High Social Rank Research Articles

Experimentally manipulated anger activates implicit cognitions about social hierarchy

ABSTRACT A correlational pilot study (N = 143) and an integrative data analysis of two experiments (total N = 377) provide evidence linking anger to the psychology of social hierarchy. The experiments demonstrate that the experience of anger increases the psychological accessibility of implicit cognitions related to social hierarchy: compared to participants in a control condition, participants in an anger-priming condition completed word stems with significantly more hierarchy-related words. We found little support for sex differences in the effect of anger on implicit hierarchy-related cognition; effects were equivalent across male and female participants. Findings fit with functionalist evolutionary views of anger suggesting that anger may motivate the use of dominance to strive for high social rank in group hierarchies. Implications for downstream behaviour, including aggression and negotiation, are discussed.

Jewelry, Accessories, and Decorative Elements of Women’s Funeral Costume of the First Half of the 6th Century BCE in the Territory of Forest-Steppe Scythia

Among the antiquities of the archaic period of Forest-Steppe Scythia, a group of elite burials of women, possibly endowed with priestly functions during their lifetime, stands out. Until recently, only two unrobbed burial complexes were known to contain the main burials of women of high social rank, in whose graves golden costume elements were found—primarily expressive details of headdresses. The barrows (kurgans) were discovered at the end of the 19th century when amateur excavations were actively carried out on the right bank of the Dnipro. As a result of research conducted by the author at the Skorobir necropolis (in the area of the Bilsk fortified settlement, on the left bank of the Dnipro), two similar graves were recently discovered, which provided new material that significantly expanded the known geographical distribution of this phenomenon. The materials are closely analogous to the previously discovered elite female burials of the Middle Dnipro (barrow 100 near the village of Syniavka, barrow 35 near the village of Bobrytsa) and allow us to highlight a number of stable elements of the funeral costume of noble women and the sets of objects that complemented them. In this article, we consider the social and cultural significance of female attire in elite burials and delimit the chronological framework of this previously understudied phenomenon within the first half of the 6th century BCE. The new finds offer unprecedented insight into the form and meaning of one type of female headdress which researchers have tried to reconstruct for over a century.

An Analysis of Social and Cultural Capital in Don Delillo's White Noise: a Bourdeusian Perspective

White Noise is Don DeLillo’s eighth novel which was published in 1985. The novel has been scrutinized by many scholars from different schools of thought. In this article, we try to read White Noise in light of Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of different types of capital and make an effort to take note of representations of each of these types. Nevertheless, since the biggest contribution Bourdieu makes to discussions regarding capital is his explanations of social capital and cultural capital, this article uses Bourdieu’s explanations of these categories of capital together with those of other Bourdeusian scholars in order to identify representations of social capital and cultural capital in the forms of the embodied state, the objectified state and the institutionalized state in the novel. In regards to social capital, the article argues that the efforts people make in White Noise to become members of various social groups are a strategy they devise in order to advance their overall capital. Furthermore, in terms of cultural capital, it is argued that its possession can help individuals gain benefits such as better chances of academic education and higher social ranks. Moreover, the findings suggest that access to the subcategories of cultural capital can elevate individuals’ social position.

A systematic review of social rank perception and contribution to eating disorder psychopathology in individuals with eating disorders

AbstractSocial rank theory states that achieving enhanced social rank is an essential biosocial goal for human beings, with individuals considering themselves to be high or low social rank on the basis of how they perceive that others view them. High social rank is associated with assertiveness, competence, and talent, whereas low social rank is associated with feelings of defeat and inferiority and submissive behavior. This theory has been applied to understand the etiology and psychopathology of eating disorders (EDs). The objective of this narrative systematic review was to summarize existing literature exploring perceptions of social rank and related constructs (e.g., submissiveness and inferiority) in EDs, to shed light on how individuals with EDs perceive their social rank, and to examine the relationship between perceived social rank and ED psychopathology. A systematic search of cross‐sectional or longitudinal studies involving a clinical sample of individuals with EDs and using a validated measure of social rank or a related construct was conducted for studies published up to September 12, 2023 (PROSPERO, CRD42021227028). Five databases (Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed) were systematically searched. Altogether, 1106 studies were included in the title and abstract screening. Seventeen studies (13 cross‐sectional, 3 prospective cohort studies, and 1 ecological momentary assessment study) were included in the analysis and data extraction. The methodological quality of the studies was rated as generally good. There was evidence that individuals with EDs perceive their social rank as lower compared with healthy controls (N = 5 studies) and present features indicative of perceptions of low social rank (N = 9 studies). The perception of being of low social rank was significantly associated with more severe ED psychopathology (N = 10 studies). The findings of the review are discussed alongside limitations, implications for treatment models, and directions for future research.

