What does the status of a person mean. Social role and social status. Ideas about social status

R. Merton

Social status is:

2) achieved (attainable), that is, one that a person himself achieves during his life, making certain efforts (profession, material wealth, political influence, etc.

etc.). Sometimes a person can have a mixed social status, but most often a person has several statuses, since he is a subject of different social groups (for example, a man is a boss at work, and at home he is a kind and caring father). But still, basically, the social status of a person and his position in society are determined by one, the most basic status. In most cases, it is determined by the place of work.

It is important to learn the following:

Social statuses, their types

In everyday conversation, the word “status” is used to refer to an individual's position as determined by his economic position, influence and prestige. A person is social, he interacts with various social groups. Entering simultaneously about many social groups, he occupies a different position in each of them. To analyze the degree of inclusion of an individual in various groups, as well as, provisions, cat. he takes in each of them, use the concept of social status. Status is understood as the social position of a person within a group or society, associated with certain of his rights and responsibilities, this is the rank or position of an individual in this group. ... It is with the help of statuses that we identify each other in various social structures. Mother, mayor, priest, friend, boss, man, captain, child, Yakut, customer, professor and convict - all these are statuses.

Social status is a characteristic of a social position, the presence of an internally meaningful side of status means that the SS characterizes which rights, duties, privileges, powers are assigned to those who perform a particular function. The presence of an external nominational form means that the SS has its own nomination: teacher, doctor, president, cleaner, grandfather, daughter, etc. In sociology, it is important that the status of a daughter is not just the status of family ties, but also a certain subordination to parents, the obligation to listen to their opinion, material, legal dependence on them. The total sum of all statuses - a status set - illustrates the individuality of a person and his place in the system of social relations, the totality of all statuses is organized in hierarchical rows (they are in communication and subordination to each other). Types of statuses: 1. congenital acquired, congenital - attributed (nationality, gender, race), i.e. status inherited from birth, innate is called ascribable (ascriptive). The generally accepted criteria for attributed status are age and gender. For example, it is illegal to obtain a driver's license, get married, vote or receive a pension before reaching the required age. Race, religion, family and socioeconomic background are also generally accepted grounds for determining the status of a person.

We obtain other statuses through individual choice and competition, these are 2.

achieved (acquired) The status acquired by an individual in society through his own efforts is called achieved. No society can ignore the difference in individuality, so the success or failure of an individual is reflected in giving him a certain status based on a specific achievement. Professor, choir conductor, doctor, actor, university student, priest, police officer, pickpocket, company president, coach and scuba diver are all examples of the status achieved. There are statuses 3. statuses associated with the kinship system, some kinship statuses are acquired (adoption, baptism). Statuses can be formalized and non-formalized: formalized ones are protected by law (plant director, regional governor), such a status arises within the framework of formal institutions, groups, therefore a person seeks to "defend himself" by a formal status, non-formalized statuses are not based on laws (the leader of a company of friends, informal team leader). In addition to the main status associated with the profession, it is appropriate to say about the generalized status, otherwise called. social position index - a holistic assessment of the social positions of both one's own and others in the system of social coordinates.

Of the many statuses, first of all, it is necessary to determine the main status, what exactly self-determines a person socially. Of particular importance in this is the status of the individual associated with work, profession, property status is of considerable importance. However, in the conditions of an informal company of friends, these signs may be of secondary importance - here the cultural level, education, sociability can play a decisive role. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish between the basic, general hierarchy of personality statuses, cat. works in most situations in a given society, and specific, used in special conditions, for special people. So, the main status is a key status that determines the social position and value of a person, associated with certain of his rights and obligations. For children, the main status is age; likewise, in many societies, gender is the main status. The main status forms the framework within which our goals are formulated and our training takes place. Statuses in society are hierarchical, the accepted hierarchy of statuses is the basis of social stratification, social prestige (respect, recognition) of statuses and there is a hierarchy of statuses shared by society and enshrined in culture, public opinion... We share the prestige of status with society; any restructuring of social institutions is associated with changes in the hierarchy of status.

Each person in society has a certain relationship, performs certain duties and has certain rights. All this is an indicator of the position in society that a person occupies and his social status that she possesses. Social status determines the position of the group and its members in certain areas of human life.

The position of a person in society is determined by his profession, nationality, age, marital status. (All these defining R. Merton called "status set.") One person has many statuses, as he participates in many groups and organizations. He is a man, father, husband, son, teacher, professor, doctor of science, middle-aged man, member of the editorial board, Orthodox, etc. One person can hold two opposite statuses, but in relation to different people: for his children he is a father , but for his mother a son.

Social status is:

1) prescribed (attributed), that is, the one that a person receives regardless of his desire and most often from birth (gender, nationality, age);

2) achieved (attainable), that is, the one that a person himself achieves during his life, making certain efforts (profession, material wealth, political influence, etc.). Sometimes a person can have a mixed social status, but most often a person has several statuses, since he is a subject of different social groups (for example, a man is a boss at work, and at home he is a kind and caring father).

Social role and social status.

But still, basically, the social status of a person and his position in society are determined by one, the most basic status. In most cases, it is determined by the place of work.

To determine the social status of a person, it is of great importance to assess the existing positions in the society in which a person lives, to determine the prestige and authority of these positions.

Social status is a certain position in the social structure of a group or society, linked to other positions through a system of rights and obligations. The status "teacher" is only meaningful in relation to the status "student", but not in relation to the seller, pedestrian or engineer. For them, he is just an individual.

With the help of social status, relations in a group are regulated, norms and rules of behavior for representatives of groups are established, which correspond to a certain status.

In different epochs of our society, the defining indicator was: under capitalism - income, money, under socialism - the labor contribution of the worker. Fulfilling certain duties, a person occupies a certain status in society and begins to fulfill those social roles in society that correspond to this social status.

It is important to learn the following:

1) social statuses are interconnected with each other, but do not interact with each other;

2) only subjects (owners, carriers) of statuses interact with each other, that is, people;

3) it is not statuses that enter into social relations, but their carriers;

4) social relations link statuses among themselves, but these relations are realized through people - bearers of statuses.

