Concepts of social status. Social roles and personality statuses Each person in the social system
Socialization of personality
Concept personality used to emphasize the social essence of a person and an individual. A person is not born, but becomes one in society through interactions with other people through the acquisition of various social qualities. Thus, personality is a social characteristic of a person and an individual, which is based on and interconnected with his biological and genetic inclinations.
Personality can be defined as a relatively stable system of social qualities acquired and developed in the process of interaction with other people in society.
The most important social qualities personality: self-awareness, self-esteem, social identification, activity, interests, beliefs, life goals. Self-awareness is the ability, unique to humans, to recognize oneself in the system of social relations. Social identification is the result of conscious and emotional self-identification with other people from another community; activity - the ability to perform socially significant actions that manifest themselves in interaction with other people; interests are a constant source of activity based on needs; beliefs - socio-psychological assessments and perceptions of the world around them, they can be moral, ideological, scientific, religious, etc. Having life goals and the desire to realize them is the most important characteristic of a mature personality. The goals of life are differentiated into four main groups: 1) material wealth; 2) knowledge and creativity; 3) power, prestige, authority; 4) spiritual perfection.
Personality can be considered as the result of a variety of behavior patterns that are characteristic of any individual in a particular social group and society as a whole. A behavior pattern called social role, inherent in this or that individual in accordance with his social status, i.e. position in society, social group. All social statuses can be divided into two main types: those that are prescribed the individual by society or group, regardless of his abilities and efforts, and those that the individual reaches by your own efforts.
Each person in the social system occupies several positions. Therefore, sociologists use the concept - status set, those. the totality of all social statuses of a given individual. But more often than not, only one status determines one’s position in society. This status is called main, or integral. It often happens that the main (integral) status is determined by the position (for example, rector, economist, etc.). The set of roles arising from a given status set is called role set.
The social role contains two main elements: role expectations - what is expected from a particular role, and role behavior - what a person actually does within their role. Any social role, according to Talcott Parsons, can be described using five main characteristics: emotionality, method of receipt, scale, formalization and motivation.
Sociologists note the fundamental role that interests play in the behavior of an individual. In turn, the interests of the individual are based on needs. Need can be defined as a need, a person’s need for something. The main problems of needs analysis are to establish their full composition, hierarchy, boundaries, levels and possibilities of satisfaction. Currently in science there are many classifications of needs. In classification K. Alderfer There are three groups of needs: existence, connection and growth. D. McClelland highlights the needs of achievement, participation and power. These needs don't have hierarchical structure, they interact depending on the individual psychology of a person. For example, the need for achievement, according to McClelland, denotes competition with certain standards of excellence, the desire to surpass them.
The most famous is the classification proposed Abraham Maslow. He identified five groups of needs: 1) physiological ( vital activity ) , 2) security, 3) involvement and affiliation(to the team, society), 4) confessions(respect and love), 5) self-actualization(self-realization, self-expression). According to Maslow, the needs of the first two groups are innate, i.e. biological, and with the third group, acquired needs begin, i.e. social. Human behavior is driven not by the need itself, but, first of all, by the degree of its dissatisfaction. The true essence of a person, the deep meaning of his life, is most consistent with social needs, the main one of which is the need for self-realization. An important aspect of needs analysis is their hierarchy. It is objectively predetermined, first of all, by the fact that the condition for the emergence of intellectual and spiritual needs is the functioning of the physiological systems of the human body. When the needs of a certain group are satisfied, they cease to be relevant and direct a person’s activity and the transition to the next higher group of needs is motivated. However, this dependence should not be absolute. The needs for creativity and self-realization may not always appear only after all other needs have been fully satisfied, as evidenced by the biographies of many outstanding people. Although some consistency in meeting needs undoubtedly exists, it cannot be considered the same for everyone.
There are three main levels of satisfying the needs of existence: 1) minimum, 2) normal, 3) level of luxury. The minimum level of satisfaction of the needs of existence ensures human survival. A normal level provides the opportunity for the emergence of significant intellectual and spiritual needs. The level of luxury is proposed to be considered one at which the satisfaction of the needs of existence becomes an end in itself and (or) a means of demonstrating high social status. After reaching normal At the (basic) level of satisfying the needs of existence, the needs to achieve life goals are formed. Depending on individual inclinations, abilities and aspirations, in some people, after satisfying basic needs, the desire to maximize the consumption of material goods will dominate; for others - to spiritual improvement, etc. The structure of needs can change for the same person during different periods of his life.
The role theory of personality occupies a significant place in the sociology of personality. The main provisions of this theory were formulated by American sociologists J. Mead and R. Minton, and were actively developed by R. Merton and T. Parsons, as well as the West German sociologist R. Dahrendorf. What are the main provisions of this theory?
