The position of a person in society. social science

Man's place in society

Society consists of numerous groups of people, public organizations, and individuals connected by relationships. These relationships are regulated by social norms - rules of behavior accepted in society. But these rules are not the same for everyone; what is possible for some people is prohibited for others.

A police officer can carry a weapon and use force against violators of public order, but this does not mean that all other members of society have such rights. Social statuses and social roles help people understand their diverse rights and responsibilities. They depend on the age, financial and marital status of the individual, level of education, and profession. Social statuses and roles change as a person grows up, his career grows, and he gains access to power.

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Social status is the position occupied by an individual in society. This provision imposes on the individual a number of responsibilities, rights, and privileges.

Example.

Alexandra Ivanovna is a seller, this is one of her social statuses. It imposes certain responsibilities on a woman: to be in the store from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., sell people various products, advise customers on the quality or other characteristics of products. Along with her responsibilities, Alexandra Ivanovna has the rights to receive wages, take paid leave once a year, and go on sick leave in case of health problems.
Sasha Ivanov is a seven-year-old child, this characteristic is the social status of a person. Sasha has the rights: to the care of his parents, their love, to provide him with clothes, food, toys, books and everything that Sasha needs. But along with rights, Sasha has some responsibilities: obey his parents, study at school.
Vladimir Alekseevich is a grandfather - this is one of his social statuses. Vladimir Alekseevich has the right to see his grandchildren, buy them gifts, and share his life experience with them. His responsibilities include taking care of his grandchildren when their parents are not around.

The same individual may have several dozen social statuses, which impose on him certain rights and responsibilities. Each social status has its own manner of behavior, which is called a social role. Even by the clothes an individual is wearing, one can understand his social role and expect certain behavior from him in society. Seeing a military uniform, a doctor's robe, or a formal business suit, one can guess about the social status of a given individual.

This is interesting! In the recent past, about 200 years ago, one could understand from women’s clothing whether a woman was married or not, what her family’s income was, what social class she was from, where she was from. Time has changed and today the rules for wearing clothes are no longer so strict, but a person’s appearance can still tell about several social roles of an individual.

Characteristics of a social role

The main characteristics of a social role are highlighted by the American sociologist T. Parsons: scale, method of obtaining, emotionality, formalization, motivation. The scope of the role depends on the range of interpersonal relationships. The larger the range, the larger the scale. For example, the social roles of spouses have a very large scale, since the widest range of relationships is established between husband and wife.

The way a role is acquired depends on how inevitable the role is for the person. Thus, the roles of a young man, an old man, a man, a woman are automatically determined by the age and gender of a person and do not require special efforts to acquire them.

Other roles are achieved or even won during the course of a person's life and as a result of special efforts.

Social roles differ significantly in their level of emotionality. Each role carries within itself certain possibilities for the emotional manifestation of its subject.

Formalization as a descriptive characteristic of a social role is determined by the specifics of interpersonal relationships of the bearer of this role. Some roles involve the establishment of only formal relationships between people with strict regulation of rules of behavior; others are only informal; still others may combine both formal and informal relationships.

Motivation depends on the needs and motives of a person.

Different roles are driven by different motives. Parents, caring for the well-being of their child, are guided primarily by a feeling of love and care; the leader works for the sake of the cause, etc.

All social roles are subject to public assessment (not the individual, but the type of activity) and are associated with rights and responsibilities. If there is harmony of rights and responsibilities, it means that a person has correctly learned his social role.

What is social status

The concept of social status determines the position occupied and also reflects the hierarchical structure of the entire group. Status characteristics do not entirely depend on the efforts made by the individual; they are determined by the surrounding society, endowing or depriving them of certain functions based on not always objective factors. It is worth noting that the social status occupied is not a static concept and changes in accordance with external circumstances or by a decision made by the person himself. Also, the status may cease to exist completely if a person leaves a given social group or ceases to build his activities on the basis of the rules that govern the behavioral manifestations of people.

