Ralph Linton has divided statuses into two types based on the nature of how an individual can come to occupy a status in society. These are ‘ascribed’ and ‘achieved’.
Ascribed Status : These statuses are based on characteristics that persons are born with or born into and have no choice or control over it. Age and sex are two such characteristics a person is born with. Also being born into a family or a kinship group, an ethnic group, gender immediately ascribes one’s status. The moment you are born into a family, you occupy the status of a child to the parents you are born to and you have no choice over it. If you are born a male, you will occupy the status of a son or if a girl then the status of a daughter. Taste Status is also Ascribed. Caste system is one of the general forms of social organisation which ascribes different status to people by birth. Once you are born into a caste, you cannot change the caste in the Hindu Social Organisation.
Achieved Status : This status is based on characteristics which an individual come to achieve in life and thus has some control and choice over it. For example, choosing to study a particular subjects by an individual will make him/her a student. It is a status that a person comes to attain in some ways through his/her own efforts and choice. For example, Lawyer, Teacher, Doctor etc.
Status Set : It is another concept that means the sum total of all the statuses that a person occupies. You must be occupying a number of statuses at this time, like that of a student, friend, son or daughter, a sibling, cousin, citizen of India etc. All these together comprise your status set.
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