Status group and lifestyle

In reviewing the various definitions of status, I have so far focused on status as an individual's position in society. However, from a sociological point of view, status is much more interesting as an attribute of social groups or collectives. Therefore, we need to move from the definition of individual statuses to the notion of group status, community status and collective lifestyles. While the American sociological tradition has often focused on individual status The Weber tradition was more interested in the origins, maintenance and social consequences of status groups and status communities as cohesive and militant social collectives. In Economics and Society, Weber recognized the different meanings of status and prestige, but, in my opinion, only two aspects of status he considered particularly seriously. First, the concept of status as a system of "estates" through which society (especially the feudal system) was divided on the basis of legal, social and cultural privileges that gave rise to different caste-like groups divided among themselves. Status groups transform into estates when their privileges crystallize into a system of legal and economic immunities arising from external control or regulation protected by custom, religion and law.

Secondly, Weber was interested in analyzing the historical and social functions of status groups or status communities, which are collectives that have a similar lifestyle, a common moral system, mutual language or culture, religious differences. As a result, these common cultural traits give rise to isolated, internally solidarity communities organized to protect or enhance their opportunities to enjoy cultural and social benefits and privileges. From this point of view, social stratification creates, maintains and distributes in society various forms power through the mechanisms of political monopoly, cultural reproduction and social exclusion. The idea that status differences are maintained through cultural exclusivity has been particularly developed in the sociology of culture by Pierre Bourdieu. From the point of view of these sociological approaches, we can deduce two corresponding concepts of status: status as a lifestyle (cultural status) and status as political and legal rights (civilian component of status).

Weber defined the status position (Stadische Lage) as an effective social claim to nobility (honor) or respect in the form of positive and negative privileges. Status is usually based on a specific lifestyle, formal training, or formal prestige arising from a particular occupation. Moreover, status is maintained and expressed through the ranking of living conditions and food, through the monopoly of privileged access to power and wealth, through social solidarity generated by marriage, and, finally, through certain customs and status conventions. By the status group, he understood a multitude of social actors (actors) who, in a wider social environment, successfully claim a specific honor and enjoy certain social privileges. Status groups are communities that have privileged access to limited resources, especially if those resources carry cultural, moral, or symbolic attributes.

Following Frank Parkin, we can note that status groups or communities tend to emerge from social and political usurpation, causing collective struggles to expand access to scarce resources and thereby strengthen the collective position of honor. Weber went on to compare economic classes and communities in terms of their internal solidarity and militancy. In contrast to economic classes, status groups are characteristic social collectives of a communal nature, which presupposes the reproduction of a typical lifestyle and cultural heritage. On the other hand, economic classes are simply aggregates of individuals linked together by exchange and other economic relations.

Social statuses and social roles

Consequently, status communities are organized as communities with the aim of protecting and strengthening their social privileges and rights.

The meaning of these formal definitions allowed Weber to undertake a series of comparative historical studies of social structure and social change. Weber wanted to show that economic wealth is not the only criterion for social power and influence. In addition, he wanted to explore societies in which prestige gained through education or culture was greater than power based on ownership of the means of production. For example, in his study of Chinese society, Weber emphasized the political and cultural status of the educated. He wrote that “for twelve centuries, social rank in China was determined more by professional qualifications than wealth. This qualification, in turn, was determined by education and especially by exam. China made education literally the only measure of social prestige, giving it a greater role than it did in Europe during the humanist period or in Germany. "

From Weber's point of view, this cultural stratum contributed to the strengthening of social stability and traditionalism in China, as there was a similarity between the Confucian ethics of the stratum and the lifestyle of civilian officials. In The Religion of India, Weber showed how religious beliefs about pollution played an important role in the organization and maintenance of the caste system. These examples highlight the fact that Weber preferred to conduct a historical study of power relations in human society rather than engage in formal development of conceptual distinctions between class, status and party. In subsequent sociology, Weber's emphasis on the importance of history was lost. But static categorization of different strata or segments is not a substitute for historical sociology.

Weber's development of the idea of ​​status groups was used to contrast the Marxist analysis of the economic class. Weber wanted to show that status groups are more cohesive, socially and politically more conscious than economic classes, which Weber defined as aggregates operating in the market. Status groups are critically dependent on the maintenance of an exceptional lifestyle aimed at maintaining certain cultural monopolies. Status groups seek to reproduce themselves through educational mechanisms in order to prevent social mobility of outsiders and to emphasize their exclusivity and particularism. It is useful to compare T. Weblen's book "The Leisure Class Theory" with Weber's interpretation of status groups:

“For Weber, as for Veblen, the function of prestigious consumption, that is to emphasize a pragmatically meaningless style of consumption requiring many years of study, was to prevent mobility and institutionalize the privileges of those who rose to the top in previous years or eras. ... Therefore, status groups are determined by a specific lifestyle. "

Thus, a status group is a community of individuals who have organized themselves to maintain or expand their social privileges through the mechanism social closure in order to protect existing monopoly privileges from outsiders. ... The existence of status groups inevitably causes social conflict and social strife, although these forms of social strife can often be disguised or hidden.

Conflict Sociology

One major controversy in sociology has arisen over the question of whether social relations are primarily characterized by agreement or conflict. Social consent theories seek to explain how social order is formed, they usually argue that social stability is created by shared values ​​and expectations. Conflict sociologists, on the other hand, are more impressed by the prevalence of conflict, tension and disorder than by spheres of agreement and consensus. If you look from our time, then many of these disputes now seem to be something unproductive, since at the level common sense it is clear that all social relationships generate both agreement and conflict at the same time. However, in the analysis of status groups and status struggles, there are strong arguments for the conflict sociology approach, since in this paper I argue that status, by its very nature, entails an endless struggle over the allocation of limited resources, especially cultural ones. Conflict sociology in its most elaborated form provides a general and theoretically important approach to social relations.

... The historical development of status stratification in the United States differed from the development of class systems in Europe in a number of important points... First of all, the United States did not inherit the feudal nobility, and migration played a key role in the formation of a sense of individual success as the main component of the value system, while the social system was organized into separate competing ethnic communities. These historical differences partly explain the difference in approaches to social stratification in American and European sociology. While European social theory was primarily interested in the role of economic classes in industrial society, American sociologists were more interested in studying the social mobility of individuals, analyzing the structure of occupations, and subjective perception of prestige.