Increasing social status is possible with a person’s independent efforts and aspirations (obtaining additional education, creating a social movement, increasing the number of orders carried out), as well as due to social processes (military conflicts, change and seizure of power, death of superiors).

The statuses of one person are divided into personal and social-public, which is determined by the person’s inclusion simultaneously in social groups of various sizes. Personal status includes the place a person occupies in a small group (family, immediate peer group, team, etc.). The position held here is regulated by personal qualities and the ability to build strong and productive interpersonal connections. The better a person is perceived by others, the more positive emotions they experience in his direction, the higher his status. It is quite simple to adjust your place in a small group; it is characterized by frequent changes in positions, which is largely determined by the emotionality of perception and reflects relationships and their processes.

The social status of a person refers to the place he occupies in a large group of people, distinguished on the basis of certain categories (gender, nation, religion, profession, place of residence, etc.). The perception of personality qualities and characteristics at this level is regulated not by the group of people themselves and their influence, but by the global position of this social category in society. It is the lack of flexibility in this matter and the scale of perception that explains the derogatory attitude based on their race, the oppression of rights and freedoms based on gender characteristics and religious preferences.

The predominant importance of social statuses

Often in traditional societies, prescribed statuses are decisive, since further activity and the corresponding occupation of a particular public place depend on many factors related to the moment of birth. Men often try to be like their fathers and grandfathers, imitating them and wanting to adopt their skills in professions they have known since childhood. In addition, by nature a man is a hunter, fisherman and warrior. Naturally, it is quite difficult to literally realize this part of a man’s destiny in industrial societies, but having the freedom to choose occupations to achieve a particular position, incredible opportunities open up for today’s “breadwinners.”

Reasons for the generation gap

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

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

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.

↑ Concepts “Man, individual, individuality, personality.” Correlation of concepts.

Human

- an integral biopsychosocial being associated with other forms of life, but separated from them, capable of producing tools, possessing articulate speech and consciousness, and moral qualities.
Man is a subject of socio-historical development, the creator of material and spiritual values. The biological and social principles in a person are in complex interaction and determine the mental development and uniqueness of the human personality. The social in a person is born and develops in the course of his conscious activity and communication. If heredity is called a prerequisite for human development, then the social environment is considered the source of its development. An individual
(from Latin individuum - indivisible, individual) is a single representative of the entire human race.
Individuality
(from the Latin individuum - indivisible, individual) is the unique identity of a person, a set of his unique properties.
If, using the word individual, we are trying to note the connection of a person with other representatives of the human race, then the concept of “individuality,” on the contrary, distinguishes a person from the community of other people. Personality
(English personality; from Latin persona – actor’s mask, role) – 1) special qualities of a person acquired by him in the sociocultural environment in joint activities and communication;
2) a person with his own socially conditioned and individually expressed qualities (intellectual, emotional, volitional, moral, etc.) The relationship between the concepts of “individual”, “individuality”, “personality”
can be expressed by the formula:
“One is born an individual.
They become a person. Individuality is defended." A particularly significant period in personality development is adolescence and early youth. At this time, the developing personality begins to distinguish himself as an object of self-knowledge and self-education.

Test on the topic “Man, individual, individuality, personality.”

TASK 1. TASK 2. TASK 3. TASK 4.
TASK 5. TASK 6. TASK 7. TASK 8. TASK 9. TASK 10. TASK 11. TASK 12. Human needs

VIEW	OBJECT OF NEED
Physiological	Food, water, air, climatic conditions, etc.
…	Communication, social activities, public recognition, etc.

TASK 13.
TASK 14. TASK 15. TASK 16. TASK 17. TASK 18. TASK 19. TASK 20.

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.

Social roles and age

Each age group has its own social status and social roles. The main age groups are:

Infancy;
Preschool age;
Junior school age;
Adolescence;
Youth;
Maturity;
Average age;
Elderly age;
Old age.

