BA 1st Year Difference Between Ascribed and Achieved Status Sociology Notes

BA 1st Year Difference Between Ascribed and Achieved Status Sociology Notes: Every individual enjoys someplace in his group and society. Some people occupy a very high place in society, whereas others occupy a low one. One person may be superior in one sphere and the other in another. There is The term ‘status is used to reveal the comparative amount of prestige, difference, or respect accorded to persons. Who has been assigned different roles in a group or community? Secord and Bukman define the term ‘status’ as “the worth of a person as estimated by a group or class of persons.

Davis says, “Status is a position in the general institutional system

” Maciver states that “status is the social position that determines for its possessor, apart from his personal attribute or social service, a degree of respect, prestige, and influence.” According to Ogburn and Nimkoff, “Status is the rank-order position assigned by a role or a set of roles.” Davis says, “Status is a position in the general institutional system, recognised and supported by the entire society, spontaneously evolved rather than deliberately created, rooted in the folkways and mores,” Green says. ” A status is a position in a social group or grouping about other positions held by other individuals in the group or grouping.

According to Linton, “Status is the place in a particular system that a certain individual occupies at a particular time and will be referred to as his status concerning that system. Bierstedt is of the view that “status is simply a position in a society or in a group.” Elliot and Merrill say that “status is the position which the individual occupies in the group by sex, age, family, class, occupation, marriage, and achievement.”

Ascribed Status:

This is the status conferred upon a child at the time he is introduced to the socialisation process. Ascribed status is given at a time when no one knows about the child’s potential.

Achieved Status:

Society does not solely rest upon ascribed status. The status conferred upon a person according to talent and efficiency is known as “achieved status.”

Distinctions between Ascribed and Achieved Status: Ascribed status may be distinguished from the achieved status on the following grounds:

Ascribed Status is Spontaneous, and Achieved Status is Conscious:

Ascribed status is conferred upon an individual by society itself based on sex, birth, age, kinship, family, etc. On the other hand, as the name suggests, “achieved status” is acquired by the person himself based on his talents, efforts, education, income, assets, profession, etc.

Ascribed status is permanent, and achieved status is changeable.

Ascribed status is permanent, and if there is any change, that’s negligible. For example, after the birth of a child, the woman gets the status of the mother, and the child gets the status of son or daughter, according to gender.

This state of affairs between the mother and her child continues for the rest of her life. Achieved status is changed as soon as the basis for it is changed. As an example, if a clerk appointed to a department is elevated to the post of manager in the department, then that change would be due to his efforts.

Ascribed status is indefinite, and achieved status is definitive:

Ascribed status is indefinite for the reason that this is the status based upon customs, conventions, and social values. It is indefinite when it comes to where the rights and duties of a father or a husband start and where they come to an end.

Achieved status is definite for the reason that rights and duties related to it are laid down. All the rights and duties attached to a given status have the backing of the law. We find that the rights and duties of the offices of district magistrates, judges, police officers, the prime minister, the president, or any other such office have been laid down.

Nature of Feelings:

Ascribed status develops feelings of collectivity and cooperation for the reason that human beings accept group decisions, and as a consequence, there are very meagre chances of the growth of unreasonable competition among them.

Achieved status is based on educational accomplishments, abilities, earned wealth, and other individual talents. The man concerned remains persistently busy in the development of his traits. There is always competition with others in the exposition of one’s abilities and efficiencies, and consequently, feelings of individualism develop.

Nature of Society:

In any society where ascribed status is given added importance, the formation of a closed society takes place. A closed society refers to a society in which the status of the individual is determined based on his traits at the time of his birth. In such a society, individual traits and skills become insignificant. The status of the individual remains the same, even though he has immensely developed his characteristics.

An open society is formed when individual traits are given due recognition.

In an open society, individual status is determined based on one’s characteristics. As the individual grows in his skills and efficiencies, his social status is enhanced. Similarly, when the individual is degraded in his traits, his social status also faces a downfall.

There doesn’t need to be always some sort of harmony between the ascribed status and related functions. But there is always a kind of harmony between the achieved status and related functions. The main reason behind the presence or absence of harmony is that ascribed status is naturally gained while the likes and skills of the individual may be opposed to that status. For example, a child born into a Brahmin family naturally gains a higher social status due to caste systems, but his abilities and work don’t have to be based on his status. Contrary to this, there is a kind of harmony between the status and related functions when one has achieved the status of a doctor, engineer, or judicial officer.

Definitions of social structure