The Expectations of Society's Strata from the Social and Cultural Roles of Clerics

The Islamic Revolution of Iran established a religious government, which gave the clergy a special role and position. This role and position should align with the expectations of the people from this group. The significant social changes in the decades following the establishment of the Islamic Republic and the experience of the clergy's social role in these years may have changed the people’s expectations from this group. This study aims to understand the expectations of the people from the clergy, considering their function as a reference group in society. A qualitative approach using the Q-methodology was employed to categorize and analyze these expectations. In the first stage, 22 statements about the community’s expectations of the clergy were identified through 24 in-depth interviews with various social groups. Then, 40 Q-cards were sorted by the study participants on a spectrum from +3 to -3. Finally, using factor analysis of the Q-methodology, the community's expectations of the clergy were divided and analyzed into six categories: moral expectations, operational expectations, lifestyle-related expectations, promotional expectations, passive expectations, and managerial expectations.