Test questions and assignments

• 1. What do you mean by the concept of personality and what definitions of personality exist IN SOCIOLOGY?
• 2. Draw a line between the concepts of “person”, “individual”, “individuality” and “personality” and identify the connection between them.
• 3. Answer the question “Who am I?” using various indicators of personal and social identification (for example, citizen of Russia, Russian, student, athlete, etc.).
• 4. Prove that in Russian society the personality of an open society is being formed.
• 5. What social personality type would you like to belong to?

b. SOCIAL STATUS, SOCIAL ROLE AND SOCIALIZATION OF PERSONALITY

PERCEPTIONS ABOUT SOCIAL STATUS

The concept of “social status” was first used in science by an English philosopher and lawyer of the 19th century. G. Main. In sociology, the concept of status (from Lat. status- position, state) is used in different meanings. The dominant idea is of social status as the position of an individual or a social group in a social system, which is characterized by certain distinctive features (rights, responsibilities, functions). Sometimes social status refers to a set of such distinctive features. In ordinary speech, the concept of status is used as a synonym for prestige.

In modern scientific and educational literature social status defined as:

• the position of the individual in the social system, associated with certain rights, responsibilities and role expectations;
• the position of the subject in the system of interpersonal relations, which determines his rights, responsibilities and privileges;
• the position of the individual in the system of interpersonal relations, due to his psychological influence on group members;
• the relative position of the individual in society, determined by his functions, responsibilities and rights;
• the position of a person in the structure of a group or society, associated with certain rights and responsibilities;
• an indicator of the position occupied by an individual in society;
• the relative position of an individual or social group in a social system, determined by a number of characteristics characteristic of a given system;
• the position occupied by an individual or a social group in society or a separate subsystem of society, determined by characteristics specific to a particular society - economic, national, age, etc.;
• the place of an individual or group in the social system in accordance with their characteristics - natural, professional, ethnic, etc.;
• a structural element of the social organization of society, which appears to the individual as a position in the system of social relations;
• the relative position of an individual or group, determined by social (economic status, profession, qualifications, education, etc.) and natural characteristics (gender, age, etc.);
• a set of rights and responsibilities of an individual or social group associated with their performance of a certain social role;
• prestige characterizing the positions of an individual or social groups in a hierarchical system.

Each person in society performs certain social functions: students study, workers produce material goods, managers manage, journalists report on events taking place in the country and the world. To perform social functions, certain responsibilities are imposed on the individual in accordance with his social status. The higher a person’s status, the more responsibilities he has, the stricter the requirements of society or a social group for his status responsibilities, the greater the negative consequences of violating them.

Status set - it is a set of status positions that each individual occupies simultaneously. In this set, the following statuses are usually distinguished: ascriptive (assigned), achieved, mixed, main.

In traditional societies, the social status of an individual was relatively stable due to the class or caste structure of society and was secured by the institutions of religion or law. In modern societies, individuals' status positions are more fluid. However, in any society there are ascriptive (assigned) and achieved social statuses.

Assigned status - this is a social status received “automatically” by its bearer due to factors beyond his control - by law, birth, gender or age, race and nationality, consanguinity system, socio-economic status of parents, etc. For example, you cannot get married, participate in elections, or obtain a driver's license before reaching the required age. Ascribed statuses are of interest to sociology only if they are the basis for social inequality, i.e. influence social differentiation and social structure of society.

Achieved status is a social status acquired by its bearer through his own efforts and merits. Level of education, professional achievements, career, title, position, socially successful marriage - all this affects the social status of an individual in society.

There is a direct connection between ascribed and achieved social statuses. Achieved statuses are acquired mainly through competition, but some achieved statuses are largely determined by ascriptive ones. Thus, the opportunity to obtain a prestigious education, which in modern society is a necessary prerequisite for high social status, is directly related to the advantages of family origin. On the contrary, the presence of a high achieved status largely compensates for the low ascriptive status of an individual due to the fact that no society can ignore the real social successes and achievements of individuals.

Mixed social statuses have signs of being ascribed and achieved, but achieved not at the request of a person, but due to a combination of circumstances, for example, as a result of job loss, natural disasters or political upheavals.

Main social status An individual is determined primarily by a person’s position in society, his lifestyle, and manner of behavior. When talking about a stranger, we first ask: “What does this person do? How does he make a living? The answer to this question says a lot about a person, therefore in modern society the main status of an individual is, as a rule, professional or official.

