Social Status and Social Roles

Introduction
Social status is an individuals ranking within a society or group. There are two types of social status. These include achieved and ascribed social status. Achieved social status is the ranking one achieves throughout his or her lifetime because of using his or her ability, skills, and talents. Ascribed social status is inherited from the parents depending on the familys background. Social roles are the parts people play as members of a particular social group. Social roles depend on social status and the social situation. Each social role has a particular set of behavior
, which must fit the expectation of self and of other members in the social group. The social status of an individual determines the social role they play in a given social setting. The positions that individuals occupy in a social group interact to from a social structure. Positions in the social structure determine an individuals role and social network. Social status and social role are important elements of the social structure. Social status is the position one occupy in the social structure, whereas social role is the behavior aspects of the status. Roles are the responsibilities that one must fulfill as a member of a social group occupying a particular status in the group to enjoy the privileges associated with the status. Some statuses are more prestigious than others are.
Social Status and Social Roles
Humans are social creatures motivated by striving for superiority with social status playing a central role. Hierarchies exist in all social groups, and the primary intention of individuals as members of the group is to improve their status in the group. Status within a group influence emotional experience, social cognition, and personal well-being. The influence that status exerts on social life includes the determination of an individuals prominence, influence, and respect in a group. Members of a group assign different amounts of attention to others members of the groups depending on their social status. Members with a higher social status receive more attention that those with a lower social status. Members with higher social status are more prominent and visible within the group. They also receive more scrutiny, respect, and esteem. Status determines the amount of influence a member has on group decisions and processes. A high-ranking member influences the decisions and processes of a group more (Andrew, DeLamater & Myers, 2004).
Most people like to think they are freethinking individuals; however, any action an individual engages in is modulated by unconscious mechanisms. The actions of an individual depend on his or her social status and role, which simplify social interaction among members of the same group. Both self and society assign social status. The societal forces mediating these processes are not well understood; however, they are highly dependent on perception and interpretation. Human perception and interpretation are complex and highly reliant on beliefs and prejudices. The natural mode of behavior formulation is imitation and is very important in developing social acceptable or unacceptable performances. Image and image transfer play a pivot role in determining how people interpret others within the society and environment. Performance, character, and grouping establish how others see and infer an individual (Alan, 1995). The friends an individual keeps, his or her environment, and the activities he or she engages in, limit his or her potential role. For an individual to occupy a particular role in a social group, he or she must display apparent competency. The persons ability or lack of ability limits role occupancy (Anderson et al 2001).
Individual choices seem to be motivated by self-interest and fairness, however, what constitute fairness differs depending on social status. People hold members of different social status to different standards. What is fair for an individual in a high social status may not be fair for an individual in a low social status (Alan, 1995). For example, when monitoring compliance with a particular requirement, individuals occupying a higher status are more likely to seek out instances of non-compliance within individuals occupying a lower status than vice versa. Those of lower status are held to a higher standard of behavior than those of a higher status. Those individuals that occupy a higher level in the social status are more likely to be more generous and patient when dealing with individuals from a lower social status. Social status therefore confers social utility because individual occupying a higher level of the social status have greater satisfaction even when their daily experiences compare with other occupying a lower status (Dohrenwend, 1973).
Social life interaction depends on the relative social status of an individual, the position of others within the group in the perceived hierarchy, and how the individual believes he or she got to the social status he or she is in. Those that perceive they are high ranking in a social hierarchy are more likely to behave exploitatively towards perceived lower ranking members of a social group. However, the high-ranking individuals are more likely to behave generously towards lower ranking members when they perceive a prestigious reward for such behavior (Potter, 1984). Such altruistic behavior has a benefit for the high-ranking individual, which may include enhancing reputation for an alliance or mating opportunities. A major component of social status and a key determinate of social life is the occupational status. Occupation prestige determines the income, which determines the lifestyle. Movement up a status hierarchy involves movement to an occupation higher in prestige. Attainment of an occupation prestige is determined by education or background. Good education can offset a poor background; however, some effect persists throughout the lifetime (Potter, 1984).
Conclusion
Achieved social status is responsible for the movement of individuals up the social hierarchy. This social status is dependent on the level of education attainment or talent development. Social status determines individual values, which dictate a persons motivation in social life. A high-ranking individual rates family and accomplishment as the most important aspects that motivate his or her social life. Low ranking individuals rate education and a comfortable life as the most important aspects.
 References
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Anderson, C., John, O. P., Keltner, D., and Kring, A. M. (2001). Who Attains Social Status? Effects of Personality and Physical Attractiveness in Social Groups, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 81(1): 116-132
Andrew, M. H., DeLamater, J. D., and Myers, D. J. (2004). Social Psychology. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.
Dohrenwend, B. S. (1973). Social status and stressful life events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 28(2), 225-235.
Potter, R. B. (1984). Perceived Life Domain Satisfaction and Social Status. Journal of Social Psychology, 124(2), 259.