick up from media and other corrupt behavior. It is common for police officers to forget they are protectors of the people and the law. When they believe themselves to be above the law, it becomes easy to violate the rights of others.

• Politicians will vote in ways that negatively affect the people they represent.

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There are a lot of reasons people do a poor job of fulfilling social roles, such as:

• Often times it is a consequence of ignorance - they were taught faulty information or don't have the facts and just need additional education.

• Sometimes it is a consequence of emotional suppression/repression - like if someone was sexually abused as a child and never dealt with those emotions, they are more likely to engage in sexual abuse themselves.

• Self-interest is another powerful motivator. Police in many areas of the world will accept bribes instead of enforcing the law.

There are plenty of other reasons people do a poor job of fulfilling roles as well. What is important to understand is social roles are easily misunderstood and confused, and can lead to people behaving in ways which are harmful to themselves and to others.