Status-seekers rationally join groups that reward the virtues they already possess

Evidence

Social mobility of the modern age allows individuals more freedom to choose their primary status groups. So how do we decide which groups to join? We are all born into a status group, and many remain there forever. Jack Kerouac decided to leave the straitlaced world of varsity football to write experimental novels alongside a few anarchic poets. We prefer the company of people like ourselves—especially to be among those with the same convictions. But if we’re after status, a rational strategy would be to join a status group that appreciates the virtues and assets we happen to possess. The journalist and novelist Tom Wolfe learned over the years that, “whether they’re intellectuals or stock car racers, [most people] tend to emphasize values that, if they were absolute, would make them special people.” Empirical scholarship also bears this out: “People are more attracted to relationships, groups, and communities in which they would have reasonably high status rather than those in which they would be low status.” Delinquent and marginal subcultures make a good home for those lacking most forms of capital, as they reward members for a rejection of mainstream values. Fringe groups flip the script and value extreme negations of traditional virtues. In reaction to the Puritan work ethic of proper society, the Beats decided “all effort was uncool, a hassle.” — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 100

Categorization

• XREF: 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; Status-seeking makes many choices nonrational yet still materially rewarding — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 187 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Status-driven group choice precedes adoption of that group’s behavioral conventions #expands (0.82) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 133
• People pursue self-worth through favorable evaluations of their groups #expands (0.78) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1495
• Dissenting groups build in-group status on values the mainstream rejects #exemplifies (0.76) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 94
• People can belong to one group while desiring affiliation with another. #qualifies (0.74) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 455