Personal status manifests itself at the level of a small group, for example, a family, a work team, or a circle of close friends. In a small group, the individual functions directly and his status is determined by personal qualities and character traits.

Group status characterizes an individual as a member of a large social group as, for example, a representative of a nation, religion or profession.

Social status- a position occupied by a person in society and associated with certain rights and responsibilities. The term “status” entered sociology from the Latin language and originally in Ancient Rome meant the legal status of a legal entity. At the end of the 19th century. English historian G.D.S. Maine uses this term to denote the social position occupied by an individual in society. In modern sociology, social status- a position occupied by an individual or group in society in accordance with profession, socio-economic status, political opportunities, gender, origin, marital status. Social status characterizes the place of an individual in the system of social interactions and the assessment of his activities by society.

Since each person is characterized by several status characteristics, R. Merton introduced into sociology the concept of “status set”, used to designate the entire set of statuses of a particular individual. Status set- this is the entire set of statuses that characterize a given person in the variety of his interactions with other individuals on the issue of fulfilling his rights and responsibilities. In this totality, the main status of the individual is highlighted. The main status is the one that determines the attitude and direction of the individual, the content and nature of his activities, lifestyle, behavior, and circle of acquaintances.

In sociology, it is customary to distinguish between two statuses – personal and social. Social status- This is the position occupied objectively by a person in society. It is determined by the responsibilities and rights that society gives an individual, regardless of his individual characteristics. Personal status- this is the position occupied by a person in a small group, determined by his individual qualities. Social status characteristics serve to introduce people to each other. Personal status is important in communication between well-known people, since personal characteristics are essential here. Depending on whether a person occupies a certain social position due to inherited characteristics (gender, race, nationality) or due to his own efforts, two types of statuses are distinguished: prescribed and achieved. Prescribed status- a status in society that an individual occupies regardless of his consciousness, desires, will, aspirations and over which he has no control. Achieved status- a social position that a person acquires through his own efforts. Therefore, the achieved status is the individual’s reward for his talent, work, determination, or is a consequence of his failures.

The most important dimensions of status are prestige and power. Prestige– a set of qualities that are subject to high social evaluation. Prestige indicates that a social object belongs to a limited group and its high significance in social life. In society, individuals are endowed power depending on its level and limitations, they occupy a certain position in society. An individual acquires power either due to his involvement in government government structures or because he has acquired high authority.

The word “status” came to sociology from the Latin language. In Ancient Rome it denoted the state, the legal status of a legal entity. At the end of the nineteenth century. the British historian Maine gave it sociological significance.

Status is a certain position in the social structure of a group or society, connected to other positions through a system of rights and responsibilities. Social status is the general position of an individual or social group in society, associated with a certain set of rights and obligations.

Any person holds several positions as he participates in various groups and organizations. Each person is thus characterized by a status set (the term was introduced by R. Merton). Status set is the totality of all statuses occupied by a given individual.

Social status provides certain rights and opportunities and obliges a lot. With the help of statuses, relationships between people are ordered and regulated. Social statuses are reflected both in external behavior and appearance - clothing, jargon, manners, and in the internal position of the individual - attitudes, value orientations, motives. Each status requires and gives people the opportunity to achieve social expectations of people from their modification, if it does not create conditions for the implementation of these expectations. In this sense, the famous Polish sociologist F. Znaniecki (1882-1958) is right, who believed that the sociologist must take the human individual not only as he “really is” organically and psychologically, but as he is “made” by others and by himself in them and his own experience of social life.

From a sociological point of view, in an individual, his social position and function are primary. The organic and psychological characteristics of an individual, according to Znaniecki, are simply the material from which a social personality is formed in the process of education and self-education. The social status of an individual influences his behavior. Knowing the social status of a person, you can easily determine most of the qualities that he possesses, as well as predict the actions that he will carry out. In the process of interaction with other individuals, each person performs certain social functions that determine his social status. However, despite the fact that the behavior of an individual is largely determined by the status that he occupies and the roles that he plays in society, he (the individual) nevertheless retains his autonomy and a certain freedom of choice. And although in modern society there is a tendency towards unification and standardization of personality, its complete leveling, fortunately, does not occur.

