Status, Prestige, and Social Dominance

Dominant Men Walk Faster

-ARGYLE summarizes body postures indicative of dominance: Standing straight at FULL HEIGHT, HANDS ON HIPS, Neutral/stern expression-NOT SMILING, Speaking in a LOUD, LOW-PITCHED VOICE -SOCIALLY DOMINANT MEN WALK FASTER. SCHMITT AND ATZWANGER showed that a man's status is correlated with the pace in which he walks. -Results showed a positive CORRELATION BETWEEN WALKING SPEED AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS FOR MEN, but not for women.

Sexual Opportunity

-Across the span of human history, HIGH-STATUS MEN HAVE GREATER SEXUAL ACCESS TO WOMEN. -EXTRAVAGANT SEXUAL ACCESS to women, however, tends to be RESTRICTED TO THOSE HIGH IN STATUS AND POWER.

Dominance and Status Among Chimps

-Chimpanzees COMPETE TO BE DOMINANT. -In observations of chimps, DOMINANT MALES MAKE THEMSELVES LOOK DECEPTIVELY LARGE and HEAVY, prompting LOW-STATUS MALES TO EXPRESS SUBMISSIVE GREETINGS to them. -This results in two fitness-enhancing benefits: Submissive males offer gifts, Submissive females present their rear ends to the dominant chimp. -Dominance hierarchy among chimps means that the DOMINANT MALES HAVE GREATER SEXUAL ACCESS TO FEMALES-an elevation of MATING OPPORTUNITIES.

Dominance Hierarchy in Human Systems

-DOMINANCE HIERARCHY refers to the fact that some individuals RELIABLY GAIN GREATER ACCESS TO KEY RESOURCES and MATING OPPORTUNITIES relative to than others. -Dominance hierarchies are TRANSITIVE-if A IS DOMINANT OVER B, and B IS DOMINANT OVER C, then A IS DOMINANT OVER C. -For human beings, we would have thus EVOLVED COGNITIVE ADAPTATIONS that allow us to ASSESS THIS DOMINANCE HIERARCHY ADAPTATIONS that allow us to ASSESS THIS DOMINANCE HIERARCHY and to ADJUST OUR BEHAVIOURS ACCORDINGLY.

Status-Seeking in Men

-Developmental Evidence -Sexual Opportunity -Mate Value -Social Dominance Orientation

Genghis Khan Effect

-GENGHIS KHAN, the most prominent MONGOLIAN ruler, ESTABLISHED LARGE TERRITORIES FOR HIS SONS, who in turn had MANY WIVES AND LARGE HAREMS. -GENETIC ANALYSIS from blood samples show that 8% (16M) of men in VARIUOS REGIONS IN MONGOLIA bore a CHROMOSOMAL SIGNATURE CHARACTERISTIC OF MONGOLIAN RULERES. -These 16 MILLION MEN are likely to be DESCENDANTS OF GENGHIS KHAN.

Social attention-holding potential refers to the QUALITY and QUANTITY OF ATTENTION others pay to a particular person.

-Humans compete with one another to be ATTENDED TO, and VALUED by, OTHERS IN THE GROUP. -The amount of ATTENTION OBTAINED corresponds to one's status. -HIGH-STATUS individuals receive HIGH-QUALITY ATTENTION; IGNORED individuals suffer low status from LIMITED ATTENTION.

Strategies of Submissiveness

-In as much as men use verbal and non-verbal cues to assert dominance, women in turn may use SUBMISSIVE CUES AS A MEANS OF APPEASEMENT TO NEGOTIATE WITH POWERFUL MEN. -ONE SUCH SUBMISSION CUE AND EXPRESSION IS 'DECEIVING DOWN'-An adaptive solution involving PRETENDING TO BE LESS THAN DOMINANT, or of lower status than you are.

Prestige Signalling, Reputation and Leadership

-Individuals obtain PRESTIGE from: Displaying HIGH LEVELS OF COMPETENCE on tasks that groups value, Displaying GENEROSITY by giving more than taking, MAKING PERSONAL SACRIFICES that signal commitment to the group, COSTLY DISPLAYS may also influence perceptions of prestige. -DISPLAYS THAT BENEFIT OTHERS-I.E. SELF-SACRIFICE, is one key to the EVOLUTION OF LEADERSHIP: LEADERS and FOLLOWERS interact in a COALITIONAL ALLIANCE in order to solve challenges facing the group, DEVOTING TIME, ENERGY and RESOURCES towards leading a coalitional alliance is COSTLY to leaders-but CONFERS A STATUS BENEFIT to the leaders who do so.