In the American context, Weber's conflictual approach to status privilege has been transformed and overridden by the Warner School of Sociology. The concepts of "status" and "class" were merged, and the importance of conflict in shaping consciousness was ignored. Social stratification was now seen as a continuous gradation of positions that equated to ranking in prestige. Individuals were seen as moving through these ranked positions through their personal efforts; the notion of socially closed status groups seeking to monopolize resources was abandoned in favor of the image of America as a classless society with great opportunities for social mobility. The emphasis on class conflict and the competition of status groups, which are essential elements in the dynamic process of historical transformations of society (as we noted in the sociology of both Marx and Weber), was supplanted by the emphasis of consensus in the studies of communities by Warner's school and the structural-functionalist theory of stratification L Davis and W. Moore. Of course, these approaches to social stratification in American sociology ultimately came under wide criticism for, for example, the functionalist approach to status ignored significant inequalities, the role of interests generated by it, resource monopolization, and large-scale intergroup conflicts that take place in American life.

Having outlined the variety of definitions and approaches to status, I would now like to articulate my own approach more clearly. First, I especially emphasize the political and legal features of the concept of status. As I have already noted, in Latin this word originally meant a legal position or position in society, according to which a citizen could claim various forms of getting rid of political and tax obligations. Therefore, by status I mean, first of all, a complex of socio-political claims to society, which gives an individual (or, more sociologically speaking, a group) certain benefits and privileges, distinguishing him from other individuals or groups. These socio-political claims are about limited resources, especially education, culture and symbolic resources. This cultural aspect of status gives rise to a second dimension: the concept of status as a culturally specific lifestyle that distinguishes a status group with a special identity in society. V feudal societies access to privileges was organized exclusively through the estates (clergy, nobility and simple people), which had their own cultural and value systems. In a modern society, the struggle over social privileges and distinctive symbols is more mobile and open, it involves innumerable groups, collectives and strata.

By emphasizing the socio-political aspect, it is easier to maintain a clearer line between the status and the idea of ​​the economic class, since the class touches the system of economic inequality in society, using the categories of production, property and consumption. Therefore, I would prefer to use the concept of "economic class" as the equivalent of "social class". ... On the one hand, I want to distinguish between economic classes and status communities, and on the other hand, I believe that class and status analyzes are far from mutually exclusive things, they are most effectively used in combination ... My analysis of social stratification shows the economic structure of society (classes) , the distribution of legal rights (citizenship) and the organization of prestige and honor in terms of "cultural capital" (status as a culturally distinctive lifestyle).

Although the reader has probably already sensed that the idea of ​​status is surrounded by rather complex terminological complexities, for the sake of analysis, I introduce another distinction in this work: between status communities and status columns or blocks. A status community is, so to speak, the true form of a strong community (or, in sociological terms, the Gemeinschaft relationship); these are communities where individuals share common attributes such as language, culture or ethnicity over a relatively long period of time. For example, the Welsh community in South Australia or the Irish community in New York are, in my terminology, status communities of established, internally solidary collectives. Conversely, status columns or blocks are rather associations or organizations (Gesellschaft relationships) in which individuals create organizational structures to achieve specific goals, such as receiving benefits or tax benefits. An example of a status column is all persons belonging to incomplete households (with one parent) who claim benefits or other benefits in the welfare state. Other examples are associations of retirees, consumer advocacy groups, charities for disabled soldiers ... These are lobbying groups that often form associations in the name of protecting civil rights to pressure local or national governments. Thus, status columns appear to achieve very limited and possibly short-term political and social goals, while status communities tend to be stable, multidimensional, complex, primary groups.

Status columns or blocs become involved in status politics, which includes claims of social rights against the state by groups experiencing some discrimination and appealing to modern, universalist legislation. Since egalitarian universalism is the main criterion of modern democracies, citizens will experience different forms of inequality in terms of such characteristics of status as age, gender or nationality. Where these status columns become recipients of state aid, we have a status policy ... In the political and legal sense, I mean by status (a complex of social requirements for the public economy or the state) modern citizenship ...

B. Turner. Status (From the book: Bryan S. Turner. Status. Open University, Milton Keynes, 1988). / Translated from English. and edited by V.I. Ilyin. Available from URL: http://www.socnet.narod.ru/library/authors/Ilyin/hrest/terner.htm

L. Warner
Social class and social structure

Each person occupies a certain place in the group hierarchy. This place is called social status. Even if the society has an informal character and, it would seem, does not have a clear structure and hierarchy, all the same, the members of this society have different "weight", authority, attractiveness, level of power, etc. The difference in status plays an important role in the organization interpersonal relationships and in the existence of the group.

This concept in social psychology is close to such categories as authority, prestige, role, but it does not coincide with them in meaning and has significant differences. Social status is the position that a person occupies in society. On the one hand, it is determined by his personal qualities, on the other, by those functions that the individual performs in the group.

Social status as a reflection of the individual personality traits of a person

The main factor that determines the position of a person in the group hierarchy is his attractiveness to others. It is associated not with external, superficial features, but with those qualities that determine the level of the individual's usefulness for the group. So, a kind and sympathetic person may have a low social status, because he is too timid and lack of initiative or lazy and likes to shift responsibility onto others. And on the contrary, the individual's confidence in his abilities, activity, interest in the affairs of the group increases his status.

In different societies, status can depend on different qualities. For example, in professional teams, special knowledge and skills are of paramount importance. In informal teenagers' communities - self-confidence, courage and loyalty to the group; in the family - the ability to take care of others, the willingness to support, etc.

Status and social roles

The role behavior of the individual plays an important role in the formation of social status. Is a function of a person in a group, which includes a set of role behavior, responsibilities and human rights. A role is not a status, although it can influence him. And different roles can occupy different places in the group hierarchy. But at the same time, people playing the same roles in a group have different statuses. For example, students in the classroom, children in a large family, office employees - the role is the same, but the statuses are different.

However, the formation of social status is influenced by how a person performs his functions, that is, he plays the role assigned to him in the group. Therefore, it often happens that in the informal group hierarchy, the boss has a lower status than one of his subordinates.

Social status and authority

In psychology, authority is understood as the level of influence of a person on other members of the group. Authority can be formal and depend on the position of the individual. For example, the boss always has formal authority and has formal levers of power and control. He can provide a bonus or deprive it, appoint a vacation at a convenient or inconvenient time for a subordinate, demote or promote, etc.