An individual has the opportunity to choose from a variety of social statuses and roles those that allow him to better realize his plans and make the most effective use of his abilities. Any role prescription outlines only a general pattern of human behavior, preserving for him the opportunity to choose the ways of its implementation.

In the multitude of statuses that a person has in the system of social connections, general (universal) statuses play a special role. The first is the status of a person, his rights and obligations. Another general status is the status of a member of a given society, state (citizen). General statuses are the foundation of a person’s status position. The remaining statuses are considered special, that is, they differentiate a particular society.

1. Types of statuses. Their characteristics and differences

An important characteristic of each status is the range and freedom of other statuses. In any society there is a certain hierarchy of statuses, which represents the basis of its stratification. Certain statuses are prestigious, others are the opposite. Prestige is society’s assessment of the social significance of a particular status, enshrined in culture and public opinion.

This hierarchy is formed under the influence of two factors:

- the real usefulness of the social functions that a person performs;

A value system characteristic of a given society.
If the prestige of any status is unreasonably overestimated or, conversely, underestimated, it is usually said that there is a loss of status balance. A society in which there is a tendency to lose this balance cannot function normally.

A distinction is made between ascribed (innate) and achieved (acquired) statuses. A person receives the assigned status automatically - based on ethnic origin, place of birth, family status - regardless of personal efforts (daughter, Buryat, Volzhanka, aristocrat). The achieved status - writer, student, spouse, officer, laureate, director, deputy - is acquired through the efforts of the person himself with the help of certain social groups - family, brigade, party.

The ascribed status does not coincide with the innate one. Only three social statuses are considered natural: gender, nationality, race. Negro is an innate status that characterizes a race. Man is an innate status that characterizes gender. Russian is an innate status that determines nationality. Race, gender and nationality are given biologically; a person inherits them against his will and consciousness.

Recently, scientists have begun to question whether birth status even exists if gender and skin color can be changed through surgery. The concepts of biological sex and socially acquired sex appeared.

When parents are of different nationalities, it is difficult to determine what nationality the children should be. They often decide for themselves what to write in their passport.

Age is a biologically determined trait, but it is not an innate status, since during the course of a person’s life he moves from one age to another and people expect very specific behavior from a specific age category: from young people, for example, they expect respect for their elders, from adults - to care for children and old people.

The kinship system has a whole set of ascribed statuses. Only some of them are natural born. These include the statuses: “son”, “daughter”, “sister”, “nephew”, “grandmother” and some others that express blood relationship. There are also non-blood relatives, the so-called legal relatives, who become due to marriage, adoption, etc.

Achieved status. Significantly different from the ascribed status. If the ascribed status is not under the control of the individual, then the achieved status is under control. Any status that is not automatically given to a person by the very fact of birth is considered attainable.

A person acquires the profession of a driver or engineer through his own efforts, preparation and free choice. He also acquires the status of world champion, doctor of science or rock star thanks to his own efforts and enormous work.

The achieved status requires independent decisions and independent actions. The status of a husband is achievable: in order to get it, a man makes a decision, makes an official proposal to his bride and performs a lot of other actions.

Achieved status refers to positions that people occupy due to their efforts or merit. “Graduate student” is a status that university graduates achieve by competing with others and demonstrating outstanding academic achievements.

The more dynamic a society is, the more cells in its social structure are designed for the achieved statuses. The more achieved statuses in a society, the more democratic it is.

Statuses can also be formalized or informal, which depends on whether a particular function is performed within formalized or informal social institutions and, more broadly, social interactions (for example, the statuses of a plant director and a leader of a company of close comrades).

Social status is the relative position of an individual or group in a social system. The concept of social status characterizes the place of an individual in the system of social relations, his activities in the main spheres of life and the assessment of the individual’s activities by society, expressed in certain quantitative and qualitative indicators (salary, bonuses, awards, titles, privileges), as well as self-esteem.

Social status in the meaning of the norm and social ideal has great potential in solving problems of socialization of the individual, since the orientation towards achieving a higher social status stimulates social activity.

If a person misunderstands his own social status, then he is guided by other people's behavior patterns. There are two extremes in a person’s assessment of his social status. Low status self-esteem is associated with weak resistance to external influence. Such people are not confident in themselves and are more often prone to pessimistic moods. High self-esteem is often associated with activity, enterprise, self-confidence, and optimism in life. Based on this, it makes sense to introduce the concept of status self-esteem as an essential personality trait, irreducible to individual functions and actions of a person.