The role theory of personality describes its social behavior with two main concepts: “social status” and “social role.” Let's look at what these concepts mean. Each person in the social system occupies several positions. Each of these positions, which involves certain rights and responsibilities, is called a status. A person can have several statuses. But more often than not, only one determines his position in society. This status is called main, or integral. It often happens that the main, or integral, status is determined by his position (for example, director, professor). Social status is reflected both in external behavior and appearance (clothing, jargon and other signs of social and professional affiliation) and in internal position (in attitudes, value orientations, motivations, etc.). Sociologists distinguish between prescribed and acquired statuses. Prescribed means that it is imposed by society, regardless of the efforts and merits of the individual. It is determined by ethnic origin, place of birth, family, etc. The acquired (achieved) status is determined by the efforts of the person himself (for example, writer, general secretary, director, etc.). Natural and professional-official statuses are also distinguished. The natural status of a person presupposes significant and relatively stable characteristics of a person (men and women, childhood, youth, maturity, old age, etc.). Professional and official status is the basic status of an individual, for an adult, most often the basis of an integral status. It records the social, economic, production and technical position (banker, engineer, lawyer, etc.).
Social status denotes the specific place that an individual occupies in a given social system. The totality of demands placed on an individual by society forms the content of a social role. A social role is a set of actions that a person occupying a given status in the social system must perform. Each status usually includes a number of roles. The set of roles arising from this status, is called a role set. Marxist sociology qualitatively distinguishes between institutionalized and conventional (by agreement) roles. The former are leading, as they arise from the social structure of society, while the latter arise relatively arbitrarily in group interactions and involve subjective coloring.
One of the first attempts to systematize roles was made by T. Parsons. He believed that any role is described by five main characteristics: 1) emotional - some roles require emotional restraint, others - looseness; 2) the method of obtaining - some are prescribed, others are conquered; 3) scale - some roles are formulated and strictly limited, others are blurred; 4) formalization ^ - action in strict established rules either arbitrarily; 5) motivation - for personal profit, for the common good, etc. Any role is characterized by a certain set of these five properties.
The social role should be considered in two aspects: role expectation and role performance. There is never a complete match between these two aspects. But each of them is of great importance in the behavior of the individual. Our roles are determined primarily by what others expect of us. These expectations are associated with the status that a given person has. If someone does not play a role in accordance with our expectations, then he enters into a certain conflict with society. For example, a parent should take care of children, a close friend should be concerned about our problems, etc.
Role requirements (instructions, regulations and expectations of appropriate behavior) are embodied in specific social norms grouped around social status.
In the normative structure of a social role, four elements are usually distinguished: 1) a description of the type of behavior corresponding to this role; 2) instructions (requirements) associated with this behavior; 3) assessment of the performance of the prescribed role; 4) sanction - the social consequences of a particular action within the framework of the requirements of the social system. Social sanctions in nature can be moral, implemented directly by a social group through its behavior (for example, contempt), or legal, political, environmental, etc., implemented through the activities of specific social institutions. The meaning of social sanctions is to induce a person to a certain type of behavior. They are one of the most important elements of social regulation.
It should be noted that any role is not a pure model of behavior. The main link between role expectations and role behavior is the character of the individual. This means that the behavior of a particular person does not fit into a pure scheme. It is the product of a unique, peculiar way of interpreting and interpreting roles.
Because each person plays multiple roles in many different situations, conflict can arise between roles. A situation in which a person is faced with the need to satisfy the demands of two or more incompatible roles is called role conflict. Conflict creates a stressful situation, and it is necessary to find ways to harmonize roles.
The role theory of personality occupies a significant place in the sociology of personality. The main provisions of this theory were formulated by American sociologists J. Mead and R. Minton, and were actively developed by R. Merton and T. Parsons, as well as the West German sociologist R. Dahrendorf. What are the main provisions of this theory? The role theory of personality describes its social behavior with two main concepts: “social status” and “social role.”
Each person in the social system occupies several positions. Each of these positions, which involves certain rights and responsibilities, is called a status. A person can have several statuses. But more often than not, only one determines his position in society. This status is called main, or integral. It often happens that the main, or integral, status is determined by his position (for example, director, professor).
Social status is reflected both in external behavior and appearance (clothing, jargon and other signs of social and professional affiliation) and in internal position (in attitudes, value orientations, motivations, etc.).
Sociologists distinguish prescribed and acquired statuses. Prescribed- this means imposed by society, regardless of the efforts and merits of the individual. It is acquired by a person from birth and is determined by ethnic origin, place of birth, family.
Acquired (achieved) status determined by the efforts of the person himself (for example, writer, general secretary, director) - achieved thanks to the level of education, professional achievements.
Also highlighted natural and professional official status.
Natural status personality presupposes significant and relatively stable characteristics of a person (men and women, childhood, youth, maturity, old age).