Banding together to avoid exploitation: Dominant (but not prestige-based) leaders motivate collective moral opposition from followers

Although dominance is a common strategy for attaining high social rank, it often entails exploitative behavior, bringing leaders into conflict with followers. Anthropological work suggests that a long evolutionary history of such conflict has set the stage for moral systems designed to reduce exploitation from powerful people. Here we establish links between dominance (and prestige) and moral leadership, reporting three studies (total N = 1246) demonstrating that, in response to dominant leaders, followers band together in collective opposition aimed at resisting, and even toppling, incumbent leaders. These studies also identify specific social psychological pathways through which dominant leaders elicit moral opposition—low levels of trust and gossip both mediated effects of leader dominance on collective opposition by followers. While dominance may allow people to rise through the ranks of a social hierarchy, the long-term durability of dominance as a leadership strategy may be undermined by collective moral opposition from followers.

Sperm mobility is predictive of the relative genetic contribution among competing mating geese, as determined by microsatellite genotype identification of potential sires

The low reproductive efficiency (RE) of geese limits their production in the poultry industry. To select ganders with high breeding potential, the effect of 3 sperm mobility ranks (SMRs; high-, medium-, and low-SMR) on the RE of naturally mating geese was determined. To exclude the confounding effect of social rank (SR) on RE in naturally mating flocks, a 2-factor nested experimental design was used to differentiate the effects of SMR and SR on RE. Twenty-seven ganders and 135 geese (Zi geese, Anser cygnoides L.) at approximately 1 yr of age were divided into 3 flocks, each of which included the 3 SMR groups. Each SMR group included 3 ganders and 15 female geese. Relative genetic contribution (RGC) is defined as the number of offspring sired by 1 male as a percentage of the entire goslings in each flock, and it was used to compare the differences in RE among ganders. The frequency of agonistic behavioral interactions (ABIs) among the ganders was video recorded in each SMR group, and the SR of each gander was determined. In total, 1,026 eggs were incubated, and 609 goslings hatched. Parent-offspring relationships among 771 individuals from the 2 generations were identified using 20 microsatellite markers, and the RGC was calculated. Results showed that the SMR and SR had significant effects on RGC in naturally mating geese (P=0.001 and P=0.000, respectively). Significant differences in RGC were observed among the high- and medium- and low-SMR groups, with average RGCs of 14.3, 10.6, and 8.4%, respectively. The high-SMR group had the highest RGCs in each flock, and the ganders with high SR had the highest RGCs among the 3 SMRs. The study showed that in a naturally mating geese population, selecting for the sperm mobility traits of a gander can effectively improve the RE.