Personal status is the position that a person occupies in a small (or primary) group, depending on how he is assessed by his individual qualities.

Social status plays a dominant role among strangers, and personal status among familiar people. Acquaintances constitute the primary, small group. When introducing ourselves to strangers, especially employees of any organization, institution, or enterprise, we usually name our place of work, social status and age. For people we know, it is not these characteristics that are important, but our personal qualities, that is, informal authority.

Each of us has a set of social and personal statuses because we are involved in many large and small groups. The latter include family, a circle of relatives and acquaintances, a school class, a student group, an interest club, etc. In them, a person can have high, medium or low status, that is, be a leader, independent, outsider. Social and personal statuses may or may not coincide.

Mixed status. Sometimes it is very difficult to determine what type a particular status belongs to. For example, being unemployed is not a position that most people aspire to. On the contrary, they avoid him. Most often, a person finds himself unemployed against his will and desire. The reason is factors beyond his control: the economic crisis, mass layoffs, the ruin of a company, etc. Such processes are not under the control of an individual. It is in his power to make efforts to find a job or not to do so, accepting the situation.

Political upheavals, coups d'etat, social revolutions, wars can change (or even cancel) some statuses of huge masses of people against their will and desire. After the October Revolution of 1917, former nobles turned into emigrants, remained or became officials, engineers, workers, teachers, losing the ascribed status of a nobleman, which had disappeared from the social structure.

Dramatic changes can also occur at the individual level. If a person becomes disabled at the age of 30, his socio-economic situation has changed significantly: if previously he earned his own bread, now he is completely dependent on state assistance. It is difficult to call it an achieved status, since no one wants to become disabled of their own free will. He could be considered imputed, but a 30-year-old cripple is not disabled from birth.

The title of academician is at first an achieved status, but later it turns into an ascribed one, since it is considered lifelong, although not inheritable. The cases described above can be classified as mixed status. A person who has received a doctorate cannot pass it on to his son, but he may enjoy certain benefits if he decides to pursue a scientific path. If socio-demographic restrictions are imposed on the occupation of a particular position, then it thereby ceases to act as a position. There are also formal and informal statuses, basic and episodic, independent and dependent statuses.

2. Social status of the individual. Its structure

In a set of statuses, there is always a main one (the most characteristic for a given individual, by which others identify him or with which he is identified). The main status determines the way of life, the circle of acquaintances, and the manner of behavior.

The hierarchy and prestige of statuses depends on the real significance of certain functions for the development of society, the reproduction of its basic structures and on the system of values, the scale of preferences, taken into account in a given culture when “weighing” social functions.

The social status of an individual consists of income, social prestige, level of education and political influence. Status is the basic element of social structure. As elements of the structure, statuses are empty cells. The people who fill them bring variety and fluidity. The status is furnished with honors, symbols and privileges corresponding to its rank. The higher the rank, the more privileges. Status requires from a person socially approved behavior, the implementation of certain rights and responsibilities, adequate role behavior, and finally, identification, that is, psychological identification of oneself with one’s status. In general, when we talk about ranking statuses, we primarily mean the prestige of the functions assigned to a given status. Prestige, in essence, is a hierarchy of statuses shared by society and enshrined in culture, in public opinion. The social prestige of status plays a huge role in the distribution of social desires, plans, and energy (especially among young people). In this zone, special social tension is created; the most active, prepared, and ambitious members of society are concentrated. And in this regard, the prestige of a particular status has a significant impact on self-perception and affirmation of one’s own “I”. Education in the modern world plays an integrative role in the formation of social communities and the formation of an interacting personality. Education is the leading motive in every activity. Investments in quality education significantly increase the strength of a country's economy. Education prepares ready-made models of behavior for humanity and makes it possible to develop them.

It is thanks to education that knowledge, information, and, consequently, opportunities are exchanged between layers of society, between groups, states, and people. Position in society determines the main status, which, as a rule, is based on position and profession. Profession serves as the most used, cumulative, integrative indicator of a status position - the type of work determines such “status resources” of a person as authority, prestige, and power. Of course, the status of the individual associated with work and profession is of particular importance. Although it should be noted that the status hierarchy may change. In the 90s, a person’s wealth, ownership of property and financial resources, and the opportunity to “live beautifully” began to emerge as leading statuses. In this situation, not qualifications, not skill, not creativity, but the possession of real estate and a bank account became the goal of a significant part of young people, who began to consider obtaining a specialty as an element or step in achieving significant material wealth. In this regard, it should be noted the importance of the individual’s real starting position, which influences his assessment of society, gives a certain point of view on the world, which largely determines further behavior. People from families with different social statuses have unequal conditions for socialization and unequal opportunities for education.

