Social Statuses and Relational Expectations

Social Statuses

• Social statuses influence our rights and responsibilities.
• They are societal positions, not created by individuals, though individuals occupy them.
• Social statuses are socially constructed, and their expectations are broadly recognized across society.
• Statuses usually appear in pairs (e.g., father and child, doctor and patient, teacher and student, boss and employee).
  • They are relational because expectations of one are related to the expectations of the other.

Example: Professor and Student

• The position of a professor influences what students can expect of them and vice versa.
  • Professor Expectations and Rights:
    • Expected to be available.
    • Expected to teach.
    • Expected to grade work.
    • Right to remove disruptive students.
    • Right to create assignments to facilitate learning.
  • Student Expectations and Rights:
    • Expected to complete assignments.
    • Expected to pass assignments.
    • Expected not to cheat; to do their own work.
    • Right to appeal a grade.
    • Right to ask questions.
• These rights, privileges, and responsibilities apply to all individuals in the social statuses of "professor" and "student."