People at either status extreme adopt new behaviors more readily than the middle
Evidence
For the status-disadvantaged, the most efficient way to move up is clear and bold emulation. The status-advantaged, by contrast, can pursue subtler forms of individual distinction. This link between status position and distinction becomes important for a later discussion, as we’ll see how status influences innovativeness—the propensity to take up new behaviors. Those who have either very high or very low status are more likely to try new things. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 177
Categorization
- QUESTION: This claims a U-shaped relationship between status and innovativeness — worth chasing empirical evidence for the specific mechanism.
- XREF: connects to: Humans sometimes seek exposure rather than defend fragile selves — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 931; People trade off imitation against distinction based on their status position — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 182; Others facing the same exclusion often adapt rather than fight (+2 more)
Broader Connections
- People trade off imitation against distinction based on their status position
#corroborates(0.85) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 182 - Constructivist mixed individuals shift identification toward higher-status groups for personal gain.
#expands(0.75) — Anna X. Huang, Jacqueline M. Chen, and Juliane Degner, Being One or the Other, Both or Neither, 88 - Others facing the same exclusion often adapt rather than fight
#complicates(0.72) - People accept their social position through embrace, fatalism, or passive submission
#complicates(0.72) — Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America, 1131 - Humans sometimes seek exposure rather than defend fragile selves
#complicates(0.70) — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 931