3. The influence of self-esteem on the social status of an individual

Self-esteem refers to the central formations of the personality, its core. Self-esteem is not something given, inherent in the individual. The formation of self-esteem itself occurs in the process of activity and interpersonal interaction.

Society greatly influences the formation of an individual’s self-esteem. A person’s attitude towards himself is the most recent formation in the system of his worldview. But, despite this (or perhaps precisely because of this), self-esteem has a particularly important place in the structure of personality.

Self-esteem develops through the gradual immersion (internalization) of external assessments expressing family requirements into a person’s requirements for himself. As self-esteem is formed and strengthened, the ability to assert and defend one’s position in life increases. A person’s personality is formed where he communicates and can manifest himself through his attitude to the world around him. The process by which a person becomes accustomed to acting in a certain social environment and in accordance with the norms of a given society has many aspects and continues throughout life. The main institutions of socialization are, first of all, the family and school, then the immediate social environment, then numerous so-called small groups, work collectives, where professional roles are formed. Through these channels, the individual is included in an integral social system by mastering the ideological and cultural values ​​of society. A significant stage in the socialization process is communication. It is possible to weigh the personal characteristics of a communication partner only on the basis of self-esteem, since it implies an assessment of oneself, one’s activities, one’s position in the group and one’s attitude towards other members of the group. The task of choosing a future profession and professional self-determination cannot be successfully solved without solving the broader task of personal self-determination, which includes building a holistic plan for life, self-projecting oneself into the future. It is important to emphasize the problem of self-awareness of one’s own individuality, uniqueness and dissimilarity from others, the formation of stable self-esteem and its broader construct - the self-concept. The formation, development and change of self-concept are determined by internal and external factors. The social environment (family, school, all groups in which the individual is included) has a strong influence on the formation of the self-concept. The influence of the family is strong not only during the period of earliest socialization, when the family is the only (or absolutely dominant) social environment of the child, but also in the future.

With age, the leading motive is the desire to establish oneself in the team, to gain authority, respect and attention. At the same time, those who value themselves highly make high demands in communication, trying to meet them. Self-esteem plays a very important role in managing one’s behavior; without it, it is difficult to determine one’s self in life. A person’s relationships with others, his criticality, self-demandingness, and attitude toward successes and failures depend on it. Self-esteem is closely related to the level of a person’s aspirations, that is, the degree of difficulty of the goals that he sets for himself. The discrepancy between a person’s aspirations and real capabilities leads to the fact that he begins to incorrectly evaluate himself, as a result of which his behavior becomes inadequate (emotional breakdowns, increased anxiety, etc. occur). People with low self-esteem are not confident in themselves, they have a poorly developed sense of self-esteem, they have difficulties communicating with other people, they are characterized by very modest goals and uncertainty about the possibility of achieving them.

A person with high self-esteem is independent, self-reliant and convinced of the success of any task entrusted to them. This self-confidence helps them stick to their opinions, allows them to defend their views and judgments in controversial situations, and makes them receptive to new ideas.

Self-confidence, along with a sense of self-worth, gives rise to conviction that one is right and courage to express one’s beliefs. This attitude and corresponding expectations provide them not only with a more independent status in social relations, but also with considerable creative potential and the ability for energetic and positive social actions. In group discussions, they usually take an active position and do not experience any particular difficulties getting close to new people.

Much of what a person does or refuses to do depends on the person's level of self-worth. Low self-esteem can be both a cause and a consequence of loneliness. They tend to attribute failures in communication to internal, self-blaming factors. Low self-esteem affects people's social behavior; they experience more social uncertainty and are less predisposed to take risks in social matters, and therefore are less inclined to establish new relationships or deepen existing ones. People who are aware of their own importance tend to spread an aura of satisfaction around themselves. They are less dependent on the support and approval of others because they have learned to stimulate themselves. Such people, with their enterprise and initiative, make the social mechanism rotate, and accordingly they receive a large share of the benefits provided by society.