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Depending on a person's age, society expects appropriate behavior from an individual. For example, teenagers would look ridiculous crying loudly in a store and asking their parents to buy them a toy.

Of all ages, the transitional age is special, falling on the period from 12 to 15 years. During these years, the child is already leaving childhood behind and is just beginning to master the social roles of a teenager. A teenager acquires new social statuses in a group of peers, family, sports clubs and interest groups, and a group of friends. Along with the acquisition of new statuses, there is a rapid development of social roles in adolescence.

In addition, during adolescence, young people begin to learn gender roles in society. Girls learn to cook, sew, take care of younger family members, begin to use cosmetics, and acquire their first communication skills with the opposite sex. Boys learn to handle various household tools and master self-defense skills.

Diversity of social roles in adolescence:

Son daughter;
Leader/outcast;
Brother/sister;
Housewife/host;
Pupil/student;
Athlete/athlete;
Boyfriend/girlfriend;
Reader/Writer;
Video blogger;
Excellent student/good student/C student;
Boy/girl;
Conscript (for the military registration and enlistment office);
Artist;
Musician;
Dancer.

For deviation from the role expectations prescribed by society for a teenager in connection with his social status, society can punish him with disapproval, the introduction of prohibitions and additional requirements.

Example. Marina Nikolaeva is the class leader. This social status of a teenager prescribes a certain type of behavior for Marina: she must set an example for her classmates, be responsible, not skip school, and be responsible for the safety of the school magazine. Recently, Marina persuaded her classmates to skip a physics test. The whole class immediately agreed. It turned out that they skipped not an ordinary test, but an important section of knowledge for the 8th grade. The class teacher found out about this incident and Marina’s misconduct and appointed another head teacher in her place as punishment for what she had done.

Prescribed social status

The modern system of society is a very complex functioning formation, the institutions of which cease to work if any individual fails to fulfill the mass of responsibilities indicated by relations in individual social groups. With the goal of unanimously agreed upon fulfillment of the duties of the prescribed status from birth, a person goes through a long path of preparation and training to fulfill the assigned roles. The initial stage of personality formation takes place in early childhood according to additional criteria, which often serve as a formula for achieving success in the future. Age and gender criteria serve as the basis for role prescriptions in society. Following them are race, nationality, as well as religious and class gradations.

The first role learning that continues in childhood is some socialization processes depending on gender. In later life, they will have a huge impact on the formation and characteristics of the social status of an already established adult. For example, from the moment of birth, girls are destined for pink vests, many dolls and princesses. Young girls are gradually prepared for adult life, taught culinary tricks and the secrets of maintaining a home. It is not customary for little ladies to be raised in a boyish style. And although this type of parenting can sometimes be found, it is mostly considered bad form.

What is status?

By definition, social status is the position occupied by a person (or social group) in society

At the everyday level, social status is considered an important part of a person’s self-determination. An idea of the situation in society at certain stages of personal development helps set goals and identify the range of tasks necessary to achieve them

The philosophical encyclopedia interprets status as a person’s position in the social system. The position is determined according to a system of economic, professional and ethical characteristics. Depending on whether a trait is inherited (for example, gender, race) or acquired during life (for example, professional experience, personal achievements), prescribed and achieved statuses are distinguished. Accordingly, a person receives prescribed statuses by birth - belonging to a certain gender, nationality, race, given biologically beyond human will and consciousness. Achieved statuses are acquired by a person thanks to certain efforts - qualifications, education, position, etc. It is believed that the freer the society, the more important the achieved statuses play, and the less important the prescribed ones.

Position in society is closely related to social role, in other words, to work performed for the benefit of people. It is worth noting that the concept of status and the above characteristics are constantly changing.

Thus, the status of a military officer in the Russian imperial army a century ago was associated with above-average income, comprehensive education according to stricter world standards, and a strict code of honor. By the mid-1980s, a significant part of the USSR army officers served far from large cities, but were provided with housing. The size of the salary depended on the type of military service and place of service, but the income was significantly above average. Education was still considered the best. Although the code of honor was observed, it was considered a relic.

