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Andrew comes from a low-status ethnic group but is a practising lawyer. How does this impact on his social class?
On Jun 08, 2024
One problem with assigning people to a social class is that they may not be equal in their standing with respect to all of the relevant dimensions. A person might come from a low-status ethnic group but have a high-status job, whereas another may live in a fancy part of town but not have finished high school. Social scientists use the concept of status crystallization to assess the impact of social class inconsistency. The logic is that when these indicators are not consistent, stress occurs because the rewards from each part of such an "unbalanced" person's life are variable and unpredictable. People who exhibit such inconsistencies tend to be more receptive to social change than those whose identities are rooted more firmly.