GETTING IT DONE : Notes on Student

SOCIAL ROLES VARY in the degree to which their constituent tasks are &dquo;closed&dquo; or &dquo;open&dquo; in character. At one extreme are roles such as assembly-line worker, where precise definitions communicate when the task starts, one’s progress in it, and when it ends. At the other extreme are roles such as student, where the tasks are highly open or never-ending. The role of student, in particular, involves learning to think and learning the &dquo;facts&dquo; of various fields. The infinite expandibility of these tasks places no practically determined restrictions on the amount of time occupants can dedicate to the role. Like politicians, housewives, and other entrepreneurs, students’ work is never done. Indeed, students are counselled that people only stop learning when they die. Death is not, students lament, in sight, but learning demands are. This paper seeks to explore how people cope with roles that are open or never-ending in their demands. In particular, it