Now military officers are financially secure at an average level, and in some places even lower. Education is at an average level, and the notorious code of honor is being restored.

Russian veterinarians, who 100 years ago were part of the elite along with officers, are now completely self-sufficient. But this was not always the case. Thus, at the beginning of the last century, Russian veterinarians, upon entering government positions, received housing and funds for independent equipment of the hospital. Previously, they studied at the best higher educational institutions and received moral training. After all, I had to work literally “in the middle of nowhere.” After the First World War, veterinarians had to be found throughout the country. There was such a shortage of specialists that a livestock catastrophe began, and in the late 1920s. The veterinary service was transferred to the NKVD. Veterinarians were awarded officer ranks and provided with appropriate salaries and even rations. The level of education has fallen.

By the middle of the last century, the level of official income of veterinarians decreased, as did education. All that was left was moral toughening. Recently, the level of education of veterinarians has been rising, but unevenly. Moral strength has almost disappeared, and official incomes are below average.

Representatives of other specialties face a similar situation. Thus, engineers a century ago were far from the state elite. They received a varied education, which determined their income level. And, alas, they were deprived of both ethical community and the concept of a workshop code. Therefore, some took into the air the largest aircraft at that time, the Ilya Muromets, while others puzzled over increasing the efficiency of presses for squeezing out oil. With pay corresponding to the task.

The social or labor task assigned to representatives of the profession ultimately determines prestige. It is one of the main criteria of social status.

However, the status is not limited to all of the above

It is important for a person to show his position in society not only in his immediate environment. Since people are beings, including social ones, manifestations of status are aimed primarily outward, at other members of society

So that they appreciate it.

Concept of social status

Social status is the position a person occupies in the hierarchical structure of society and an indicator of his ability to influence his environment.
The status is based on the following factors:

origin and family ties;
floor;
education;
profession, occupation;
Political Views;
level of security;
demographic features;
hobbies;
belonging to certain social groups;
behavior.

Among a person’s statuses, one is always leading – the one that is paramount for him or her, or highlighted by others.
Most often it is associated with profession, beliefs or occupation. Attention!

A person’s status exists only in the process of comparing his position in society with the positions of others through a system of rights and responsibilities. You can characterize an individual by listing several of his statuses and presenting his status set: for example, Muscovite, student, Orthodox, master of sports.

Types of statuses

Statuses are divided into prescribed (obtained at birth) and achieved (obtained through human actions).

The first group includes race, gender, nationality and other characteristics inherited biologically, including statuses related to consanguinity. It can also include acquired status - a title received at birth, or a status that a person is endowed with a change in marital status, becoming a non-blood relative of the spouse's family.
The second group includes education, position, profession, qualifications. In developed democratic societies the percentage of achieved statuses is highest.

Pensioners are classified as a separate social status.
These individuals have little weight in society. However, in the history of Russia in the 21st century there are examples of the influence of this layer on the authorities, when people of retirement age together declared violations of their rights. Reference:

The status can be temporary, when a person acts as a spectator, passenger, patient, etc.
From the point of view of society, status is not a neutral concept; it is closely related to the idea of prestige - the significance of the position of a particular individual. The prestige of a person's social position influences his social position and is manifested through the roles that the individual plays in society.

Hierarchy of statuses

Statuses in the social structure are unequal. In the public consciousness, individuals and groups are compared according to their status characteristics and are arranged in a hierarchical order. The social prestige of statuses and their hierarchy are formed under the influence of the following factors:

the real significance of a particular status for society;
system of values historically developed in a given culture.

Hierarchy types:

intergroup – covers different groups within society;
intragroup – ranks individuals within one group.

The position of a status in a hierarchy is called status rank. It determines the level of this status - high, medium or low. The plurality of individual statuses often gives rise to their discrepancy (inconsistency). It manifests itself in cases where a person occupies different status positions in different social groups and he has to perform conflicting functions, rights and responsibilities.