Informal authority is associated with status, with the position that the individual occupies in the group hierarchy. High-status individuals often have more authority and real power than officially appointed officials. Because their right to power and control is based on the respect and support of other members of the group.

Types of social statuses

One and the same person can have different statuses, not only because he is a member of different groups, but also because there are several types of statuses, determined based on different factors.

Different types of items in the group hierarchy

There are many different approaches to classifying social status. This is often associated, for example, with the goals of a specific socio-psychological research or with some specific group. The types of positions in the hierarchical structure of the group indicated here are not the only ones, but they are generally accepted.

  • A given status is associated with characteristics that are not dependent on a person, but inherent in him: gender, age, nationality, etc. As a rule, the characteristics that form this type of status are of fundamental importance in the existence of a group, in a joint or associated with traditions.
  • Personal status is determined by the individual characteristics of a person:, and sphere, skills, knowledge and skills, and. This type of status is of greater importance in a small group and largely determines the place of a person in the system of interpersonal relations.
  • The attributed status is a position of a person given from the outside, practically independent of his conscious efforts. This type includes, for example, the statuses of a teenager, mother-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, pensioner, etc. The prescribed status is very close to the corresponding social role and may change over time.
  • Achieved status is a position in the group hierarchy that a person has achieved through their efforts or luck.

There is one more type of social statuses that should be discussed separately.

Sociometric statuses

Sociometry is one of the most popular methods in social psychology. This technique, authored by the American psychologist J. Moreno, allows you to build a hierarchical structure of a group and determine the status of its members.

The peculiarity of sociometric status is that it is based on the level of attractiveness of an individual for all other members of the group. Analyzing mutual preferences or choices, several positions in the group hierarchy can be distinguished:

  • Sociometric Stars are the members of the group with the highest number of choices. Although the stars have considerable authority in society, most often they are not - a good leader cannot be pleasant to everyone, since he often applies social sanctions. Those who occupy the top positions in the rating of attractiveness in their group may not have the qualities of a leader - sufficient firmness, etc.
  • Preferred or high-status are those people who have received a large number of elections, but less than a star. They are quite popular in the group, their position is stable, the leader usually counts on their support.
  • Low-status - group members who received 1-2 choices. In general, they can be satisfied with their position, as either they have at least one, but a devoted friend, or because they are part of a closed microgroup. But in group life, they do not enjoy authority and often hardly participate in it.
  • Isolated - subjects that no one has chosen. Moreover, they did not receive not only positive, but also negative elections. They do not exist at all, they are not noticed in the group. And this position is the most difficult in terms of emotional assessment. Being isolated is worse than being rejected or neglected.
  • Neglected - people who are rejected by most of the group members, or who have received many negative choices. Most often, the reason for their position is personal qualities and their own negativism. Often the neglected ones themselves provoke a negative reaction from the group so as not to be isolated.

Elucidation of sociometric statuses is useful for understanding group relationships, but it does not fully disclose the position of each person in the system of group activities. And yet sociometric statuses are associated with personal qualities, are stable and have a strong influence on her behavior in society. This explains the popularity of J. Moreno's technique.

Federal Agency for Education

State educational institution of higher professional education

Siberian Federal University

Department economics and Management

Speciality Organisation management

Discipline Sociology

Social status of a person, its types

Test

Supervisor:

E. Ya. Panova

(estimate, date)

Performed:

ZSM-06 group student

M.V. Maltseva

Achinsk, 2009

Plan

Introduction

    Personality

    1. Personality concept

      Personality structure

      Personality types

    Social status

    1. Social status concept

      Status analysis

    Varieties of social statuses of a person

    1. Prescribed statuses and roles

      Achievable statuses and roles

      Other statuses

Conclusion

Introduction.

The personality as a social being actually begins with a search for answers to the questions: who am I in the human world? what do I want to become? what awaits me along the way? Answers to such questions determine a person's understanding of the meaning of his life, his self-awareness as a subject of social processes, problems and collisions.

But sociology formulates these questions in a slightly different way, proceeding from the fact that society appears to a person as a huge world, consisting of an infinite number of social positions ("cells"), which are in constant self-renewing interactions. Entering the human world is entering a given coordinate system, mastering the skills and properties necessary for this, and striving to assert oneself in a certain social position.

And the first question that a person in the human world asks himself, from the point of view of sociology, sounds like this: what is my social position in the system of social interactions? What position am I applying for? In fact, this is the beginning of a "social drama", during which a person tries on society, selects options for behavior, and, in one way or another, masters the required qualities.

1. Personality

1.1 The concept of personality

Personality is, firstly, the systemic quality of the individual, explained by his involvement in social relations and manifested in joint activities and communication; secondly, the subject and product of social relations. A newly born child is not a person. He is an individual. To become a person, a person must go through a certain path of development. An indispensable condition for this development is biological, genetically given prerequisites and the presence of a social environment with which the child interacts.

Each personality has a set of internal qualities that make up its structure.

1.2 Personality structure

In the structure of personality, biogenic, psychogenic and sociogenic components can be distinguished.

The biogenic component is taken into account by sociologists only in the case of injury or illness of a person, which interferes with the performance of social functions.

The psychogenic component consists of emotions, experiences, volitional aspirations, memory, abilities, etc. Here, for the researcher, not only various kinds of deviations are important, but also the normal mental field of the individual's activity.

The sociogenic component consists of the following elements:

    Objective social needs of the individual (physiological, needs for security, employment, friendship, care, love, prestige);

    Creativity, knowledge, skills;

    The degree of mastery of the cultural values ​​of the society;

    Moral norms, principles by which a person is guided;

    A way of realizing all social qualities in activities, which is manifested in family life, work, socio-political, cultural activities, leisure - in a word, in a way of life.

The social structure of a person is unstable, changeable, because throughout his life a person receives new information, knowledge, changes his behavior, motivation of actions. That is why the sociogenic component of the personality is of the greatest interest to sociologists.

