Determinants of Social and Cultural Status in the Society Essay

Weber argued that the social and cultural status in the society is dynamic and dependent on a number of forms, the power of an individual can be shown in the social, cultural and political status in the society. The class status and power have an absolute influence not only in the in the individual but also in the entire community. Weber focuses on wealth, prestige and power as the determinants of the social and cultural status in the society. Weber affirms that the capacity to posse's power depends on the individual's capability to own and control various socio-cultural resources. According to Weber the resources accumulated can be converted to wealth which later forms the individual's capital from direct or indirect return. According to Weber the placement of individuals into various strata depends on the wealth, prestige and powers individual possess. These resources include the intellectual knowledge, social respect, social, capital and physical strength.

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The social stratification involves the hierarchical groupings of individuals into classes and status in the society based on the occupation and the wealth accumulated within a given period of time. The social stratification is not static, it keep on changing from one stratum to another creating the social mobility. The social mobility entails movement of people across the hierarchical system from lower, middle and upper classes respectively. The horizontal mobility is realized when there is change in occupation and general position of an individual. Notably the human beings portray interdependency in the human behavior facilitate the human beings to form a trend of grouping together on the basis of division of labor and specialization, role, prestige and authority and ethnicity. According to Karl Marx the social stratification divides a society into two categories opposing each other on the basis of ownership of resources. On the other hand Max Weber argued that power and status are also other factors which determine the position an individual occupy in the society. The social stratification in the society can be subdivided into, slavery where the master and the subjects exercise an absolute inequality and contrast between the lives of the master and the slave. The feudal system is another level of social stratification which is gauged depending on the number of estates one owned and manages. The tenants and the landlords often occupy different classes depicting a real stratification in the society.

In addition, the caste system also reveals another form of social stratification linked to race and ethnicity in India creating a religious sanction, this portrays a sharp division of the same people within the same caste. Lastly, the Marxist theory explains the class system as common in the world and it is based on the economic factors and its relation to the concept of status. The capitalists own the resources and the workers provide the labor, this clearly defines the division among the people in the society based on their economic base. Significantly the social stratification is universal and can occur to any individual within the society and it is the structural difference which defines the stratum one occupy in the society. It is also gender sensitive where the female are often treated differently compared to men and tends to follow different norms. On the other hand inequality in the allocation of resources and the absolute effect of poverty determines the stratification and responsibility of people within a given set up.

Marx Weber's on his analysis states that the class, to be constituted on the basis of prestige and power, these are the core contributors to the socials differences and conflict in the society. Weber argues that the material base of the individuals in the society is related to the ideologies resulting into the social differences in the society. According to Weber power is the ability of an individual to take action against others in the society. This is related to the economic power, social power, legal and political power which subject individuals dominate and command of various economic resources. This achievement creates a form of admiration among the members in the society on the basis of the quality power control. Weber affirms that wealth essentially causes a division the society resulting to the social status and also defines the lifestyle of individuals this is in turn reflected on the level of one's prestige.

According to Pierre Bourdieu's the cultural capital states that skills ,experiences and the competences that one accumulates from the cultural practices determines the social status of individuals in the society, (Fowler 60). This expertise defines the economic base, prestige and wealth and overall future status of the children in the society. The cultural knowledge such as taste, manner, attributes alters the behavior of a child and tends control their motivation in life. Bourdieu describe the cultural capital as core determinant of the social status in the society and can be sub divided into three forms, the embodies state which basically focuses on the experiences ,skills and attributes one gains from the cultural experience. It tends to control the entire being by transforming the acquired knowledge into wealth for the basis of social stratification. Similarly the objective state is basically a reflection on the material objects acquired and also determine the social status in the society. Lastly, the institutionalized state is another form of conceptual capital often used by the members in the society to measure and place individuals in different social classes' .those who attain the prestigious institutions are destined to perform better and therefore a higher wealth accumulation hence higher social status. Notably, the cultural capital of a family influences the economic status and the general social acquisition in the society. Such people tend to acquire more socio-cultural support such as good grades, education and networking, this contributes to their social status in the society.

Works Cited

Fowler, B. (1997). Pierre Bourdieu and cultural theory: Critical investigations. London [etc.: Sage.