The concept of social status is related to the concept of social role. However, there are significant differences between them. If social status determines the place a person occupies in society, then the role characterizes social expectations based on this status. In situations of discrepancy, inconsistency of statuses, a role conflict may arise.

Social status of the group

There is a concept of group status, where not an individual, but a group acts as a social unit.
Members of such associations voluntarily support collective internal goals and standards and act within established rules. There is an opportunity for participants to stand out within the group itself through personal merit. The activities of some associations are aimed at preserving their identity and achieving an approved status: these are religious denominations, trade unions, national diasporas and some informal movements.

Other communities are focused on outward activities and popularization. The desire of individuals to increase their status, achieve their goals and occupy a higher position leads to their association with like-minded people. This makes it possible to act more effectively and lobby for your interests. Examples include volunteer, humanitarian, cultural, creative and environmental movements.

Examples from life

People have different statuses - this is easy to illustrate with simple examples.

Example 1

When a child is born, he acquires a nationality, citizenship, and is assigned the permanent status of son, daughter, girl, boy. In the school class he acquires the position of a student, in the university - a student. Having received a profession, he becomes a scientist, lawyer, economist, builder. The number of positions achieved is constantly increasing. By using political resources, willpower, and experience, a person can rise to the top of the social ladder or, conversely, slide down, reducing the level of acquired status.

Example 2

A person's position determines his status set. For example, a man of Russian nationality, forty years old, working as a teacher at a university, has a wife, mother and son. In addition, he is an Orthodox Christian and a member of the editorial board. Every day he enters into various relationships, performs duties and defends the rights that preserve his position.

The attitude towards him is based on how he plays his social role and is reflected in the characteristics:

good parent;
excellent family man;
devoted friend;
loving son;
strict teacher.

A person’s status set determines his position in society

The prestige and authority of a person depends on these indicators, but the main status—position—is most often decisive for determining one’s place in society.

True position in society

True position in society is achieved through the qualities and achievements of a person. Such a person really strived and made efforts to achieve a high position in society. He reached his goal through his merits, talents, achievements and work. Sometimes a high position in society is occupied by people who have made minimal efforts to achieve it. For example, they inherited a high position in other cases when a person’s status was predetermined and his personal qualities did not matter. However, even in this case, a person will be able to enjoy the benefits that fasting will give him.

There are also situations in which a person holds a certain position, for example, is the head of a well-known company, but does not have unconditional social recognition and influence. His instructions and orders cause internal contradiction and disagreement among his subordinates, and therefore are not fully carried out by them.

On the contrary, an informal leader in such a team, due to universal respect and authority, is able to convince employees to perform certain tasks. At the same time, those around him will approve of his actions and agree with him, despite the lack of official obligations. Such a leader has influence on those around him and enjoys privileges in society, regardless of his official status.

What is status incompatibility?

Status incompatibility is the different position of an individual in social groups. In one society he is in good standing, occupying high positions, enjoying respect and power. Among members of another social group, he is located at the lowest level of the hierarchy. An example is a banker whose social position obliges him to manage thousands of subordinates. They respect him, appreciate him and even fear him. At home, his wife humiliates him in every possible way and does not rely on his opinion. A similar attitude develops in children towards their father.

Spouse disrespect

Additional Information. If a person is stuck in an intermediate position, a prerequisite for the development of marginality arises. This happens when an individual is conditionally in a certain group, but does not accept its values, and exists on the edge. Or he left one society, refusing to obey its orders, but never chose the right one. He lives based on his own norms and rules, trying to combine them with the existing structure of society. This situation is fraught with the development of mental disorders.

Lumpens are another type of people who unsuccessfully left a social group. They lost their position and did not find a new one, finding themselves left behind in life. These are people who are outside of classes and strata of society.

