Each of us occupies a certain position in society in accordance with age, gender, profession, marital status, origin. The position of one individual person is associated with the positions of other personalities through a system of rights and obligations, while determining the social status of the individual.
Each person occupies several positions. For example: my neighbor is a young woman, teacher, Orthodox, wife, mother, etc. The totality of all factors is a status set.
In other words, social status is a person’s place in the hierarchical structure of society, according to which he can, in one way or another, influence him.
Sociologists distinguish the following statuses:
- Natural born is gender, nationality, race. They are unchanged throughout human life. But such a status as a member of the imperial family, for example, exists from the moment of birth until the collapse of the monarchy.
- Acquired - they are achieved by the efforts of the person himself - education, position, title.
- Prescribed (prescribed) - acquired by a person regardless of his desire (social status within the family, age). They can be both natural and acquired.
Society differently evaluates the significance of certain statuses, while determining prestige. It depends on the system of values characteristic of society, on the basis of which the social utility of the functions performed by an individual is evaluated. Social status has a decisive influence on the behavior of an individual.
The social status of the individual is an element of the social structure of society, and the role is the behavioral component of the status.
Let's look at an example. There are two officials holding the same positions, performing the same duties. But they can implement them in different ways. One can do this for the good, and the other to pursue other interests that are difficult to call good for society. Therefore, having the same social status of a person, people can behave differently.
So, a social role is a model of a person’s behavior of a certain status in the exercise of his rights and obligations prescribed by this provision. Social statuses and roles, i.e. behaviors are closely related.
Each of us belongs to a large number of status groups, each of which has its own hierarchy. If status is a place in this hierarchy, it is called a rank.
The prestige of status is directly dependent on the significance of its functions for the development of society, on the scale of values of this society.
There are frequent cases when the prestige of one status and unjustifiably underestimated another is unreasonably overstated in society. With such an imbalance, it is not able to ensure its normal, stable functioning.
The social status of an individual can be high in one group and, conversely, very low in another. For example, clients are registered in advance to a good tailor or hairdresser, which indicates his high status as a professional. But in the family, for example, he does not have the appropriate respect.
In this case, we see a clear mismatch of statuses. This is also possible when the exercise of the rights and obligations of one provision interferes with the exercise of the rights and obligations of another. So, a civil servant does not have the right to do business, a policeman should not be a mafia, it is impossible to imagine a banker who asks for alms in his free time.
A person who has reached certain high positions in society, as a rule, tries to maintain his social status as an individual, correspond to him, and fulfill his status role. From him, having a specific status, people expect certain actions. And he knows that.
The relationship of any person with others is always built in accordance with how correctly he performs his status role.