Wolves of Wall Street

-Men tend to express their dominance through ACTS OF PERSONAL ASCENSION, in which they ELEVATE THEMSELVES to positions of POWER AND STATUS. -MEN ALSO TEN TO BE MORE COMPETITIVE, more willing to SACRIFICE OTHER QUALITIES OF LIFE such as flexible hours to get ahead, and ENGAGE IN RISKY BEHAVIOURS when in competition. -Women tend to be LESS ORIENTED TOWARDS PERSONAL STRIVING FOR SUCCESS OVER OTHERS, opting instead to express their DOMINANCE FOR GROUP-ORIENTED GOALS.

Size and Dominance

-SIZE AND PHYSIQUE DIFFERENCES between the sexes mean that men are oftentimes larger than women. -Various cultures also use an equivalent of the term 'BIG MAN' to refer to MEN OF LARGE PHYSICAL SIZE and HIGH SOCIAL STATUS. -Individuals have an EXAGGERATED IMPRESSION about the heights of SUCCESSFUL INDIVIDUALS.

Social Dominance Orientation

-SOCIAL DOMINANCE ORIENTATION: The extent to which an INDIVIDUAL ENDORSES AN IDEOLOGY involving the LEGITIMACY of ONE GROUP'S DOMINATION OVER ANOTHER. -There is a GENDER DIFFERENCE IN SDO: Studies show that MEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO LEGITIMIZE ONE GROUP'S DOMINATION OVER ANOTHER, and engage in actions meant to LOWER ANOTHER GROUP'S STATUS.

Status Consciousness

-STATUS, PRESTIGE, ESTEEM, HONOR, RESPECT and RANK are given differently to different individuals. -Human beings devote tremendous energies to ATTAIN RANK, and AVOID DISHONOR, SHAME and HUMILIATION. -We FORM HIERARCHIES quickly in group settings and ASSESS OUR PERSONAL STATUS relative to others in our group.

Downfall of Tall Poppies

-STATUS-CONSCIOUSNESS also motivates us to TAKE NOTICE OF WHEN HIGH-STATUS INDIVIDUALS stumble or fail. -TALL POPPY-An individual whose distinction, rank, or wealth ATTRACTS ENVIOUS NOTICE or HOSTILITY. -We feel SCHADENFREUDE when we see a HIGH-STATUS PERSON FALL.

Self-Esteem As a Status-Tracking Mechanism

-Self-esteem may be a SOCIOMETER that gives us CLUES TO OUR STATUS AND RANK WITHIN A GROUP. -SELF-ESTEEM can be understood from an evolutionary perspective as an EMOTIONAL and SELF-EVALUATIVE MEASURE OF PRESTIGE, POWER and STATUS.

Popularity Studies

-Social psychologists have examined a construct called 'SOCIAL IMPACT', a sociometric indicator of HOW 'VISIBLE' AN INDIVIDUAL IS. -PRINSTEIN AND COLLEAGUES, COLE AND COLLEAGUES and DODGE show that POPULARITY IS REFLECTION OF STATUS, and INFLUENCES OUTCOMES LATER IN LIFE. -REJECTED KIDS WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE AGGRESSIVE and have POORER SOCIAL SKILLS, report HIGHER LEVELS OF DEPRESSION and ABUSE SUBSTANCES in a later part of their life.

Based on DOMINANCE THEORY that suggests that humans UNDERSTAND PERMISSIONS AND BOUNDARIES IMPOSED BY HIERARCHY, selection should FAVOUR:

-Strategies that cause one to RISE IN DOMINANCE. -Subordinate strategies to SUBVERT, OR BENEFIT FROM ACCESS TO DOMINANT INDIVIDUALS.

Schadenfreude

-Studies by FEATHER suggest several important CHARACTERISTICS RELATED TO SCHADENFREUDE: Salience, Deservingness, Envy, Cultural variation, Self-esteem -Schadenfreude may MOTIVATE INDIVIDUALS TO TAKE ACTIONS TO PROMOTE MISFORTUNES.

Developmental Evidence

-Studies of children suggest that BOYS are MORE LIKELY TO ENGAGE IN ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE PLAY ASSAULTS and other AGGRESSIVE ACTIONS. -Boys also engage in displays of "EGOISTIC DOMINANCE" and acts of SEEKING ATTENTION.

Testosterone and Dominance

-Testosterone is an ANDROGEN-a class of hormones that CONTRIBUTES TO DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING MASCULINE FEATURES in an animal. -The EFFECTS OF TESTOSTERONE on human social dominance is a LITTLE MORE COMPLEX, but is associated with: REBELLIOUS, antisocial actions; Willingness to take RISKS; ENGAGING IN UNETHICAL ACTS such as financial misreporting.

