» INS 112: Communication and culture I » Topic: Roles and Status » Lecturer: Samuel KOCHOMAY

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LECTURE #3 #1 Introduction
Roles and Status
STATUS
#2 Defining status
Objectives
By the end of this lecture,
Status = is a position or place in a social system and its
students will… attendant rights and duties
1. define status, role, Status = a place in a social system in relation to other
role-set, role conflict places or statuses
2. state types of status
3. describe s/he can
resolve role conflict #3 Analysis of the definition
4. explain Christian * Status has a value attached to it; some statuses are
perspective to role and
higher than others; some statuses are perceived as more
status
5. explain the significance prestigious than others
of understanding the
concepts role and
* Status is public: there are symbols that signify the
status
status - Military ranks and uniforms, title Reverend or
Key terms: Role, Status, collar publicly reveal someone as Christian spiritual leader,
Stratification, Social class wedding rings show married and unmarried persons etc.
Reflection:
The symbols will guide one in knowing the place various
individuals have in the society
Outline
 Status
* Every status has a role – every status comes with
 Role
 Christian perspective to duties and obligations
role and status
 Stratification Note: change agents going into or working in other
cultures need to be aware of the statuses of that
society/culture. Symbols act as guides for knowing the
place various individuals have in the society

#5
Status: is a position or place
in a social system and its
attendant rights and duties
Types of status: ascribed,
achieved, horizontal,
vertical
Types of Status
1) Ascribed status:
Ascribed status = One that society assigns to an
individual on the basis of characteristics of birth (e.g.
sex, age, race, ethnic group, social class etc). One is
born into or inherits this status. One has little chance
of changing them.
 Sex: All societies divide statuses into male and
female and assign roles to each of the sexes.
Sex/gender roles differ from society to society.
In some societies political offices are inherited
rather than earned e.g. Monarchy of England
 Age: some statuses are ascribed on the basis of
age e.g. societies with age-set system where males
are junior to, equal to or senior to all other males
in the society. in some societies birth order
determines inheritance rights – some societies

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 » INS 112: Communication and culture I » Topic: Roles and Status » Lecturer: Samuel KOCHOMAY
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practice s = racism. Ethnicity/racism is sin. All people are

primogenit creatures of God’s with common origin (Ge 1.27-
ure; a 28). To God all people are equal - He is not a
where respecter of persons and accepts all people
family equally(acts 10.34; James 2.8-10)
wealth
inheritanc 2) achieved status
e and Achieved Status = obtained through choice and
position achievement
pass to - In some societies, political offices are achieved
the first through election; in Kenya the status of the president
born( cf is achieved
OT - some statuses are both ascribed and achieved e.g on a
Hebrews) WOMAN(ascribed) can become a mother, but not all
 Social women can become mothers(achieved); only a
class: MAN(ascribed) can become a husband, but not ALL
the men are HUSBANDS(achieved)
caste
system
a social 3) Vertical statuses
class Vertical status = hierarchical ordering of statuses e.g
stratif military rank system
ication - The movement up and down the status hierarchy is
allow referred to as social mobility
no - Some societies provide their members with a means
vertica for vertical/upward mobility
l - Latin America: upward mobility is achieved thro’
mobilit Marriage, Education and Wealth. Without education
y and family name, it is least desirable
 Race - Some societies such as Indian society (caste system)
and do not provide opportunities for upward mobility for
ethnic its members
groups:
some 4) Horizontal status
societi Horizontal status = refers to statutes on the same
es level or of the same rank
have - horizontal mobility is easier to accomplish than the
used vertical mobility
ethnic
and
racial
identit
y for
all
wrong
reason

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 » INS 112: Communication and culture I » Topic: Roles and Status » Lecturer: Samuel KOCHOMAY
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ROLES
#7
Role = behavior, attitudes
and values associated with a
particular status
Defining Role
Role = behavior, attitudes and values associated with a
particular status
- Role behavior is predictable and anticipated. Predictability
of role behavior enables society to function i.e. the
functioning of societies depend upon the presence of
patterns of reciprocal behavior between individuals
- to function in a new culture, one needs to know the
symbols of culture as well as the patterns of
behavior/role that go with it

Role-set = an array of roles that accrue to a particular

status
- Statuses and roles are major building blocks of social
structure. It is through reciprocal behavior or roles that
one status is related to another(shopkeeper and buyer)
- A status and its accompanying role exist apart (separate)
Role-set = an array of roles from the individual that posses them (i.e. VIP escort). It
that accrue to a particular
status
means that a status has its rights and duties and its role
regardless of the individual who fills in the status

