The nature and consequences of conflicts between roles and the
persons who occupy them are explored. Two case studies focus on
systems in which such conflicts were salient: a program for the
education of gifted children and a private psychiatric hospital. The
public, private, and unconscious dimensions of various roles within
each system are examined, as are the resultant role relations in each
setting. The importance of the interface between and among the
different dimensions of roles within organizations is emphasized.
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