From a 2014 paper: The notion that striving for status is a fundamental human motivation is a largely taken-for-granted assumption across a number of literatures (e.g., anthropology, economics, evolutionary and social psychology, management, marketing, and sociology). In six studies, we show that—despite the ubiquity of status-striving in everyday life—people are reluctant to admit to such behavior. Specifically, participants consistently reported that they strive for status less than others, and this discrepancy was partially reduced only among participants who were less concerned about impression management or whose ability to engage in impression management was compromised. Although high status is clearly valuable and pursuing greater status is a basic human drive, we interpret these findings to mean that status-striving is a stigmatized behavior that people actively conceal.
Gemini: Concealment of Status-Striving:
The core finding is that people generally try to hide their desire for status from others.
Negative Perception:
The desire for status is viewed negatively by most people, making it a stigmatized behavior.
Self vs. Other:
There is a difference between how people view their own desire for status and how they perceive others’ desire for it. People may not be accurate in detecting status-seeking in others because everyone is trying to conceal their own ambitions.
Cultural Differences:
Ethnicity matters, with the research indicating that white individuals are less comfortable with the perception of being a “striver” compared to Asian individuals, who may view ambition as a virtuous pursuit.
Consequences of Openness:
Blatantly showing your status-seeking behavior is likely to undermine your goal, rather than achieve it.
Implications
Subtlety in Status Acquisition:
To gain status, individuals should focus on enhancing the apparent value they provide to their group, such as through competence, generosity, and commitment, rather than engaging in blatant self-promotion.
Prosocial Behavior:
The negative effect of a high desire for status on actual status is largely mediated by perceptions of low prosociality.
Social Dynamics:
The findings suggest a social dynamic where groups actively but imperfectly punish those perceived as having a high desire for status.
