What is social status: difference from role, formation and development, signs

Lesson plan:

Man's place in society

Prescribed and achieved social status

Variety of social roles

Social roles and age

Reasons for the generation gap

Society places different expectations on teachers, doctors, parents and children, political scientists and economists, girls and boys. All of these listed positions represent diverse social statuses.

What is social status

According to the well-known school subject of social studies, social status is a certain position in a social group or structure.

In sociology, social status is the relative position of an individual or group, determined by social characteristics (economic status, profession, qualifications, education, etc.), natural characteristics (gender, age, etc.), as well as prestige and place in structure of power (Sociological Encyclopedic Dictionary).

Social status not only gives a person benefits and privileges, but also implies a number of obligations. Each case has its own obligations and benefits.

Is social status a choice or is it inherited at birth?

Parents pass on certain social statuses to their children (health, type of work, level of financial wealth). But there are also achieved social statuses, the acquisition of which is influenced by the person himself.

What is the social status of an individual received at birth called?

The social status an individual receives from birth is a prescribed status.

Reasons for the generation gap

Young people and teenagers are often offended by the older generation for the many prohibitions and restrictions imposed on them. Psychologists call this a breakdown of connections between generations. But when parents forbid teenagers from watching TV, playing computer games, drinking alcohol, or staying in the company of friends, they are simply fulfilling their social roles. Parents are strict not out of harshness or lack of love towards their children, but out of duty towards them.

Teenagers dream of growing up faster, they promise themselves never to act in the same way towards their future children, they dream that when they become adults, they will allow their children to do whatever they want. But having matured, teenagers change their view of the world and, having become parents, also show some severity towards their children. The problem of a breakdown in communication between generations leads to a lack of mutual understanding between older and younger ones. To fix this, everyone needs to try to put themselves in the other’s place.

Social role and its difference from status

To determine a person’s social status, a number of characteristics must be used (profession, place of residence, political views, economic status, etc.). There are also situational social statuses that describe a person and are of a short-term nature (passenger, reader, patient).

Each social status has a level of prestige, although this is not indicated in the documents. It is believed that being a businessman is more prestigious than being an office worker. If we take only material well-being as the basis for prestige, this will lead to the degradation of society and the emergence of socio-economic inequality.

A social role is a certain behavior expected from an individual, which must correspond to its social status and be in relationship with it.

For example, the social status of an individual is a tax inspector. Social role – honesty, decency, conscientiousness, diligence. This means that social status and social role are connected and complement each other.

If a person demonstrates exactly the opposite behavior, then we can talk about the absence of a relationship between social status and role.

Formation of social status

The status of an individual is formed in conjunction with his value system and whether this is approved in society. His profession, lifestyle, ethnicity, appearance, and relationships with other people can tell a lot about a person.

Elements of an individual’s social status can also be controlled by the people around him. How a person perceives himself and what others think about him are completely different things (or, in some cases, they may overlap).

For example, a person has his own business that brings him a lot of income. His main status is that of a businessman, a wealthy person. He can afford not to travel by public transport. Others may regard this as an attempt to rise up and demonstrate their own importance. Although, the businessman did not put such meaning into his decision, but simply cared about personal comfort or saving time.

The formation of a high social status in society is created by the following components:

• level of material security;
• education;
• prestige in society;
• level of power;
• the ability to preserve and increase your wealth.

How does status affect society?

A person’s high social status gives him the opportunity to influence the development of society, history, and bring something of his own into life. People with low social status can distort social indicators (level of intelligence, education, culture) for the worse.

How does status affect relationships?

People interested in relationships usually pay attention to the social status of their future partner. They would be more willing to enter into a relationship with an entrepreneur, a lawyer, that is, with a person of higher social status. Unemployed people or people in low-level positions will be less in demand.

Cultural differences around the world

Medieval Europe

Status in medieval Europe was based primarily on ascription. People born into the nobility were likely to maintain a high position, while people born into the peasant class were likely to remain in a low position. This political system is known as feudalism and does not allow for significant social mobility.

