Social status

A person’s social status is a consensus of those in relation on that person’s relative social value and power. Which factors count how much in this status vary across societies and subcultures. (They probably vary more at high status levels.) 
As it were any status mechanism can be short circuited; but when that happens, a Red Queen scenario kicks in and everyone needs to short circuit the mechanism in order to accrue status (see the variability of traditions), at which point people are pursuing status for the sake of status—instead of earning status commensurate with the intended purpose of the original mechanism. ‘Holiness cycles’ are one manifestation of the phenomenon, and offer a great example for what happens when this chain of events is able to proceed to completion.
See: Social status mechanisms, e.g. PowertalkHanson’s Law: Anything that can be turned into a social status game will be turned into a social status game.
== r ==
* See: Socius; Sociality; Society; Hierarchy; Decline of Traditions; Social decline; Civilizational decline; 
* Decline of an organization; Decline of an institution
* Status game; Status app
* Problems: Crabs in a bucket
Category:Social
Category:Power
Category:Social status