Social status, not individual choice, determines most of any persona

Evidence

Unlike physical DNA, every individual is able to edit the contours of this sequence: the proportions of constituent elements, as well as what is displayed and what is hidden. Yet a large portion of the cultural DNA sequence is out of our control. Individual distinctiveness applies only to the very margins. Certain people are skilled at making choices so bold that their entire persona emerges as “original,” but status pressures make complete difference nearly impossible. Status determines most of our persona, compelling us to make the same choices as others in our communities. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 283

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Personal identity is largely an outcome of status appraisal — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 296; Internal egalitarian motives track social identity, not fixed personality traits. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1925; Humans are constituted by their social relations rather than an intrinsic essence — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 2517 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Personal identity is largely an outcome of status appraisal #corroborates (0.95) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 296
• Humans are constituted by their social relations rather than an intrinsic essence #corroborates (0.90) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 2517
• Status is relational comparison, not a fixed resource, and affects behavior through identity #corroborates (0.85) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2736
• Individual self-esteem and emotions depend on the standing of one’s social groups #expands (0.80)
• Formal similarity of social position creates solidarity regardless of personal character #expands (0.78) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 595
• Internal egalitarian motives track social identity, not fixed personality traits. #expands (0.75) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1925
• The social self splits into individual, relational, and collective forms, not one continuum #complicates (0.75) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 1613
• Everyone is composed of multiple social identities that position them differently #qualifies (0.72)