The Lawyer in Dickens by Franziska Quabeck

Reviewed by: The Lawyer in Dickens by Franziska Quabeck Robert Sirabian (bio) Franziska Quabeck. The Lawyer in Dickens. Walter de Gruyter, 2021. Pp. 145. $107.99. ISBN 978-3-11-075270-0 (hb). Explaining in the Afterword that she is not writing a history of prejudice against lawyers or a cultural history of lawyers and the law, Franziska Quabeck explores lawyer characters in later Dickens novels from David Copperfield to Our Mutual Friend while speculating about the lawyer in Dickens himself. Although lawyer characters may seem minor, and therefore flat, "representatives of an evil system" (12), Quabeck argues they are more than symbolic representations motivated by greed. They reveal complex human desires that the legal system fosters, specifically an interest in fabricating plots and asserting masculine power through surveillance, particularly over women. These desires become manifest as they break away from Dickens's authorial control, revealing his complex, ambiguous relationship to the law. Although additional context concerning legal history and Victorian culture would be helpful, and an extended discussion of some Dickensian literary criticism would situate the argument more poignantly, The Lawyer in Dickens offers interesting, relevant insights and conclusions. Quabeck's analysis helps readers think further about the important relationship between Dickens and his lawyer characters, and that although rooted in cultural prejudice, Victorian antipathy towards the law reflects the tension between "English law as a set of cultural and linguistic practices" and natural law–an individual, intuitive sense of what is morally and ethically right and wrong (Petch 155). The introductory chapter on the law highlights Dickens's interest in the lawyer as an individual, not just a member of the legal system. According to Quabeck, Dickens offers a "possibly idiosyncratic preference for the solicitor over the barrister" (5), rooted in issues of social class (e.g., being a gentleman) and money, since solicitors were viewed as having a higher social rank. Furthermore, because Dickens has a mixed, conflicted appraisal of lawyers, his lawyer characters can elude the author's conscious control. Lawyers in later novels depart from those in early novels by revealing motivations transcending the law as simply an oppressive system. However, it should be noted that even in The Pickwick Papers, which Quabeck briefly discusses, Dickens presents a complex understanding of the law, specifically the tedium of its daily business transactions and most significantly its [End Page 108] adversarial nature, outlined in Thomas Langbein's The Origins of Adversary Criminal Trial, a source that could be included here. He traces the route, stemming from civil trials, that allowed "lawyer-partisans" to run criminal trials, turning them into competitive contests with lawyers speaking for defendants rather than juries hearing directly from them (1). In Pickwick, minor lawyer characters show an acute understanding of the legal system's customs and written rules as well as an awareness of juries as spectators, which shapes Dickens's depiction of lawyers and judges as actors. This context frames Quabeck's numerous passing references to competition and contests: between Uriah and David, Stryver and Carton, Pip and Jaggers, as well as Tulkinghorn's game with Lady Dedlock. Lawyers in Dickens's novels understand the adversarial nature of the legal system, structured on the cultural ideology of game playing as morality and ethics are framed by the ideology of competition beyond the courtroom into domestic spaces and daily business encounters. Chapter 2 makes the engaging claim that Uriah Heep is a prototype of other Dickens lawyers. Quabeck posits that "[o]n the grounds of David Copperfield, it is […] not unequivocally possible to attest that Dickens 'detests' lawyers–in fact, there seems to be a great degree of that often mentioned attraction of repulsion, a covert admiration for the profession and a strong awareness for the social implications of what it means to be a lawyer" (37). Because Heep is David's rival, the law is also David's "nemesis" (from the chapter title), although David does not realize it. The law is the source of Heep's status and power, particularly his surveillance of and (sexual) desire to control and possess Agnes, which allows his character to transcend its seeming flatness. Readers might be reminded, however, that Heep's charity school education...

Is status a zero-sum game? Zero-sum beliefs increase people's preference for dominance but not prestige.

Why do people often pursue social rank using coercive and potentially costly dominance-oriented strategies (grounded in fear and intimidation) rather than noncoercive prestige-oriented strategies (grounded in respect and admiration)? In 10 studies (N = 3,372, including a high-powered preregistered replication), we propose that people's beliefs about the nature of social hierarchies shape their preference for dominance strategies. Specifically, we find that zero-sum beliefs about social hierarchies-beliefs that one person's rise in social rank inevitably comes at others' expense-drive the preference for dominance-oriented, but not prestige-oriented, approaches to status. The more participants viewed social hierarchies as zero-sum, the more they were willing to use dominance tactics and the more interested they were in reading books about how to use such tactics. Moreover, we find evidence that zero-sum beliefs about social hierarchies causally increase the preference for dominance-oriented, but not prestige-oriented, strategies for gaining rank, and that both objective factors in the organizational environment and people's subjective interpretations of these environments can trigger this effect. We discuss implications for the intragroup and intergroup dynamics of attaining and retaining high social rank. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of rams’ social hierarchy upon scrotal circumference, semen quality, and copulation performance under arid land conditions