1.3 Personality types

Sociology, typologizing personality, tries to define a certain type of abstract personality, which most fully expresses the essence of a given society or group. According to the ideas of the famous social anthropologist R. Linton, in any society there are two main types of personality - normative - the one whose features best express a given culture, it is, as it were, the ideal of the personality of a given culture; modal is a statistically more common type of deviating variation. The more unstable society becomes (for example, in a crisis), the relatively more people become, whose social type does not coincide with the normative personality. The modal personality type is the subject of research by many scientists, who, in turn, create its classification. So, E.A. Anufriev believes that in Russian society, where a radical breakdown of the previously formed personality-typological structure is taking place, it is possible to distinguish so far as a modal, only trading type of personality and mafia, the widespread distribution of which will ultimately lead to the most serious consequences for Russia.

The American sociologist R. Dahrendorf created a rather interesting personality typology on the basis of Aristotle's term "homo politicus". He believes that a traditional society (primitive, slave-owning, feudal) is characterized by the type of homo faber - a working person - a peasant, a warrior, a politician; for modern Western society - homo consumer - a person is a consumer, a person of the mass; in the future, with the development of science, education, technology, homo universalis will develop - a person capable of engaging in various types of activity; Well, the society of the former socialist countries is characterized by homo soveticus - a person dependent on the state.

2. Social status

2.1 The concept of social status

Status - a stable position within the social system, associated with certain expectations, rights, responsibilities. The relative position of the individual in society.

Social status is the relative position of an individual in society, determined by functions, duties and rights. The status of a teacher makes sense only in relation to the positions of the student and the head of the school, and the latter - in connection with the position of the Minister of Education, the head of the city department of education, etc.

2.2 Status analysis

Each person in society performs certain functions. The function of the teacher is to educate students, the function of the media is to give an idea of ​​the events taking place in the country and the world. The military performs the function of defending the Motherland. To perform functions, certain responsibilities are imposed on a person in accordance with the status. The higher the status, the more duties are imposed on a person, the more stringent the requirements for status duties and the more punished their violations.

By imposing certain responsibilities on a person, society "pays" him with rights. These include income, benefits, prestige. The higher the status of a person, the higher his prestige, the better his financial situation. The position of an individual in the social hierarchy of statuses is called rank. Rank forms a status outlook. So, the poor often despise the rich, calling them thieves and robbers, the rich disdain the poor. Exceptions are made only for a few people who are well treated because of their personal status. An example can be cited with Mahatma Gandhi, mother Teresa, etc.

Status ranks are also determined by external insignia - symbols. These include skin color, facial expressions, gestures, clothing, language, demeanor, titles and titles. Thus, the uniform of the military allows them to stand out from the civilian population. But even among the military contingent there are insignia: shoulder straps, badges, headdress, color and uniform of clothing, dividing everyone into privates, middle officers and generals.

Each status has its own image. Image is an idea of ​​how a person of a certain status should look and behave. A banker cannot come to work in a quilted jacket and rubber boots, he can only wear them for fishing. The priest cannot conduct the liturgy in a cowboy shirt and jeans. Failure to comply with the image is punished by the loss of status positions.

One of the most important elements status is a social role - the behavior expected from a person of a certain status (according to N. Smelzer). For the first time, the role as a dynamic aspect of status was considered by R. Linton.

If roles are rigidly defined, where do capable and incapable teachers, brave and cowardly soldiers, talented and mediocre politicians come from? The role is standard, but it is played by people - individuals. Each of them explains the role to himself in his own way, performs it in different ways. The actual performance of the role of a person is called role behavior.

3. Varieties of social statuses of the individual.

Each person is included in many social institutions, interacting with other people for a different reason, performing different functions each time.

The world of statuses is very diverse, so we will consider only their typology.

3. 1 Prescribed statuses and roles.

prescribed status - the status that a person receives "automatically" at birth or after a lapse of time. This type includes statuses associated with gender, nationality, race, included in the systems of consanguinity and aristocratic titles. Example - woman, American, Caucasian, brother, duke, stepson

Since society is a complex entity, its institutions function effectively only if people perform a huge number of duties every day, strictly defined by intragroup and intergroup relations. The simplest way to achieve a consistent performance of responsibilities is to divide all activities into many prescribed roles and train each person from the moment of their birth with a predetermined set of roles. After the first role-based learning, which begins according to some criteria known as the “path to success”. Gender and age are universally used as the basis for role prescription. Race, nationality, class, and religion are also used in many societies as the basis for prescribed roles.

Although role-based learning is most often unconscious, it does not make it any less real. It is no coincidence that already from childhood, the main and most part of the processes of socialization of a person consists in teaching various types of social actions, both for men and women. Experience shows that years of separate education for boys and girls leads to the fact that in adulthood they have different abilities, feelings and preferences.

Most functions can be performed reasonably well by both women and men if they are socialized to accept their inherent tasks.

The definition of male and female roles is subjective and depends on the specific place and time. Every society has customs, traditions and norms related to the performance of male and female roles. Individuals can afford to circumvent certain elements of these traditions and customs, but they risk being alienated from society until they fulfill these roles in accordance with their gender.

The roles of men and women in society change over time. Women, for example, have become actively involved in the production process and have statuses that were previously considered masculine.

Prescribing roles in accordance with age is equally important for any society. The adaptation of individuals to constantly changing age and age status is an eternal problem. The individual does not have time to adapt to one age, as another one immediately approaches, with new statuses and new roles. Each age period is associated with favorable opportunities for the manifestation of human abilities, moreover, it prescribes new statuses and requirements for learning new roles. At a certain age, the individual may experience problems associated with adapting to new role status requirements.

In our society, unsuccessful socialization is especially noticeable in preparation for adolescence and old age. In contrast to primitive societies, we do not have clearly defined age statuses, with the exception of the age of majority, which occurs at the age of 18. It is not surprising that a young person often gives in to difficult choices, preferring to remain dependent on parents or other relatives, which is typical of an earlier age.

Old age in many primitive, or traditional, societies is respected and revered primarily because in such societies people mainly shape their behavior on the basis of ancient and recognized customs and traditions, informal control over the observance of these traditions. However, in modern society, where ancient traditions do not play such a significant role, old age causes some inconvenience. A rapidly changing industrial society very rarely sees old people as a source of wise leadership. The prescribed role of older people was to retire as their strength and abilities weakened, and their main function in subsequent life is only to maintain their own existence. Therefore, the transition to the role of an elderly person in modern society is very painful and difficult for each individual.

