Master status

In Sociology, master status is the social position that is the primary identifying characteristic of an individual. The term master status is defined as "a status that has exceptional importance for social identity, often shaping a person's entire life."^[1]

Origin

Everett Hughes (sociologist), known for his informal tone of writing consisting of fragmentary data and student material,^[2] formulated the term master status in the 1940s and was the key subject of his address as the 53rd president of the American Sociological Association. In his address, he described the term as "the tendency of observers to believe that one label or demographic category is more significant than any other aspect of the observed person's background, behavior or performance" with special reference to race. ^[3] Like Everett Hughes, American psychologist Gordon Allport was also interested in the study of personality and social identity. Having a distinct idea on what the term master status means, Allport believes in the idea that individuals belong to a variety of social identity groups over different time periods and "possess many diverse social identities," most of which are linked to a host of stereotypes.^[4]

The master status is often the most important architecture of individual identity. Common characteristics are those of race or ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, physical ability, age, economic standing, religion or spirituality, and education. Others include raising children, employment status; and disability or mental illness.

In perception, an individual's master status supersedes other identifying traits; for example, if a woman feels that her role as a mother is more important than her role as a woman, a daughter, etc., she is more likely to identify herself as a mother and to identify with other women who label themselves as such. An individual's master status dominates how they are perceived by others and their behavior towards them. More than other aspects of the status set, the master status affects how the individual behaves and how others behave with respect to them.

Formation

Sexual identity development among young adults:

Sexual identity development among young adults seems to be a central task. Among young adults, there is no single label that is more significant than another. Some examples of young adult identities may include race, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference and age. A successful identity process among young adults suggests positive outcomes in identity development while the opposite is true as well. It's often difficult for young adults to recognize their sexual preferences mainly because of the feeling of social and family disapproval. Self-perception also plays a role in this because it is highly influenced by what the individual believes others think of them. If what the individual believes is a negative perception then the outcome tends to be a lower self esteem. Studies show that individuals who receive support from parents and those around them on their sexual identity leads to an increased self-worth, self-esteem, and fewer self-critical behavior. This kind of support inhibits a comfortable master status based on sexual identity among young adults.^[5]

Self-structure and Identity:

Constructing a self is about how committed an individual is to an identity. Self-structure and identity go hand in hand; the more work an individual puts towards maintaining a certain identity, the more that identity will reflect upon the individual. Promise Keepers, a Christian organization, applies this idea of self-structure and identity to its members by heightening their self-awareness as men of god. The men of promise keepers are asked to keep seven promises and by keeping these promises they become godly men. This urge to maintain that master status of "godly men" is fueled by the amount of work that is put in to keep the seven promises.^[6]

Navigating multiple identities

Race – Race is associated with biology which is why as humans are divided among races. When it comes to social identity based on race, negative ideas can come up because of social media and popular culture's influence. The battle of race and self-identity is on-going. Racial division is something that is still occurring where some must fight to determine if they qualify for the same rights as everyone else. "Race and disability were mutually constitutive categories in the nineteenth century, making it difficult to tease apart racial identity from disability identity."^[7]

Gender – Gender identities can be broken up into both masculine and feminine experiences. These identities are reinforced by adults, peers, and the media at an early age. From clothing to toys, gender roles are very structured. Girls can be linked to dresses, the color pink and stuffed teddy bears while boys are linked to the color blue, baseball caps, and trucks. Male sex roles tend to be more valued than female sex roles. Femininity and the acceptance of tomboyish behavior in young women is more accepted but not the opposite. The media portrays men as "tough guys" from any cartoon to most movies and portrays women as more domestic, motherly and is more focused on looks.^[8]

Culture – Cultural identities may be seen as a group identity. When one asks "who am I?" one usually associates themselves with a cultural identity. Cultural group selection may be considered to be a difficult task especially for second generation individuals. For example, if a child is born in the United States but the parents were born in Spain over three decades ago, how would the child identify him or her self? The parents may identify themselves as Spanish-American and because of this influence, the child might consider him or her self Spanish-American as well. Cultural identity can be determined in many different ways including race, religion, values, and behavior. What is important is that cultural identity is looked at "as reflecting a form of social identity based on and determined by an individual's lived experiences among a group of people and their participation in the group's shared properties (for example, traditions, customs, language and values)."^[9]

Nationality – In the study of classical music, nationality plays a major role in originality and individuality. A strong sense of nationality has been used by numerous twentieth century composers to make the folk music of their nation and as a result discovered their individual identity through music as well. This interaction of music and nationality come together and are a big part of a nations cultural shaping depending on how big of an impact the music has on the population. Depending on the impact of the folk music made about the nation, It will not only aid composers to discover their individual identity but can aid the nation's population discover their individual identity as well. The opposite may also occur.^[10]

Disability – Disability and self identity can be very different based on age, severity of disability and social support. A child who was born with a disability and accepts the fact that the disability is present can better adapt and cope with the difference presented by the disability. If a child acquires a disability later on in life, depending on the social support given to the child by the parents and peers, this can lead to a positive influence on self-worth. On the other hand, if a child receives support from parents and peers that limit their social activities because of the disability and are also treated as if they were younger, the support can cause a negative influence on self-worth. Adults who acquire a disability are expected to cope with a disability with more maturity. It is expected that the benefit of maturity helps them accept the disability and continue moving forward with their new quality of life.^[11]

Effects

Criminal courts' decision making based on master status:

From data taken on about 370 different criminal court case decisions, studies have focused on the creation of a master status based on gang membership and the influence that has on charging and sentencing decisions. Various statuses such as: drug addict, mentally ill, child abuser, alcoholic, and ex-convict have a big impact on decision making. Statuses like these modify personal identity and limit alternatives and opportunities in the eyes of those in charge of sentencing. Stereotypes and master statuses can not be confused because while a stereotype indicates in this scenario that the observer is the one who filters any additional information about the case at hand, a master status heavily influences any final decisions made even when other information may be relevant. Over the years, gang and non gang offenses have been carefully looked at because of this master status notion.^[12]

References

External links

• John Scott; Gordon Marshall (January 2009). A Dictionary of Sociology. Oxford University Press. pp. 399–400. ISBN 0-19-953300-8. 
• John J. Macionis (21 November 2011). Sociology. Pearson Education. ISBN 978-0-205-89413-0.