Social hierarchies among animal species are based on the animal ́s dominance-aggressiveness level aligned with the subordination oftheir mates. Social order is mostly defined by animal size, live weight, or age. This study aimed to evaluate the association betweenodor score (OS), horn presence (HP), horn size (HS), and body temperature on social rank hierarchy, scrotal circumference (SC), semenquality (SQ), and sexual drive (SD). Adult Dorper rams (n=24) with similar live weight (LW), body condition score (BCS), and age (AG)were subjected to a behavioral test to define a success index (SI) based on male-to-male interactions. OS was highest (P<0.05) for ramswith high social rank (HSR; 2.5±0.4) and lowest for rams with low social status (LSR; 0.75±0.01). Scrotal circumference was highest(P<0.05) for HSR rams (40.0±3.5) and lowest for rams with medium social rank (MSR; 29.3±1.20). Sperm cell concentration/mL washighest (P<0.05) for HSR rams (3848±187) and lowest for LSR (2660±463). 80% of the HSR rams had horns, while 33.3 of the LSRrams were hornless. The percentage of rejection to mount an estrous ewe was 77.7 for LSR and 20% for HSR and MSR rams (P <0.05).To conclude, the HSR rams presented the highest successful copulation, scrotal circumference, and sperm cell concentration comparedto rams with lesser social rank scores

THE MONSTROUS (MONSTRUOSO) FIBULA FROM THE DNIPRO RIVER REGION

In 2021, illegal antiquities seekers destroyed a Chernyakhiv Culture burial near the village of Lebedyn. Some of the items and succinct information about their provenance were given to the Cherkasy City Archaeological Museum of the Middle Dnipro Region. An examination of the items and an additional investigation of the find spot allowed for the conclusion that the items came from a Chernyakhiv Culture cremation. The grave goods included artefacts of Roman and Barbarian origin as well as hand-built pottery with direct analogies to the Wielbark Culture. It can be asserted that this was the burial of an East Goth woman of high social rank from the late 3rd – early 4th century, probably the early phase of Stage C3. Keywords: Late Roman period, Chernyakhiv Culture, cremation, Roman imports, rosette fibula (monstruoso), Wielbark Culture, Goths.

​In the Absence of Sexual Competition, Rams with Low Social Ranks Show more Appetitive Sexual Behaviors than Males with High Ranks

Background: Usually, social order is defined by the animals´ size, live weight, or age. This study evaluated the effect of social rank and morphometric characteristics upon appetitive and consummatory sexual behaviors in Dorper rams in absence of sexual competition. Methods: The research took place in northern Mexico (26°N), 36 rams allocated into two groups were used: Low social rank (LR; n = 17) and high social rank (HR; n = 19). Behavior tests were performed for all the males, for which each one was placed in contact with a female in estrus. Result: There were no differences between ranks and morphometric characteristics (P less than 0.05). A correlation of 29% was found for the success index concerning odor in HR. Likewise, a relationship existed between the presence of horns (Pho) and all the other variables, but not between PHo vs success index (rho 0.07). Appetitive sexual behavior was the highest (P less than 0.05) for LR, while HR had more consummatory sexual behaviors (P less than 0.05). We conclude that sexual hierarchy exists even when the males have the same morphometric characteristics, nonetheless, males with low social ranks show more appetitive sexual behaviors while those with high ranks show a higher number of consummatory sexual behaviors when managed in intensive farming conditions.

Lifting Me Up or Tearing You Down? The Role of Prestige and Dominance in Benign Versus Malicious Envy.

Dominance and prestige are two strategies people use to regulate their social rank within group hierarchies. Despite a growing literature on dominance- and prestige-oriented leaders, little is known about how those strategies operate among people lower in social rank. Four studies tested the hypothesis that, among subordinates, dominance and prestige are associated with high levels of malicious and benign envy, respectively. Individual differences in prestige were positively and independently associated with benign envy, and negatively associated with malicious envy. Individual differences in dominance were positively and independently associated with both malicious and benign envy. Two experiments demonstrated that activating a prestige-oriented mindset (relative to a dominance-oriented mindset) caused people to display higher levels of benign envy. No experimental effects on malicious envy were observed. Theories of prestige and dominance provide a useful framework for understanding ways in which subordinate group members strive for high social rank.