Gender and age are just two examples of many prescribed statuses. All such statuses include roles that can be successfully performed only when each of the individuals is socialized to the prescriptions established in society regarding these roles.

3. 2 Achievable statuses and roles.

achievable status - received by a person thanks to his own forces or luck. Example: husband, engineer, inventor, fireman

Social position, which is consolidated through individual choice and competition, is defined as an attainable status. If each person has a certain number of prescribed statuses that are assigned to her in a group or society without taking into account her individual characteristics or preferences, then the achieved statuses are fixed taking into account the abilities of this person, her diligence and, possibly, as a result of luck.

In primitive ones, i.e. in traditional societies, statuses are most often prescribed and, the occupation of a certain social position by someone depends on birth. A man, for example, from birth prepares to be a hunter, fisherman and warrior. In modern industrial societies there is a great deal of freedom in the occupation of a particular position by a person. This is largely due to the fact that for its successful functioning, a very significant mobility of labor resources is needed and therefore there is a clearly pronounced orientation mainly towards the personal qualities of individuals, towards changing statuses in accordance with their efforts. The control of society over justice in determining statuses gives a gain in the flexibility of the social system, which provides the opportunity to occupy a significant position for people who show the greatest talent for this. The price to pay will be the lack of competitiveness of those who have not been able to “find themselves” and are unable to adapt to new roles. This is reflected in the increase in the number of superfluous people who are not satisfied with the existing situation. The status achieved by an individual requires him to make a choice not only of the sphere of employment, but also of friends, organizations, place of study and place of residence. Such actions of the individual lead to the fact that he receives statuses that were not predetermined by his parents. In this case, the individual encounters situations that are significantly distant from the experience of the ancestors, which creates constant difficulties for him in assuming new roles.

Prescribed and attainable statuses are fundamentally different, but, despite this, they can interact and overlap. The main social position in society (social class status) is prescribed (i.e., reflects the status of parents) and partially achieved with the help of the abilities and aspirations of the individual himself. In many respects, the boundary between prescribed and attainable statuses is purely arbitrary, but the conceptual separation of them is very useful for the study of these social phenomena.

The ideal of a society in which most statuses are attainable is the desire for people to occupy positions in accordance with their abilities. This not only makes it possible for high talents to appear, but also excludes the possibility of justifying shortcomings.

In a society where most statuses are prescribed, the individual cannot expect to improve his position. Those who have low remuneration or low prestige do not feel guilty that they have low status. Each of them considers their role and their status to be correct, and the current state of affairs is fair. Such an individual does not compare his position with that of others. He is free from feelings of insecurity, ambitious discontent, or fear of losing his status. This is because the socialization of the individual is not associated with the expectation of a change in status; he only learns and assumes the prescribed roles. At the same time, it is difficult to accept a low status in the event that hereditary barriers are removed and opportunities open up for the manifestation of all their abilities. If the acquisition of statuses occurs on the basis of competition and access to appropriate training is open to everyone, then the reason for the low status can only be inability and incompetence. However, even in this case, mediocrity finds an opportunity to achieve high status, using preemptive rights, group quotas, benefits, etc.

The achieved status maximizes the performance of roles based on individual abilities. The roles that accompany him tend to be difficult to learn and often conflicting. The existing currently attainable statuses are probably associated with both the effective use of human potential and the greatest threat to the individual spiritual world of the individual in the event of his unsuccessful socialization to the achievable roles.

    1. Other statuses.

Of the many statuses that a person occupies, first of all it is necessary to determine main status... This is a rather difficult task, but it is the main status that primarily determines and, which is no less important, self-determines a person socially (“who am I? What have I achieved?”).

The main status is the status that determines the position of the individual in the social hierarchy. Most often, the main status of a person is determined by his work. When it comes to a stranger, we first of all ask: "What does this person do, how does he make a living?" The answer to this question says a lot about him. The main statuses include the status of a former prisoner, champion of the Olympic Games, a prostitute, etc. (Quoted from N. Smelzer).

Of course, in most cases, the status of the individual associated with work, profession is of particular importance; property status can be of considerable importance. However, in the context of an informal company of friends, these signs may be of secondary importance - here the cultural level and sociability can play a decisive role.

Therefore, one should distinguish between the basic, general hierarchy of personality statuses in most situations in a given society, and the specific one used in special conditions for special people.

Having a specific hierarchy can lead to serious collisions. not always the status of a person, defined by society as the main one for a given person, coincides with the status, which, being guided by the generally accepted hierarchy, is considered the main one by the person himself. Such an inadequate understanding of one's place in society can have dramatic consequences for a person, giving rise to internal and external conflicts and contradictions.

In addition to the main status associated primarily with the profession, work (more precisely, its prestige), it is permissible to talk about generalized status otherwise called social position index, the value of which helps to make a holistic assessment of the social position of both one's own and others in the system of social coordinates.

Often, the property status of an educated person elected to a high political post is immeasurably lower than the property status of those who made big money quickly enough, engaging in economic scams, transactions, etc.

As M. Weber noted, if society were to rank positions purely market-oriented, then the material and property advantage of any person (including the sewer) would arouse great respect for him. But we are talking about social (and not economic) laws that take into account a much more complex and diverse set of status conditions.

The social position index to some extent allows for a more versatile, comprehensive assessment of the social position. This index includes three or four main features: the prestige of the profession, the level of income and the level of education (often - the presence of power, privileges).

Conclusion.

Functions, statuses and social roles form a kind of docking mechanism, thanks to which a person's behavior becomes predictable, reliable for society, and he himself becomes the bearer of its culture.

Social statuses and roles as a means of describing the relationship between the individual and society allow in many ways to comprehend social life in a new way, to establish clearer "tangible" scientific and logical mechanisms for connecting a person to complex social formations, and this is a considerable merit of the sociological status-role theory

List of used literature:

    Abercrombie N., Hill S., Turner S.B. Sociological Dictionary. - M., 1999.

    Kravchenko A.I. Sociology. Textbook. - M .: PBOYUL A.F. Grigoryan, 2001

    Myers D. Social psychology. SP b .: Peter, 1997

    General Sociology: Tutorial/ Under total. ed. prof. A.G. Efendieva. - M .: INFRA-M, 2002

    Petrovsky A.V., M.G. Yaroshevsky. Psychology: Dictionary. M.: Politizdat, 1990.