Feudalism in Latin America

In Bolivia, there used to be advertisements in newspapers claiming to be selling land, animals and peasants. Peasants were not necessarily slaves, but belonged to their own social class and were required to work because they were tied to the land they lived on and farmed. Such social interaction is based mainly on people's strong belief in tradition and upholding the actions of the past. In 1971, Ernesto Laclau made the argument that Latin America was feudalistic or capitalist. He determined that the social system was very different from the capitalist system in Europe and the United States, and therefore Latin America would be more closely associated with the feudal approach to social interaction.

Caste system

The formation of hierarchy differs from the polarities of both given and achieved status. In caste systems, ascription is the irreducible basis of status. Traditional society in South Asia and other parts of the world such as Egypt, India and Japan consisted of castes. Each group was limited to certain activities. Low-paying occupations such as garbage collection were reserved for one caste, whose members were excluded from other professions. Accordingly, highly skilled occupations such as priest or goldsmith were reserved for another caste.

However, some people managed, through talent and luck, to rise above their caste. For example, a soldier's greater ability was often a way to achieve higher status.

Types of social statuses

There are 3 groups described in the table below.

Additional classifications:

• There is also such a thing as personal status - the position a person occupies in a small group (does not depend on personal qualities).
• The main status determines the main thing in a person’s life (careerist, businessman, family man).
• Episodic status affects the details of a person's behavior (listener, learner, buyer).

Sometimes there is such a concept as ascriptive social status. This status is prescribed to a person by society; the position occupied by the individual is relegated to the background. For example, a woman raises a child alone. She may be a happy, successful, attractive woman. But for society she is a miserable loser, a divorcee.

Examples of social status

A striking example of a person’s social status is the life path of Michael Jackson. His natural status is that of an African-American boy, born into a poor, large family. Achievable – a creative figure known throughout the world.

Another example of social status is a girl doctor. She achieved this status through her personal efforts. A narrower and more knowledgeable circle of people knows that this girl is an avid book lover. Her innate basic status is daughter, sister, granddaughter, resident of the Pskov region. Over time, she will acquire a new family status as a bride, then a wife, and a mother.

How to determine social status

Determination of social status and prestige is carried out according to characteristics characteristic of a particular society (nationality, skills, age, level of education).

Social status is determined only by comparing a person with other members of society. This shows the place of the individual in a hierarchical culture.

You can also determine social status using the following criteria:

1. The presence or absence of property.
2. The level of a person's material income.
3. Image, lifestyle.
4. The participation of the individual in the social labor system, his place in this system.
5. Qualities of a person as a consumer.
6. A person’s attitude to the political system, his place in this hierarchy.
7. General level of culture and education.
8. Nationality.

How to increase social status and is it possible?

Social status is not static, it changes throughout life, so a person may well achieve its improvement. For example, a person can move to a higher-paying position, move to a more prestigious area, or start leading a healthier lifestyle.

But there are also categories that a person cannot influence. This is his origin, parents, nationality.

An important factor in increasing social status is ambition and desire. Such qualities as perseverance, competence, determination, and self-organization will be useful. If you do nothing, you won’t be able to improve your status.

To change your social status, it is important to learn to quickly adapt, adapt to surrounding circumstances, and adjust to them. This will help a person gain a foothold on what has been achieved and accept new things directly into his life. You should also take care of:

• attractive appearance, neatness, neatness;
• maintaining posture (a hunched, stooped person will never give the impression of success);
• developing a sense of humor (helps solve complex, conflict situations, maintain a sense of self-confidence);
• building self-confidence and consistently high self-esteem.

Have you or your loved ones managed to increase their social status? Share your stories in the comments and inspire positive change in our readers.

Bibliography

• Linton, Ralph (1936). Human Research: An Introduction
  . online edition
• Stark, Rodney (2007). Sociology
  (10th ed.). Thomson Wadsworth. ISBN 978-0-495-09344-2.
• Wise, M. (2005). Cultural capital, habits, and sense of belonging in medical school: The influence of ascribed and achieved status
  . online edition
• Rose, Peter (1982). Sociology: the study of society
  (2nd ed.). St Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-73984-2.
• Shepard, John; Robert W. Green (2003). Sociology and you
  . Ohio: Glencoe McGraw-Hill. S. A-22. ISBN 0-07-828576-3. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.