The Everyday Nationalism of Workers: A Social History of Modern Belgium

The Everyday Nationalism of Workers: A Social History of Modern Belgium

Considering the role of second-order respect in individuals' deference to dominant actors

Dominant actors are neither liked nor respected, yet they are reliably deferred to. Extant explanations of why dominant actors are deferred to focus on deferrers' first-order judgments (i.e., the deferrers' own private assessment of the dominant actor). The present research extends these accounts by considering the role of second-order judgments (i.e., an individual's perception of what others think about the dominant actor) in decisions to defer to dominant actors. While individuals themselves often have little respect for dominant actors, we hypothesized that (1) they think others respect dominant actors more than they do themselves, and (2) these second-order respect judgments are associated with their decision to defer dominant actors above and beyond their own first-order respect judgments. The results of four studies provide support for these hypotheses: across a variety of contexts, we found evidence that individuals think others respect dominant actors more than they themselves do (Studies 1–3), and perceptions of others' respect for dominant actors is associated with individuals' own decisions to defer to them, above and beyond first-order respect (Studies 3–4). Results highlight the importance of considering second-order judgments in order to fully understand why dominant actors achieve high social rank in groups and organizations.

The Truth of the Illusion: Efraim Frisch’s Imposter Novel Zenobi (1927)1

One the most remarkable descendants of the pícaro is the impostor. A societal outsider like his predecessor, the impostor uses lies to gain a higher social rank, a better professional position, or a larger fortune. And to embellish his life story he employs all kinds of narrative techniques. In his novel Zenobi (1927), the Galician-born Jewish writer and founder of the journal Der Neue Merkur Efraim Frisch (1873-1942) depicts a sympathetic impostor who appears unaware of his deceptions. Only by chance does the protagonist Zenobi discover his talent for slipping into various roles and playing other people, a skill grounded in his capacity for unconscious mimicry. Thus can he become a secret diplomat in the service of the monarchy, a highly respected neurologist, and an English lord. With the help of false titles and aristocratic appearance he acquires the favor of beautiful women and gains access to prestigious homes and societies. However, he does not perceive himself as a swindler, as he identifies completely with his roles and is therefore incapable of deliberate deception. This article explores the extent to which Zenobi’s story follows the traditional patterns of the picaresque novel, and how he transforms or parodies this genre. Ultimately, the aim is to reveal the connection between Zenobi's peculiar psychology and his deceptive tactics.

Urban Segregation in a Nordic Small Town in the Late-Seventeenth Century: Residential Patterns in Sortavala at the Eastern Borderland of the Swedish Realm

The general view of urban segregation in pre-modern towns has been that the wealthy lived near the administrative and economic center(s), while the poor were pushed to the limits of the town. This approach has been questioned by studies proving that urban spaces were socially mixed. This dilemma has been studied here by examining in detail the urban segregation in one small town, Sortavala, at the eastern borderland of the Swedish realm. The analysis shows that the town space was bipolarly segregated. The “gentry,” officeholders and the like, lived near the market square and town hall; the wealthy burghers along the main street. However, even the poorest taxpayers lived among the wealthy and those of high social rank. The segregation was relative: the proportion of the wealthy grew in the grid plan in the town center; the settlements growing “freely” outside the original grid plan were for the poor only.

Effects of early life adversity on maternal effort and glucocorticoids in wild olive baboons

Adverse experiences during early life exert important effects on development, health, reproduction, and social bonds, with consequences often persisting across generations. A mother’s early life experiences can impact her offspring’s development through a number of pathways, such as maternal care, physiological signaling through glucocorticoids, or even intergenerational effects like epigenetic inheritance. Early life adversity in female yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus) predicts elevated glucocorticoids, reduced sociality, shortened lifespan, and higher offspring mortality. If baboon mothers with more early life adversity, experience poorer condition and struggle to provide for their offspring, this could contribute to the persisting transgenerational effects of adversity. Here, we examined the effects of mothers’ early life adversity on their maternal effort, physiology, and offspring survivability in a population of olive baboons, Papio anubis. Mothers who experienced more adversity in their own early development exerted greater maternal effort (i.e., spent more time nursing and carrying) and had higher levels of glucocorticoid metabolites than mothers with less early life adversity. Offspring of mothers with more early life adversity had reduced survivability compared to offspring of mothers with less early life adversity. There was no evidence that high maternal social rank buffered the effects of early life adversity. Our data suggest early life experiences can have lasting consequences on maternal effort and physiology, which may function as proximate mechanisms for intergenerational effects of maternal experience. Animals exposed to early life adversity experience both immediate and lasting consequences. If early life adversity exerts developmental constraints that affect a mother’s ability to provide for her offspring, this could explain the transgenerational effects of early life adversity. In our study of wild olive baboons, we examined how a mother’s own early life adversity predicts her maternal effort (i.e., nursing and carrying time), maternal fecal glucocorticoid levels, and offspring outcomes. We found that female baboons who experienced more early life adversity had higher glucocorticoid levels during pregnancy and lactation, exerted more maternal effort, and produced offspring with higher mortality risk than females with less early life adversity. Our results suggest that female baboons with more early life adversity experience developmental constraints and struggle to invest in offspring, which likely contributes to persisting effects of early life adversity across generations.

