Status

My husband and I are taking an 8-week improvisation class. The first class met last week, and one of the topics that we explored was status. Our teacher asked us to have a group conversation about coffee. The conversation was short with every person contributing briefly their opinion about coffee. There were a few back and forth comments, and then we were done.

The teacher asked us who had the most status in the group.

What a question!

I had never thought about status in the context of daily interactions and conversations, but as we explored this concept, it became clear that status lurks in almost every circumstance and relationship, and once I became aware of it, I could see it everywhere – in body posture, facial expression, tone of voice, and the content of what was spoken. People are claiming status and people are giving it away all the time. But interestingly, status doesn’t necessarily correspond with social class, education, profession or what would seem like its outward manifestations.

The physician who looks downward, bites his nails, and mumbles may have less status in an interaction than a laid-off blue collar worker who is friendly, clear, and looks directly at the doctor. Status is fluid, changing all the time depending upon circumstance. It comes with confidence and often with an open, kind, unafraid demeanor. It is lost when we avert our eyes or defer to another against our own values or beliefs.

But why is status so ubiquitous? Can we imagine our species living without its presence? Given that we share the social configurations status conveys with many other species, one wonders if it something to overcome or something to understand and work with so that it does not perpetuate oppression and exploitation, but rather becomes a part of our psychology and social relationships to lift into the light.

I’m only at the beginning of paying attention to this new concept in my life. I’ll report back in this blog as I notice more. Meanwhile, I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on status – what elevates it and what diminishes it and what makes it disappear into an honest and healthy equilibrium among people.

Zoe Weil
Author of Most Good, Least Harm and Above All, Be Kind

Image courtesy of zozo2k3 via Creative Commons.

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