    Frolov S.S. Sociology: Textbook. - 3rd ed., Add. - M .: Gardariki, 2000

    A.G. Efendiev. Fundamentals of Sociology: A course of lectures. M .: Society "Knowledge" 1994

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  1. Social status personality. Social role personality

    Report >> Sociology

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  2. Social status personality (3)

    Abstract >> Sociology

    Certain social functions that define his social status. Social status called the general position personality or social... time. Sociology distinguishes various views social status... For example, in the status set there is ...

  3. Social status personality (4)

    Examination >> Sociology

    ... social functions that define his social status. Social status called the general position personality or social... clearly unrealistic prices for most species goods, remembering to ... "knock" on each other, seeing spies everywhere and trying to ward off ...

Man does not exist outside of society. We interact with other people, we enter into various relationships with them. To designate a person's position among his own kind and characterize the behavior of an individual in certain situations, scientists have introduced the concepts of "social status" and "social role".

About social status

The social status of an individual is not only a person's place in the system of social relations, but also the rights and duties dictated by the position held. Thus, the status of a doctor gives the right to diagnose and treat patients, but at the same time obliges the doctor to observe labor discipline and conscientiously do his job.

The concept of social status was first proposed by the American anthropologist R. Linton. The scientist made a great contribution to the study of personality problems, its interaction with other members of society.

There are statuses at the enterprise, in the family, in a political party, kindergarten, school, university, in a word, wherever an organized group of people is engaged in socially significant activities and the members of the group are in certain relationships with each other.

A person is in several statuses at the same time. For example, a middle-aged man is a son, a father, a husband, an engineer at a factory, a member of a sports club, a holder of a scientific degree, an author of scientific publications, a patient in a clinic, etc. The number of statuses depends on the connections and relationships that a person enters into.

There are several classifications of statuses:

  1. Personal and social. A person occupies a personal status in a family or other small group in accordance with the assessment of his personal qualities. Social status (examples: teacher, worker, manager) is determined by the actions performed by the individual for society.
  2. Basic and episodic. The main status is associated with the main functions in a person's life. Most often, the main statuses are the family man and the worker. Episodic are associated with a moment in time during which a citizen performs certain actions: a pedestrian, a reader in a library, a student of courses, a theater audience, etc.
  3. Prescribed, achievable and blended. The prescribed status does not depend on the desire and capabilities of the individual, since it is given at birth (nationality, place of birth, class). What is achieved is acquired as a result of efforts made (level of education, profession, achievements in science, art, sports). Mixed combines the features of the prescribed and achievable statuses (a person who has received a disability).
  4. Socio-economic status is determined by the amount of income received and the position that an individual occupies in accordance with his well-being.

The collection of all available statuses is called a status set.

Hierarchy

The society constantly evaluates the significance of this or that status and, on the basis of this, builds a hierarchy of positions.

Assessments depend on the usefulness of the business that the person is engaged in, and on the system of values ​​adopted in the culture. Prestigious social status (examples: businessman, director) is highly appreciated. At the top of the hierarchy is the general status, which determines not only the life of a person, but also the position of people close to him (president, patriarch, academician).

If some statuses are unreasonably underestimated, while others, on the contrary, are excessively high, then they speak of a violation of the status balance. The tendency to lose it jeopardizes the normal functioning of society.

The hierarchy of statuses is also subjective. A person himself determines what is more important to him, in what status he feels better, what benefits he derives from being in this or that position.

Social status cannot be something immutable, since people's lives are not static. Moving a person out of one social group the other is called social mobility, which is subdivided into vertical and horizontal.

Vertical mobility is said to be when the social status of a person rises or falls (a worker becomes an engineer, a head of a department becomes an ordinary employee, etc.). With horizontal mobility, a person retains his position, but changes his profession (to an equivalent in status), place of residence (becomes an emigrant).

Intergenerational and intragenerational mobility is also distinguished. The first determines how much the children have increased or decreased their status in relation to the status of their parents, and according to the second, they judge how successful the social career of representatives of one generation is (types of social status are taken into account).

The channels of social mobility are the school, family, church, army, public organizations and political parties... Education is a social lift that helps a person achieve the desired status.

A high social status acquired by a person or a decrease in it indicates individual mobility. If the status is changed by a certain community of people (for example, as a result of a revolution), then group mobility takes place.

Social roles

Being in this or that status, a person commits actions, communicates with other people, that is, plays a role. Social status and social role are closely interrelated, but differ from each other. Status is position, and role is socially expected behavior determined by status. If the doctor is rude and swears, and the teacher abuses alcohol, then this does not correspond to the status held.

The term "role" was borrowed from the theater to emphasize the stereotyped behavior of people of similar social groups. A person cannot do what he wants. The behavior of an individual is determined by the rules and norms characteristic of a particular social group and society as a whole.

In contrast to status, the role is dynamic, closely related to the personality traits and moral attitudes of a person. Sometimes role-playing behavior is adhered to only in public, as if putting on a mask. But it also happens that the mask grows together with its bearer, and the person ceases to distinguish between himself and his role. Depending on the situation, this state of affairs has both positive and negative consequences.

Social status and social role are two sides of the same coin.

Variety of social roles

Since there are many people in the world and each person is an individual, there are hardly two identical roles. Some role models require emotional restraint, self-control (lawyer, surgeon, funeral director), and for other roles (actor, educator, mother, grandmother) emotions are very much in demand.

Some roles drive a person into a rigid framework ( job descriptions, statutes, etc.), others have no framework (parents are fully responsible for the behavior of children).

The performance of roles is closely related to motives, which are also not the same. Everything is determined by social status in society and personal motives. An official is concerned about promotion, a financier is concerned with profit, and a scientist is concerned with the search for truth.

Role-playing set

A role-playing set is understood as a set of roles characteristic of a particular status. Thus, a doctor of sciences is in the role of a researcher, teacher, mentor, supervisor, consultant, etc. Each role implies its own ways of communicating with others. The same teacher behaves differently with colleagues, students, and the rector of the university.

The concept of "role set" describes the whole variety of social roles inherent in a particular status. No role is rigidly assigned to its bearer. For example, one of the spouses is left without work and for some time (and maybe forever) loses the role of a colleague, subordinate, leader, becomes a housewife (householder).

