Groups can gain status by persuading society to value their own criteria
Evidence
We can gain status by persuading society to value our particular status criteria and beliefs. Artists, prophets, and philosophers have succeeded in expanding society’s natural focus on money and power toward more intellectual attributes like creativity. New criteria can also be deployed as a defense. As economist Jon Elster writes, “The hard way of doing better than others is to improve one’s own performance. The easy way is to trip up the competition.” Changing the status criteria is never easy, however, and this strategy tends to be most successful for those who already have standing. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 304
Categorization
- XREF: Elster’s aphorism about tripping up competition parallels the Milgrom law-merchant material on opportunism and cheap strategies vs. costly honest signals. — connects to: Everyday conventions carry status value that yields social rewards or penalties — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 153; Aspirants to higher status distinguish themselves via group-approved performance to avoid sanctions for norm-breaking — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 170; People pursue self-worth through favorable evaluations of their groups — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 1495 (+9 more)
Broader Connections
- People pursue self-worth through favorable evaluations of their groups
#expands(0.82) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1495 - Explanations for group positions become justifications that make the status quo seem natural
#complicates(0.80) - Groups can gain status without changing objective resources
#expands(0.78) - Status-seekers rationally join groups that reward the virtues they already possess
#exemplifies(0.75) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 100 - Gaining social approval requires conforming to arbitrary group practices, not just contributions
#complicates(0.74) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 114 - Stigmatized groups may base self-worth on noncomparative, noncontingent criteria
#qualifies(0.73) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1102 - Visible group distinctions make people attach personal needs to group status, fueling competition.
#complicates(0.72) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1473