In sociology, achieved status is a social position that a person can acquire on the basis of merit and is earned or chosen. It is the opposite of ascribed status and reflects personal skills, abilities, and efforts. Examples of achieved status are being an Olympic athlete, a criminal, or a college professor. Status is important sociologically because it comes with a set of rights, obligations, behaviors, and duties that people occupying a certain position are expected or encouraged to perform. Those expectations are referred to as roles.
History of Achieved Status
The concept of achieved status was first introduced by the anthropologist Ralph Linton in his 1936 book “The Study of Man.” Linton defined achieved status as “a social position that is not automatically given to a person by birth or geographic residency but must be earned through some socially approved means.”
Linton believed that achieved status was more important than ascribed status in modern societies. He argued that achieved status is based on merit, which is fairer and just than ascribed status, which is based on factors beyond a person’s control.
Related Characteristics of Achieved Status
Some of the key characteristics of achieved status include:
- It is earned or chosen, rather than given at birth.
- It is based on merit, such as skills, abilities, or effort.
- It can change throughout a person’s life.
- It is associated with a set of rights, obligations, behaviors, and duties.
Academic Studies on Achieved Status
There have been a number of academic studies on achieved status. One study, published in the journal Social Forces in 1952, found that achieved status is more important for social mobility than ascribed status. The study found that people with higher levels of education and occupational achievement were more likely to move up in the social hierarchy than people with lower levels of education and occupational achievement.
Another study, published in the journal American Sociological Review in 1967, found that achieved status is more important for happiness than ascribed status. The study found that people who were more satisfied with their achieved status were also more likely to be happy.
These studies suggest that achieved status is an important factor in social mobility and happiness. They also suggest that achieved status is more important than ascribed status in modern societies.
a position within society that ranks are prestigious and well-known, and demonstrates a person’s capacity to gain such a developed position via individual achievements.