Status incompatibility often arises when a person tries to move up the hierarchy created in society. He breaks away from his friends, changes his social circle, but is not necessarily accepted and appreciated, despite his achievements in the profession. A person grows up the career ladder, while the team does not respect him, but despises him in every possible way. He gets irritated, suffers from this, quarrels with his wife. The spouse, in turn, can also change her attitude towards her partner, based on his behavior: she begins to avoid him, ignores comments, and shows less attention. Thus, the high status provided by the position held is combined with a low position in the team and in the role of husband.

With status incompatibility, an individual does not enjoy the rights given to him in one society while being in another social group. They come into conflict. Deputies, called upon to represent the interests of the people, cannot engage in business and make a profit. Or a short example when a woman wants to combine work and motherhood and cannot perform equally well in both roles. The stereotypical opinion imposes on her the image of a housewife, which she tries to fight. She becomes a successful worker at the expense of time taken away from her family. Accordingly, children and husband experience a lack of attention and care, seeing a tired and exhausted mother and wife in the evenings. The assigned responsibilities cannot be fulfilled at the proper level in both areas. Increasing status in the profession leads to the infringement of household responsibilities, for which there is too little time and energy left, because you have to be at work more and more often.

Tired mom

It is considered incompatible when a person does not live up to the expectations placed on him by society. For example, a goalkeeper is seen drinking alcoholic beverages and smoking. An athlete is perceived as a person who leads a healthy lifestyle, who will not let you down and lives by training.

Note! Incompatibility of statuses causes the individual to suffer. He feels disadvantaged, unable to fully realize himself

Experiences disappointment in his own life, blaming himself or the environment for it.

A state of inadequacy and uncertainty leads to depressive thoughts and social tension that can develop into large-scale conflict. Similar problems are addressed by psychology, aimed at eliminating contradictions, intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts.

What is a social role

By social role we mean expectations from a person, a series of actions that he must take to comply with his position in society.
The difference between a person’s social status and his social role lies in his activities, behavior, and actions. Each member of society is required to conform to his role, or model of behavior. This provides a comfortable level of trust, orderliness and predictability in relationships between people. A person must play his role and perform the associated responsibilities with integrity.

It is not permissible to go beyond the status image, so as not to damage your reputation in the eyes of society or a certain circle. Thus, a person unwittingly becomes a hostage to his own social role.

The performance of roles is subjective and varies depending on the personal qualities of the individual. The same leaders can be democratic, authoritarian, inconsistent, or fanatical formalists. Officials, law enforcement officers and doctors - both decent and dishonest.

And even parents raise children in different ways: from overprotection to complete permissiveness. And art knows examples of different embodiments of the same character by different actors, artists or writers using completely different expressive techniques.

Important!

The social role of a person during his life can change repeatedly in the direction of both increasing and decreasing status.
This is facilitated by age-related changes, luck, hard work, coincidence of circumstances, professional growth, changes in the type of activity, personal life events, loss of health and disability, social processes, and so on. There is also such a phenomenon as status incompatibility.
This happens when a person has different status in different social groups and plays different social roles. For example, in a society of like-minded people he is an authoritative person, but at work or in the family he does not meet with respect. Some, disillusioned with the ideas accepted in their circle, leave it, but cannot find a new environment or are on the verge of breaking with their previous environment. As a result, his way of life becomes more and more marginal: a person lives based on his own code and values, but at the same time he feels the incompatibility of his ideas with the way of society. This often leads to mental disorder. An extreme case of marginalization is the transformation of a person into a lumpen, a tramp, a declassed element.

The same thing happens when someone, wanting to climb the social ladder, finds himself as if isolated from a new team - among this public he is a stranger, out of place, despite his professionalism. As a result, his relationships with loved ones usually deteriorate.

Another classic example of status incompatibility is when a young mother tries to build a career, depriving her closest people of attention. First of all, the child and the emotional relationship with the husband suffer from this, which worsens the moral and psychological climate in the family.