Social network stability is impacted by removing a dominant male in replicate dominance hierarchies of a cichlid fish

Individuals with high social rank within a dominance hierarchy often have priority access to resources relative to subordinate individuals, but these rank-dependent fitness effects may depend on the stability of the social hierarchy. Here we studied temporal changes in network structure and social relationships in experimentally perturbed social hierarchies of the cichlid Astatotilapia burtoni . By removing a dominant male in replicate groups, we triggered more status changes compared to control, subordinate male removal groups. At the individual level, we found that dominant male removal resulted in dominant males significantly increasing the rate of chases (‘chase strength’), but there was no significant increase in the rate of display (‘display strength’). Dominant male removal also led to several changes at the group level: network reciprocity and network stability decreased in response to dominant male removal, while network density was not affected by our treatment. However, in contrast to the individual level network measures, these group level effects were present in display networks but not in chase networks. Display networks mostly connect dominant males within the network, making display networks more sensitive to changes in the hierarchy. Together, our results provide novel insights into complex social dynamics in experimentally altered social dominance networks. • Cichlid fish form dominance hierarchies in which males fight for territories. • In groups of cichlid fish, we vacated a territory by removing a territorial male. • This created social instability and increased chase behaviour. • However, the instability was linked to changes in the display network only. • This is because display networks strongly connect territorial males in the network.

Elicüra: The “Feasts of Merit” Shawl of the Chakhesang Naga of Northeast India

Feasts of Merit are an important social way of life among different tribes in the world, especially in Southeast Asia. In Northeast India, the different Naga tribes were well-known for this practice before the advent of Christianity. However, among the Chakhesang Nagas, after the advent of Christianity, the practices of giving feasts continue to this day with minor modifications in terms of rituals and taboos while the symbolic meaning and values behind this practice are retained. The Feasts of Merit, among them, are intricately connected to their worldview, whereby the feast-givers distribute their wealth in terms of sacrificing mithun, buffalo, and/or other livestock, in consecutive feasts, and receiving in return a higher social rank and the right to wear a special shawl (“Feasts of Merit” shawl), variously known as hapidasa, elicüra, and thüpikhü and the right to adorn the house with special architecture (mithun and buffalo wood carvings on the wall, and to put up a horn at the pinnacle of the house front). This article discusses the “Feasts of Merit” shawl and how it is connected intrinsically to the ethos of the tribe, and in doing so it states that the Chakhesang feasts can be looked upon as gift economy.

Complaisant or coercive? The role of dominance and prestige in social influence

Research in evolutionary psychology has identified two general strategies – dominance and prestige - used to attain influence and high social rank within groups. Whereas dominance is defined by the use of force to gain social rank, prestige is defined by the display of valued skills and abilities. Although studies have provided insight into the personality traits and motivations that characterize people high in dominance versus prestige, less is known about specific social influence tactics used by people who adopt those strategies. Participants (n = 207) reported on their use of nine social influence tactics, including both complaisant (e.g., building relationships, using reason) and coercive (e.g., punishing or directly coercing others) tactics. Prestige was positively associated with complaisant tactics but negatively associated with coercive tactics. Dominance was positively associated with both coercive tactics and complaisant tactics. This study provides evidence linking the overarching strategies people use to regulate their social rank to specific forms of social influence.