Kramer vs Kramer - the movie

Role Theory describes the family- work concept as each individual's time and efforts attributed to different roles at work and in their families and how each role affects the outcome of another role. There are three sub cultures to Role Theory. The first is role conflict.  This is when one role may cause a strain in another role.  An example of this in the movie was when Kramer's son called him at work.  Kramer's role as a father was encroaching on his career role because this phone call was showing that Kramer's full attention was not on his work like it had been for the last five years.  The second sub culture is role enrichment. Role enrichments are the benefits that come from doing all the roles in one's life.  An example of this is when Kramer is fixing breakfast. Even though he is doing things wrong he is still using those quick thinking skills from work to explain to his son that this "Daddy's special French  toast" instead of admitting he did it wrong. The third sub culture is role context.  Role context advises that one evaluates the stress of their roles and how it effects one's own health. An example of this happened when Kramer's work made him late to picking up his son from a birthday party and he saw how upset his son was. At this time Kramer thought about how his roles were weighing on him. Later on in the movie, Kramer makes sure to leave the office on time and it shows him taking his time dropping his son off at school.  Kramer evaluated his role conflicts and adjusted to what better suited to his needs.