Occupational Roles: Power and Negotiation in the Division of Labor*

The sociology of occupations and professions manifests a clear tendency toward the use of theoretical perspectives which emphasize considerations of power, social control and negotiation. This is most clearly articulated in several substantive areas within the field, notably occupational expansionism, intra-occupational relations, and the environmental context of occupations. A survey of research in these areas suggests some tentative generalizations. Emerging out of this perspective is a view of occupational roles as dynamic and shifting, responding to external groups, and at the same time exhibiting enough flexibility to permit individuals the opportunity to negotiate the parameters of their roles.