Various approaches to studying a person’s social status are possible. The study of social status makes it possible to establish multidimensional relations of status as a category of sociology, psychology, ethnography and linguistics.

The most important, in our opinion, interdisciplinary characteristics of the concept of a person’s social status come down to the following provisions:

1) socially significant differences between people are of a biological and social nature and are typified in the system of social characteristics of the individual;

2) the social characteristics of an individual form a hierarchy in accordance with the values ​​of a certain community in a certain period;

3) the social characteristics of an individual are heterogeneous in various respects, are grouped into characteristic complexes and can be measured;

4) a person’s social status is revealed in role, distance and normative characteristics of behavior determined by socio-economic and cultural-ethical factors of social life;

Social status is the general position of an individual (group) in society, associated with certain rights and responsibilities. For example, the status of a doctor gives an individual the right to practice medicine and at the same time obliges the doctor to perform his functions and roles properly.

Each person has many social connections, performs various social functions and roles and has many social statuses. For example, an individual can simultaneously be: a child for his parents, a manager at work, a father for his children, a husband for his wife, etc.

Statuses can be prescribed - acquired by birth (nobleman, Russian, Odessa citizen, man, etc.) and acquired or achieved (teacher, prosecutor, wife, professor, etc.)

The statuses that a person has are in a certain hierarchy in terms of their importance for the person himself and in terms of social significance for others. For one person, statuses associated with work (profession) are more significant, for others - with family status, for others - with social activities, etc. General status plays a special role in the social position of an individual. This is an integral (main) indicator of an individual’s position in society or a social community. Such social statuses as “president of the country”, “regional governor”, ​​“academician”, etc. can be considered decisive in their social significance. For example, the status of the president of a country is recognized by all citizens of the country and by the world community. At the same time, the president can be a father, husband, son, etc., but for a narrower circle of people. General status has a significant impact on the social position not only of the individual who has this status, but also on the position of people from her immediate environment. For example, we say: “the president’s wife,” “the governor’s son,” “a fellow academician,” and thereby give additional significance to the people around the president (governor, etc.). Unscrupulous people from such an “environment” often use their position for selfish purposes.

A social role is a model (pattern) of behavior that must meet the prescribed norms and expectations of others. These are certain actions that a person occupying a given status must perform. For example, we expect that a doctor will help a patient get rid of an illness, or a TV technician will repair a faulty TV. If a person, for one reason or another, does not adequately fulfill the roles determined by his status and does not live up to our expectations, then various sanctions can be applied to such a person.

For example, a manager may lose his position, parents - parental rights, etc.

Simultaneous performance of several roles can lead an individual to role conflicts. For example, it can be difficult for a working woman-mother to combine the roles of wife, mother, enterprise employee, housewife, etc. In such situations, the choice ultimately remains with the individual. It largely depends on personal priorities, dominant values ​​and prevailing circumstances. If family and everyday values ​​are a priority for a woman, then other social roles will be of secondary importance for her.

The social role must meet two main criteria: 1) functional feasibility; 2) meet the sociocultural expectations of people. Both of these criteria are interrelated.

In some cases, one of the criteria may play a dominant role, in others, both are considered equivalent. For example, the role of the king in a constitutional monarchy is assessed primarily from the point of view of its sociocultural (traditional) significance, since in pragmatic terms it is small; the role of the police in modern Russian society, on the contrary, is assessed from the point of view of its functional necessity, since in sociocultural terms it does not live up to the expectations of Russian citizens; The role of the President of the Russian Federation can currently be assessed according to both criteria.

Functional feasibility is determined not only from a pragmatic position (effective - ineffective), but also from the position of the social significance of a particular role. Social significance consists of the material and moral stimulation of the role and the personal self-esteem of the individual playing this role. For example, if a policeman (teacher, doctor, etc.) is not able to support his family on his salary, then both the assessment of his role in society and self-esteem will be appropriate.

People's sociocultural expectations largely depend on traditional culture, on the level of development of society and on the priorities existing in society and the state. For example, in some cultures (societies) official polygamy is prohibited, in others it is considered almost an indicator of a man’s wealth. In some cultures, having many children is considered the norm, in others it is the exception. Taking into account cultural traditions and social priorities, each society develops its own role expectations.