Testosterone and Effects on Aggressive and Competitive Behaviours

-Testosterone levels are not static-they RISE JUST PRIOR TO COMPETITIVE SITUATIONS. -WINING in competitive scenarios also RESULTS IN ELEVATION OF TESTOSTERONE and PROMOTES MORE AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOURS: OBSERVERS WITNESSING COMPETITIVE SCENARIOS also showed a RISE IN TESTOSTERONE. -Testosterone is LINKED WITH DOMINANCE-but NOT PRESTIGE. -It may be that TESTOSTERONE and CORTISOL MOTIVATE DOMINANCE-SEEKING.

Self-Esteem, Status, and Acceptance

-There is a CONSISTENT LINK BETWEEN SELF-ESTEEM AND SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE. -Self-esteem, as a sociometer, would MOTIVATE INDIVIDUALS TO REPEAT OR ENGAGE IN ACTIONS THAT INCREASE STATUS and ACCEPTANCE from others: An elevated need for acceptance may manifest itself in NEEDINESS and a DEPENDENT PERSONALITY. -Self-esteem also PROVIDES INFORMATION ABOUT SOCIAL HIERARCHIES-WHO TO CHALLENGE, and TO WHOM TO SUBMIT. -Self-esteem also influences PERCEPTION OF ONE'S DESIRABILITY IN THE MATING MARKET.

Mate Value

-We can see a similar effect in HOLLYWOOD. Famous male celebrities have high INCOMES, STATUS and RANK. -Hollywood is a MICROCOSMIC SETTING for examining what happens when MANY HIGH-STATUS MALES and HIGH-STATUS FEMALES INTERACT with one another. -STATUS FOR MEN means GREATER OPPORTUNITIES FOR SEXUAL ACCESS to females and subsequently, reproductive success.

Evolutionary Theories of Dominance, Prestige and Status

-What ADAPTIVE PROBLEMS does STATUS-SEEKING solve? Also, WHY IS STATUS-SEEKING SO MUCH MORE EVIDENT IN MALES THAN IN FEMALES? -A good theory of dominance would be ABLE TO EXPLAIN WHY CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS ACCEPT SUBORDINATE STATUS, and DISTINGUISH BETWEEN DOMINANCE hierarchies and REPRODUCTION hierarchies. -We should also try to understand the PROCESSES or PATHS in which human beings REACH ELEVATED RANK or STATUS.

Why do STATUS and RANK DIFFERENCES EXIST in HUMANS and NON-HUMANS?

DIFFERENTIAL CAPABILITIES/QUALITIES and UNEQUAL ACCESS TO RESOURCES means that there will be INEQUALITIES in how species organize themselves. This is OBSERVED IN BOTH HUMANS AND NON-HUMANS.

How does dominance INFLUENCE BEHAVIOUR?

Dominance influences MICRO-LEVEL BEHAVIOURS SUCH AS BODY LANGUAGE, and also influences the PERCEPTIONS OF OBSERVERS.

Increased Access to Resources

HIGH-STATUS MEN can offer, and ATTRACT WOMEN with greater PROTECTION and INCREASED ACCESS to RESOURCES.

Intrasexual Competition

High-status men are MORE SUCCESSFUL IN INTRASEXUAL COMPETITION.

DO MEN STRIVE FOR STATUS MORE than women? If so, why?

MEN APPEAR TO STRIVE FOR STATUS MORE THAN WOMEN; the PAYOFFS FOR HIGH STATUS APPEAR GREATER FOR MEN than for women.

How do MEN AND WOMEN EXPRESS THEIR DOMINANCE?

Men express their dominance through EGOISTIC DOMINANCE ACTS, women through PROSOCIAL DOMINANT ACTS.

What function does SELF-ESTEEM serve in relation to status-seeking and status consciousness?

Self-esteem serves as a SOCIOMETER INDICATOR OF OUR STATUS AND RANK within social contexts.

What do SOCIAL ATTENTION-HOLDING THEORY and STUDIES OF POPULARITY tell us about our status-seeking nature?

Social attention-holding theory and studies of popularity tell us that VISIBILITY OF ONE'S CHARACTERISTICS, CAPABILITIES and PERSONALITY are RELATED TO STATUS AND DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT from others.

What ADAPTIVE PROBLEMS do STATUS-SEEKING and STATUS CONSCIOUSNESS solve?

Status and rank differences allow individuals to PARTLY SOLVE ADAPTIVE PROBLEMS PERTAINING TO ACCESS TO RESOURCES and SEXUAL OPPORTUNITIES.

Why do we oftentimes TAKE DELIGHT IN ANOTHER PERSON'S MISERY?

Taking delight in another's misery-feeling schadenfreude, may be an EMOTIONAL MANIFESTATION OF OUR DESIRE FOR STATUS-EQUALITY.