Status is a comparison outcome, not a scarce commodity

Evidence

The reconceptualization of social status attempted earlier needs now to be made more explicit. Status is not considered here as a scarce resource or commodity, such as power or wealth; it is the outcome of intergroup comparison. It reflects a group’s relative position on some evaluative dimensions of comparison. Low subjective status does not promote inter-group competition directly; its effects on inter-group behavior are mediated by social identity processes. The lower is a group’s subjective status position in relation to relevant comparison groups, the less is the contribution it can make to positive social identity. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2736 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Status is context-dependent and operates through peer perception rather than objective rank. — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 171; Status only operates within groups that share the same values — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 171; Status is relational comparison, not a fixed resource, and affects behavior through identity — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2736

Broader Connections

• Status is relational comparison, not a fixed resource, and affects behavior through identity #expands (0.95) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2736