Professional official- this is the basic status of the individual, for an adult, most often the basis of the integral status. It records the social, economic, production and technical situation (banker, engineer, lawyer).
Social status denotes the specific place that an individual occupies in a given social system.
Sociologists generally view status as a phenomenon with two dimensions: horizontal and vertical. Under horizontal dimension is understood as a system of social contacts and mutual exchanges, both real and simply possible, that develop between the bearer of status and other individuals who are at the same level of the social ladder.
Vertical dimension forms contacts and exchanges that arise between the holder of status and individuals at higher and lower levels.
The totality of demands placed on an individual by society forms the content of a social role.
Social role- this is a set of actions that a person occupying a given status in the social system must perform. Each status usually includes a number of roles. The set of roles arising from a given status is called a role set.
One of the first attempts to systematize roles was made by T. Parsons. He believed that any role is described by 5 main characteristics:
· emotional - some roles require emotional restraint, others - looseness;
· the method of obtaining - some are prescribed, others are conquered;
· scale - some roles are formulated and strictly limited, others are blurred;
· formalization - action in strictly established rules or arbitrarily;
· motivation - for personal profit, for the common good. Any role is characterized by some set of these five properties.
The social role should be considered in two aspects: role expectation and role performance. Our roles are determined primarily by what others expect of us. These expectations are associated with the status that a given person has. Role requirements (instructions, regulations and expectations of appropriate behavior) are embodied in specific social norms grouped around social status.
In the normative structure of a social role, 4 elements are usually distinguished:
1) description of the type of behavior corresponding to this role;
2) instructions (requirements) associated with this behavior;
3) assessment of the performance of the prescribed role;
4) sanction - the social consequences of a particular action within the framework of the requirements of the social system.
Social sanctions in nature can be moral, legal, political, environmental, implemented through the activities of specific social institutions. The meaning of social sanctions is to induce a person to a certain type of behavior. They are one of the most important elements of social regulation.
It should be noted that any role is not a pure model of behavior. The main link between role expectations and role behavior is the character of the individual. This means that the behavior of a particular person does not fit into a pure scheme. It is the product of a unique, peculiar way of interpreting and interpreting roles.
The fulfillment of a social role is influenced by several factors:
biopsychological capabilities of a person - inhibit or facilitate the fulfillment of the role
· a set of ways of human behavior that are expected of him
· the role of a person in a group, social control in a group
· the structure of the group, its cohesion, the degree of identification of the individual with this group
Social status of the individual
The role theory of personality describes its social behavior using the concepts of “social status” and “social role.” Each person in the social system occupies several positions. Each of these positions, which involves certain rights and responsibilities, is called a status. A person can have several statuses. But more often than not, only one determines his position in society. This status is called main or integral. It often happens that this main status is due to his position (for example, director, professor). Social status is reflected both in external behavior and appearance (clothing, jargon, signs of professional affiliation, etc.) and in internal position (in attitudes, value orientations, motivations, etc.).
In sociology, social status is understood as an assessment of the objective position of a person or social group in a hierarchical system of social stratification. And, usually, the term is used when talking about an increase, improvement in the position of an individual or group, or vice versa about a decrease.
Social status is an objective and comprehensive characteristic of a person’s position in the social system, or, as Sorokin argued: “Social status is a place in social space.” Each individual occupies one, most important place in society, and has one main or general status; this is an assessment of his position in society as a whole. But a person is objectively included in various groups and communities, and together with them he also occupies a certain place in society, and in the crayfish of a certain group or community his place status may be different. The main status is determined primarily by his type of activity, because in the public consciousness any type of activity is characterized by income, and therefore by its material capabilities. But there are other statuses and provisions that are also important to consider.
Smelser gave this example. For an American, race is of great importance. For us - less. Status may have ethnic connotations. There is the status of the head of the family. A person is included in a mass of systems, relationships and interdependencies and has different statuses. Each status, both main and non-main, presupposes a certain behavior of a person that is expected from him in accordance with his status. The more a person is included in public life, the more status he has. In addition to dividing statuses into main and non-main, there are 2 more types of statuses: prescribed and acquired. Prescribed is the status that a person receives at birth (often social status may also be prescribed, although a person’s social status often changes with age). But most statuses are acquired. This is marital status, professional status, including main status. As a rule, people strive to acquire a higher status than they already have.
Formalized status, where a person’s behavior and actions are predetermined by instructions, rules, laws (primarily professional status, civil, etc.). There are professions and activities where there is a high degree of formalization. There are completely unformalized statuses (the status of an informal leader in small groups).
In any status, and especially in a professional one, a person enters into different relationships with people, into different structures, and this is called social. roles. Some statuses even imply a role set, a set of roles that a person plays within the framework of his status.
Each status involves from one to many roles, and any person with several statuses plays an even greater number of social roles. Social role as well as social status causes a certain expectation of others about your behavior and you act in accordance with this expectation.
