High status requires others believing one possesses rare, valuable talents

Evidence

Status hierarchies rank individuals on esteem and perceived importance. But individuals receive that esteem and importance when others believe they possess rare and valuable talents. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 78

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines status rankings as esteem grounded in perceived rare talents — the chapter’s core mechanism for achievement.
• XREF: connects to: High-status groups could plausibly be stereotyped as undeserving rather than competent — Susan T. Fiske et al., A Model of (Often Mixed) Stereotype…, 165; 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; Achievement-based status only works when few attain the feat — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 302 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Status criteria shift across eras while always rewarding rare talents #corroborates (0.85) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 84
• Elites gain status through effortless inherited cues while others must craft personas #complicates (0.82) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 286
• Even self-educated talent was deemed too rare to deserve promotion #exemplifies (0.78) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 240
• Status hierarchies can emerge purely from individuals’ belonging, distinctiveness, and esteem needs #expands (0.76) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 855
• Simultaneous belonging, distinctiveness, and esteem needs drive small high-status groups #qualifies (0.75)
• Tolerance of exceptional individuals depends on a background mass against which they stand out. #qualifies (0.74) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 206