Living in society, one cannot be free from it. Throughout life, a person comes into contact with a large number of other individuals and groups to which they belong. Moreover, in each of them he occupies his specific place. To analyze a person’s position in each group and society as a whole, they use concepts such as social status and Let’s take a closer look at what it is.

Meaning of the term and general characteristics

The word “status” itself dates back to Ancient Rome. Then it had more of a legal connotation, rather than a sociological one, and denoted the legal status of an organization.

Nowadays, social status is a person’s position in a particular group and society as a whole, giving him certain rights, privileges, as well as responsibilities in relation to other members.

It helps people interact better with each other. If a person of a certain social status does not fulfill his duties, then he will be held responsible for it. Thus, an entrepreneur who sews clothes to order will pay a penalty if the deadlines are missed. In addition, his reputation will be ruined.

Examples of the social status of one person are a schoolboy, son, grandson, brother, member of a sports club, citizen, and so on.

This is determined by his professional qualities, material and age, education and other criteria.

A person can simultaneously belong to several groups at once and, accordingly, play not one, but many different roles. That's why they talk about status sets. It is unique and individual for each person.

Types of social statuses, examples

Their range is quite wide. There are statuses received at birth, and others acquired during life. Those that society ascribes to a person, or those that he achieves through his own efforts.

The basic and passing social status of a person is distinguished. Examples: the main and universal one, in fact, is the person himself, then comes the second - this is the citizen. The list of main statuses also includes consanguinity, economic, political, and religious. The list goes on.

Episodic - a passerby, a patient, a strike participant, a buyer, an exhibition visitor. That is, such statuses for the same person can change quite quickly and repeat periodically.

Prescribed social status: examples

This is what a person receives from birth, biologically and geographically given characteristics. Until recently, it was impossible to influence them in any way and change the situation. Examples of social status: gender, nationality, race. These set parameters remain with a person for life. Although in our progressive society they have already taken aim at changing gender. So one of the listed statuses to some extent ceases to be prescribed.

Most of what is related to kinship relationships will also be considered as prescribed father, mother, sister, brother. And husband and wife are already acquired statuses.

Achieved status

This is what a person achieves himself. By making efforts, making choices, working, studying, each individual ultimately comes to certain results. His successes or failures are reflected in the way society assigns him the status he deserves. Doctor, director, company president, professor, thief, homeless person, tramp.

Almost everyone who achieves has their own insignia. Examples:

• for the military, security forces, internal troops - uniform and shoulder straps;
• doctors wear white coats;
• people who have broken the law have tattoos on their bodies.

Roles in society

A person’s social status will help to understand how this or that object will behave. We constantly find examples and confirmation of this. Expectations in the behavior and appearance of an individual depending on his membership in a certain class are called social role.

Thus, the status of a parent obliges him to be strict but fair to his child, to bear responsibility for him, to teach, to give advice, to prompt, to help in difficult situations. The status of a son or daughter is, on the contrary, a certain subordination to parents, legal and material dependence on them.

But, despite some patterns of behavior, every person has a choice of what to do. Examples of social status and its use by an individual do not fit one hundred percent into the proposed framework. There is only a scheme, a certain template, which each individual implements according to his abilities and ideas.

It often happens that it is difficult for one person to combine several social roles. For example, a woman’s first role is a mother, wife, and her second role is a successful businesswoman. Both roles require an investment of effort, time, and full dedication. A conflict arises.

An analysis of the social status of an individual and an example of his actions in life allow us to conclude that it reflects not only the internal position of a person, but also affects his appearance, manner of dressing and speaking.

Let's look at examples of social status and the standards associated with it in appearance. Thus, the director of a bank or the founder of a reputable company cannot appear at work in sweatpants or rubber boots. And the priest should come to church in jeans.

The status that a person has achieved forces him to pay attention not only to appearance and behavior, but also to choose a place of residence and education.

Prestige

Not the least role in the destinies of people is played by such a concept as prestige (and positive, from the point of view of the majority, social status). We can easily find examples in the questionnaire that all students write before entering higher education institutions. They often make their choice based on the prestige of a particular profession. Nowadays, few boys dream of becoming an astronaut or pilot. And once upon a time it was a very popular profession. They choose between lawyers and financiers. This is how time dictates.

Conclusion: a person develops as an individual in the process of mastering different social statuses and roles. The brighter the dynamics, the more adapted to life the individual will become.