Let’s
understand the difference between a status and a role. Status demands
focus on the prestige of the position. For e.g. A physician’s job is a status
with much prestige, but a shoe shiner’s job is a status with no prestige.
‘Ascribed’ is the status that someone is born with
and has no control over such as race, colour, social class etc.
‘Achieved’ is the status that you earn or gain by
sometimes through your own efforts and sometimes because good or bad luck
befalls you J
For e.g. the
status of being a student, an employee or even being referred as a romantic
partner is an achieved status.
Religion is
generally perceived as an ascribed status but for those individuals who choose
a religion as an adult, or convert to another religion; their religion becomes
an achieved status.
Now, list
the social statuses you occupy as a Friend, Student, and Teammate which ones
are ascribed, and which is achieved?
Whatever
its type, every status is accompanied by a role, which is the behaviour
expected of someone – and in fact everyone – with a certain status.
What roles
are you expected to play as a consequence of the positions you occupy? How do
you resolve possible role conflicts in your personal and professional
life?
Yes!
Sometimes, conflicts arise between statuses.
A ‘low’
ascribed status can result in a ‘high’ achieved status and vice-versa. A
negative self-image may stifle an individual’s efforts to acquire a certain
achieved status.
Stephen
Covey once said “How different our lives are when we really know what is deeply
important to us, and keeping that picture in mind, we manage ourselves each day
to be and to do what really matters most.”
In a
nutshell, I believe that a Character cannot be developed & or achieved in
ease and quiet & it also does not take much strength to do things, but it
requires great strength to decide what to do, how to do and when to do.