#8 Role Conflict
Role conflict: a conflict within a role or between roles
- Role conflict may result from ;
a) Conflict within a role e.g.
b) conflict between some of the roles a person may
have: e.g. your friend & coworker promoted to be
your boss
c) change in social structure e.g.(Ref. Soga of Uganda
GM pp.133-4)
- Note: the example of Soga of Uganda shows how
problematic it is when we temper with an existing social
structure without understanding it.
- The best way to bring change in another society is working
with the system and not against it.
- Resolving role conflicts:
a) changing the status(es) with which roles are in
conflict
b) changing the role behavior that goes with one or
more of the statuses
c) adjudication(conscious process): delegating
decisions that will to conflict to the third party
d) rationalization(subconscious process):
psychological defense process in which an individual

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 » INS 112: Communication and culture I » Topic: Roles and Status » Lecturer: Samuel KOCHOMAY
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recasts a difficult situation into one that is

acceptable
e) compartmentalization(subconscious process): the
process of boxing off one’s roles from each other
and accepting the obligations and responsibilities
of each separately

#9 Christian perspective to role and status

Christianity is achieved status; it is achieved through choice
Christian status is vertical: Japan = Christianity is high status;
India = Christianity is low status
Christianity has a role: some Christians see use of alcohol as
unchristian behavior while others do not

Note: Christian status often brings Christians into role

conflict with one or more of their statuses. Christians can
overcome these conflicts by changing some statuses or by
modifying role behaviors

STRATIFICATION
#10 Defining stratification
Stratification = 1) hierarchy of status, 2) Hierarchy of
inequality
- The differentiation (stratification) may be based on:
Decent clan, family etc),Wealth (poor, rich),Skills
(experience, education , training), Physical appearance,
Race etc
- Stratification creates social classes
Stratification = hierarchy Social class” = people on a social scale who see themselves
of status
as equal and are seen as equal by others on the same scale.
- Each society sets its own criteria for social class based on
any factor or a combination of factors.

#11 Case studies of stratification of societies

a) American Society – class is based on wealth, power and
prestige
b) Acala’ de la sierra in south of Spain: social classes are
based on land ownership. Land is so important for
reckoning status and social class.
i. Lower class is composed of: Property less
beggars, Landless domestic helps, Farm
laborers, Tenant farmers, and Small land
owners.
ii. Middle class is composed of farmers and
moderate size land holdings, Shopkeepers,

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 » INS 112: Communication and culture I » Topic: Roles and Status » Lecturer: Samuel KOCHOMAY
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G ese are owners of Extensive land holdings.

o allow their children to marry only their
v class and Hold key political offices
e
r Stratification continuum
n Stratification systems of vary along continuum from a
m classless to highly stratified societies.
e a) *Pocomchi Indians of Guatamala - Class society:
n Even with varied sizes of land and other property,
t they see each other as equals
o
f b) *American Society: Divided into upper, middle and
fi lower classes. American stratification system is
ci dominated by economics.
al
s, c) *Indian Society: Made up of 4 castes and an
& outcaste and Class is ascribed - One remains in the
P caste he was born. There is no vertical mobility and
r very little horizontal mobility. This stratification
o system is based on prestige or caste rather than
f economics. The four main castes are Brahman,
e Kshatria, Vaisia and Sudra. Below them are
s untouchables.
si
o d) *African Societies: stratified by age.
n Stratification is ascribed and mobility is vertical.
al prestige and power are associate with age
s Example: Karamojong of Uganda
* All males are initiated into manhood within a 5-6 years period.
e.
* Members of younger generation serve as warriors.
g.
* Older generation is composed of judges, administrators and priests.
t
e
e) *Traditional Latin American: Stratified by
a
extended family i.e. each family is either above or
c
below every other family. Strata is scribed by
h
birth but can be achieved by MARRIAGE,
e
EDUCATION AND WEALTH. * this is one of
r
highly stratified society
s
iii.
#12 Stratification of the church in Kenya Society
Upper
- Just as society is stratified so are their social
cl
institutions. Which church is for upper, middle and lower
a
social classes in Kenya?
s
s:
t
h

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 » INS 112: Communication and culture I » Topic: Roles and Status » Lecturer: Samuel KOCHOMAY
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Stratification
of religious Texts
groups is Cultural anthropology: a Christian perspective. By Grunlan, & Mayers (1989).
culturally Introduction to sociology by Giddens, (1995).
Introduction to sociology, Macionis, (1991).
logical -
people tend to
associate with
others of
their social
class in most
activities
including
religious
groups.
Note also that
though God is
not a
respecter of
persons, we
must also
recognize that
people are
part of their
cultures.
For effective
gospel
outreach, we
must live and
deal with
people as
cultural beings
i.e. as
members of a
society with
stratification
system.
Understanding
of role, status
&
stratification
will make one
work more
effectively
with the
system and
not against it.

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