In many families, social roles are symmetrical: both husband and wife act equally as breadwinners, owners of the house and educators of children. In such a situation, it is important to adhere to the golden mean: excessive enthusiasm for one role (director of a company, business woman) leads to a lack of energy and time for others (father, mother).

Role expectations

The difference between social roles and mental states and personality traits is that roles represent a historically developed standard of behavior. Requirements are imposed on the bearer of this or that role. So, a child must certainly be obedient, a schoolboy or student - to study well, a worker - to observe labor discipline, etc. Social status and social role oblige to act this way and not otherwise. The system of requirements is also called expectations.

Role expectations come out intermediate link between status and role. Only such behavior that corresponds to the status is considered role-playing. If the teacher, instead of giving a lecture on higher mathematics, starts singing with a guitar, the students will be surprised, because they expect other behavioral reactions from the assistant professor or professor.

Role expectations consist of actions and qualities. Taking care of the child, playing with him, putting the baby to bed, the mother performs actions, and the successful completion of actions is facilitated by kindness, responsiveness, empathy, and moderate severity.

Compliance with the role played is important not only to those around, but also to the person himself. The subordinate seeks to earn the respect of the boss, receives moral satisfaction from the high assessment of the results of his work. The athlete trains hard to set the record. The writer is working on a bestseller. The social status of a person obliges him to be at his best. If the expectations of an individual do not correspond to the expectations of others, then internal and external conflicts arise.

Role conflict

Inconsistencies between role bearers arise either from a mismatch of expectations or from the fact that one role completely excludes the other. The young man more or less successfully plays the role of son and friend. But friends call the guy to the disco, and his parents demand that he stay at home. An ambulance doctor's child fell ill, and the doctor was urgently called to the hospital, as a natural disaster happened. The husband wants to go to the dacha to help his parents, and the wife books a trip to the sea to improve the health of the children.

Resolving role conflicts is not easy. The participants in the confrontation have to determine which role is more important, but in most cases, compromises are more appropriate. The teenager returns from the party early, the doctor leaves his child with his mother, grandmother or nanny, and the spouses negotiate the terms of participation in summer cottage works and travel time with the whole family.

Sometimes the conflict is resolved by leaving the role: changing jobs, entering university, divorce. Most often, a person realizes that he has outgrown this or that role or it has become a burden to him. Role reversal is inevitable as the child grows and develops: infant, toddler, preschooler, student primary grades, teenager, boy, adult. The transition to a new age level is provided by internal and external contradictions.

Socialization

From birth, a person learns the norms, patterns of behavior and cultural values ​​characteristic of a particular society. This is how socialization takes place, the social status of the individual is acquired. Without socialization, a person cannot become a full-fledged person. Socialization is influenced by the media, cultural traditions of the people, social institutions(family, school, labor collectives, public associations, etc.).

Purposeful socialization occurs as a result of education and upbringing, but the efforts of parents and teachers are adjusted by the street, the economic and political situation in the country, television, the Internet and other factors.

Depends on the effectiveness of socialization further development society. Children grow up and take the status of parents, take on certain roles. If the family and the state did not pay enough attention to the upbringing of the younger generation, then degradation and stagnation set in in public life.

Members of society agree on their behavior with certain standards. These can be prescribed norms (laws, regulations, rules) or unspoken expectations. Any non-compliance with the standards is considered a deviation, or deviation. Examples of deviation are drug addiction, prostitution, alcoholism, pedophilia, etc. Deviation is individual, when one person deviates from the norm, and group (informal groups).

Socialization occurs as a result of two interrelated processes: internalization and social adaptation. A person adapts to social conditions, masters the rules of the game, which are obligatory for all members of society. Over time, norms, values, attitudes, ideas about what is good and what is bad become part of inner peace personality.

People are socialized throughout their lives, and at each age stage, statuses are acquired and lost, new roles are mastered, conflicts arise and are resolved. This is how personality develops.

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 own definite place. To analyze the position of a person in each group and society as a whole, they use concepts such as social status and Let us consider in more detail what it is.

The meaning of the term and general characteristics

The very word "status" dates back to Ancient Rome... Then it was more of a legal connotation, rather than sociological, and denoted the legal status of any organization.

Now social status is the position of a person in a particular group and society as a whole, giving him certain rights, privileges, and responsibilities in relation to other members.

It helps people to interact better with each other. If a person of a certain social status does not fulfill his duties, then he will be responsible for this. So, an entrepreneur who sews clothes to order, if the deadline is missed, will pay a forfeit. In addition, his reputation will be damaged.

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

This is a kind according to his professional qualities, material and age, education and other criteria.

A person can simultaneously enter several teams at once and, accordingly, play not one, but many different roles. Therefore, they talk about status sets. Each person has it unique and individual.

Types of social statuses, examples

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

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

Episodic - this is a passer-by, a patient, a participant in a strike, a buyer, a visitor to an exhibition. That is, such statuses for the same person can change quickly enough 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 preset parameters remain with a person for life. Although in our progressive society they have already swung themselves at changing sex. So one of the listed statuses, to some extent, ceases to be prescribed.

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

Achievable status

This is what a person achieves for himself. By making efforts, making choices, working, learning, each individual eventually arrives at certain results. His successes or failures are reflected in the attribution of the well-deserved status to him by the society. Doctor, director, company president, professor, thief, homeless person, vagrant.

Almost every achievable has its own insignia. Examples:

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

Roles in society

The social status of a person 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 belonging to a particular class, are called a social role.

So, the status of a parent obliges you to be strict but fair to your child, be responsible for him, teach, give advice, prompt, 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, each person has a choice of how to act. Examples of social status and its use by a person 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, the first role of a woman is mom, wife, and her second role is a successful business woman. Both roles involve an investment of effort, time, full dedication. A conflict arises.

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

Consider examples of social status and standards attached to it in appearance. Thus, the director of a bank or the founder of a reputable company cannot appear at the workplace in sports trousers or rubber boots... And the priest - come to church in jeans.

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

Prestige

Not the least role in the fate of people is played by such a concept as prestige (and a 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 educational 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 it was a very popular profession. They choose between lawyers and financiers. So the time dictates.

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