• McDonagh, Eileen (1982). "To Work or Not to Work: The Differential Impact of Achieved and Received Status on Women's Political Participation." 26
  : 280–297. JSTOR 2111040.

Status development systems

Systems of development of achieved social statuses are vertical and horizontal.

An example of vertical development: a person trained as a lawyer, became a famous and sought-after lawyer (the person can boast of a higher position in society, the degree of influence on society).

An example of horizontal development: a man worked as an ordinary doctor, received the position of head of the cardiology department (his social role changed, but his environment remained the same).

Social status in life

If anyone doesn’t know what is better to choose - to strive to occupy a certain status or to “forget” everyone and just live, I will clarify one more important point: a person with social status is one who is controlled by others (the crowd). Because, as I wrote above, today the situation can change quickly.

Any group of people needs, at a minimum, an organizer, and at a maximum, a leader - a person who will be responsible for everything. This is where a social hierarchy begins to form, where someone occupies a higher or lower position.

This means that a person who wants to succeed with a group must become someone who can make a significant contribution to achieving their goals. If you are not able to give people at least something, no one will follow you, which means that no one needs you.

As it was said in the TV series "House": "When a person is such a bastard, he is either a genius or unemployed." Accordingly, someone with a position in the group must say and do what others want to hear and see from him. Or be a genius who can be forgiven for everything. But, in any case, he is a “slave of the lamp” who must fulfill the wishes of the crowd or at least a separate group.

Therefore, single people can feel real freedom, without having any responsibility to others, and say whatever they want... but really, only in front of the mirror. In general, as someone said: “the real prison is only in the head”

The importance of having or not having a position in society is nothing more than an illusion. You need to live the way it’s convenient, the rest doesn’t matter

For example, Pierce Brosnan, when he starred in Bond, gave up on everyone and just started spending money. Of course, he’s still filming now, but he doesn’t have his former glory, but he has a lot of money. And there are plenty of such examples.

The influence of social status in society

So, now the most important thing is that in order to live happily, is it necessary to occupy a certain position in society? Not really, provided you don't mind the isolation.

The fact is that people at the genetic level are structured in such a way that in order to survive they need social groups and individuals who can lead them. This is a kind of shifting responsibility and searching for like-minded people.

To make it clearer, I will give an example from YouTube:

That is, in life, people, just like on FB or VK, are divided into groups of like-minded people. The intelligentsia unites with the intelligentsia, quitters with quitters, dummies with dummies, hard workers with hard workers, and so on. There they hear only what they like, and anyone who disagrees is sent to a “ban.”

At the same time, there have always been “lone wolves”. But a loner is a person who does everything himself. In ancient times, this required being able to chop wood, build a hut, and shoot a deer. Today, a single person should be able to sit through a working day in the office, pay for utilities and go to Pyaterochka.

Therefore, everyone is free to determine for themselves the importance of social status. There are people for whom universal recognition is more important than air, and there are those who don’t care about anyone, just to live to see their salary

In general, the 21st century has given us complete freedom, and everyone lives as they want.

The influence of social status in relationships

Many people complain that women are materialistic. In fact, men are not inferior in prudence, they just complain about girls more. But speaking to the point: a couple, a civil relationship or a family is also a group, just a very small one. Therefore, at the genetic level, the same structure of relationships operates as during the formation of large social communities.

Therefore, in order for things to go easier when communicating with girls, you need to find friends either from your social circle, or “throw dust in your eyes.”

I suggested slightly changing the format of my “resume” - to say that he is an entrepreneur, an IT specialist, and since he is in demand, he works with different people. Now he has launched two of his projects and plans to develop further. That is, he didn’t lie, he even has an individual entrepreneur, but he presented who he is a little differently. After all, it’s one thing to be an IT specialist, and another to be a seller and freelancer. In general, it worked.

Well, if someone doesn’t want to strive for social status for the sake of a relationship, Pornhub can help him. Because men love beautiful girls. And women spend time, effort and money on beauty in order to be able to choose those who have more influence on society.