3. THE CONCEPT OF “SOCIAL STATUS”.
Each person in the social system occupies several positions. Each of these positions, which involves certain rights and responsibilities, is called a status. A person can have several statuses. But more often than not, only one determines his position in society. This status is called main, or integral. It often happens that the main, or integral, status is determined by his position (for example, director, professor). Social status is reflected both in external behavior and appearance (clothing, vocabulary and other signs of social and professional affiliation) and in internal position (in attitudes, value orientations, motivations, etc.).
Sociologists distinguish prescribed And acquired statuses. Prescribed- this means imposed by society, regardless of the efforts and merits of the individual. It is determined by ethnic origin, place of birth, family, etc. Acquired (reached) status is determined by the efforts of the person himself (for example, writer, scientist, director, etc.). Also highlighted natural and professionally-official statuses. The natural status of a person presupposes significant and relatively stable characteristics of a person (men and women, childhood, youth, maturity, old age, etc.). Professional and official status is the basic status of an individual, which for an adult is most often the basis of an integral status. It records the social, economic, production and technical situation (banker, engineer, lawyer, etc.)
Social status refers to the specific place one occupies individual in a given social system. Thus, it can be noted that social statuses are structural elements social organization societies that provide social connections between subjects of social relations. These relationships, ordered within the framework of social organization, are grouped in accordance with the socio-economic structure of society and form a complex coordinated system. Social connections between subjects of social relations, established regarding the social functions provided, form certain points of intersection in the vast field of social relations. These points of intersection of connections in the field of social relations are social statuses.
From this point of view, the social organization of society can be presented in the form of a complex, interconnected system of social statuses occupied by individuals who, as a result, become members of society, citizens of the state.
Society not only creates social status, but also provides social mechanisms for distributing members of society into these positions. The relationship between social statuses prescribed by society to an individual, regardless of effort and merit (prescribed positions), and statuses, the replacement of which depends on the person himself (achieved positions), is an essential characteristic of the social organization of society. Prescribed social statuses are predominantly those whose replacement occurs automatically, due to a person’s birth and in connection with such characteristics as gender, age, kinship, race, caste, etc.
The correlation in the social structure of prescribed and achieved social statuses is, in essence, an indicator of the nature of economic and political power; there is a question about the nature of the social formation that imposes on individuals the corresponding structure of social status. The personal qualities of individuals and individual examples of social advancement in general do not change this fundamental situation.
4. THE CONCEPT OF “SOCIAL ROLE”.
The multidimensional, complexly organized nature of man, the breadth and diversity of his social connections and relationships are determined by many theoretical approaches and positions in understanding this phenomenon, many different models, images of man in modern sociology. One of them is the image of a person as a set of social roles.
Every person living in society is included in many different social groups (family, study group, friendly company, etc.). In each of these groups he occupies a certain position, has a certain status, and certain expectations are placed on him. Thus, the same person should behave in one situation like a father, in another - like a friend, in a third - like a boss, i.e. act in different roles.
Social role is a way of behavior of people that corresponds to accepted norms, depending on their status or position in society, in the system of interpersonal relations.
Mastering social roles is part of the process of socialization of the individual, an indispensable condition for a person to “grow into” the society of his own kind. Socialization is the process and result of an individual’s assimilation and active reproduction of social experience, carried out in communication and activity.
Examples of social roles are also gender roles (male or female behavior), professional roles. By mastering social roles, a person learns social standards of behavior, learns to evaluate himself from the outside and exercise self-control. However, since in real life a person is involved in many types of activities and relationships, is forced to perform different roles, the requirements for which may be contradictory, there is a need for some mechanism that would allow a person to maintain the integrity of his “I” in conditions of multiple connections with the world (i.e. to remain himself yourself, performing various roles). Personality (or rather the formed substructure of orientation) is precisely the mechanism, the functional organ that allows you to integrate your “I” and your own life activity, carry out a moral assessment of your actions, find your place not only in a separate social group, but also in life in in general, to develop the meaning of one’s existence, to abandon one in favor of another. A developed personality can use role behavior as a tool for adaptation to certain social situations, while at the same time not merging or identifying with the role.
So, a social role is a set of requirements imposed by society on individuals occupying certain social positions. These requirements (instructions, wishes and expectations of appropriate behavior) are embodied in specific social norms. The system of social sanctions of a positive and negative nature is aimed at ensuring proper fulfillment of the requirements associated with the social role.
Arising in connection with a specific social position given in the social structure, a social role is at the same time a specific (normatively approved) way of behavior that is mandatory for individuals performing the corresponding social roles. The social roles performed by the individual become a decisive characteristic of his personality, without, however, losing their socially derivative and, in this sense, objectively inevitable character. Taken together, the social roles performed by people personify prevailing social relations.
