Role strain is a sociological concept that refers to the stress or strain experienced by an individual when incompatible behavior, expectations, or obligations are associated with a single social role. It occurs when an individual cannot meet the demands of their social roles, which can be due to various reasons such as having multiple overlapping, incompatible roles, or having a role that requires too much time and energy. For example, a person taking on the roles of parent, manager, caretaker, and writer may experience role strain because these roles combined may take up more time and resources than that person has or require that person to be in multiple places simultaneously.

Role strain is different from role conflict, which refers to the psychological effect of the situation when role expectations pressure a person to take on different behaviors. Role conflict occurs when the demands of multiple roles clash, and it can lead to stress and anxiety. For instance, a person may experience role conflict when they have to choose between planning their parents birthday and attending a lab meeting with a professor.

In summary, role strain is a concept that describes the stress that results from the differing demands and expectations associated with a social role, while role conflict refers to the psychological effect of the situation when role expectations pressure a person to take on different behaviors.