Status characterisitc theory

Social Psychology Wagner

STATUS CHARACTERISTICS AND SOCIAL INTERACTION (based on Berger, Cohen, and Zelditch, 1972)

SCOPE CONDITIONS Actor p is in a task situation, S, when p perceives that: 1. There is a valued collective task T; 2. Obtaining the outcomes of the task is non-random (i.e. p believes there is an ability

C* that is instrumental to performing T); 3. There are at least two actors interacting on the task, usually p (self) and o (other), and

the interactants are task-focused and collectively oriented; 4. Actors p and o possess states of at least one status characteristic.

DEFINITION 1 (Diffuse Status Characteristic) A characteristic D is a diffuse status characteristic for actor p if and only if: 1. The states of D are differentially evaluated D(+) and D(-); 2. For each state of D there is an associated set of states of specific abilities; 3. For each state of D there is an associated general expectation state, GES, having the

same evaluation as the state of D.

DEFINITION 2 (Specific Status Characteristic) A characteristic C is a specific status characteristic for p if and only if: 1. The states of C are differentially evaluated C(+) and C(-); 2. For each state of C there is an associated set of states of specific abilities.

ASSUMPTION 1 (Activation) If a status characteristic, C or D, is a social basis of discrimination for p in S and actors p and o differ on the states of the status characteristic, then the status characteristic, C or D, is activated in S.

ASSUMPTION 2 (Relevance) 1. If the status characteristic, C or D, is activated in S and p believes that C* is one of

the associated specific characteristics, then the status characteristic, C or D, will become relevant to C* in S.

2. If D is activated in S and p believes that it has not been previously dissociated from C*, then D will become relevant to C* in S through the general expectation state consistent with D.

3. If D is activated in S and p believes that it has been previously dissociated from C*, then D will not become relevant to C* in S.

ASSUMPTION 3 (Assignment of Expectations) If p believes that the status characteristic, C or D, is relevant to C*, then p will assign expectations to self, p, and other, o, based upon the states of C* associated with the states of the status characteristic, C or D, possessed by p and o.

ASSUMPTION 4 (Basic Expectation Assumption) If p assigns expectations to p and o that are based upon the states of C* associated with the states of D or C possessed by p an o, then p's position in the power and prestige order relative to o will be based on p's expectation standing relative to o.