Holding your place: Reactions to the prospect of status gains and losses

Kevyn Yong, Nathan C. Pettit and Sandra E. Spataro
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Kevyn Yong: GREGH - Groupement de Recherche et d'Etudes en Gestion à HEC - HEC Paris - Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Nathan C. Pettit: Department of Management and Organizations, Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University - Cornell University [New York]
Sandra E. Spataro: Department of Management and Organizations, Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University - Cornell University [New York]

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Abstract: This paper examines individuals' reactions to the prospect of gaining or losing status in groups. The results of three experiments provide evidence that individuals attach greater value to status when recalling the risk of status loss than when recalling the potential for status gain (Experiment 1), are willing to pay more to avoid a status loss than to achieve a status gain (Experiment 1), and put forth greater effort when striving to prevent status loss than when striving to gain status (Experiment 2). Finally, individuals who risk losing status allocate more resources toward personal status concerns (and away from group interests and potential monetary gain) than do individuals who have a chance of gaining status (Experiment 3). We discuss the implications of this research both in terms of individuals' psychological experience of their status, as well as status attainment and maintenance concerns in groups.

Keywords: Status gain; Status loss; Status contests; Status threat; Intragroup processes; Loss aversion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-03
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (27)

Published in Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2010, 46 (2), pp.396-401. ⟨10.1016/j.jesp.2009.12.007⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00528416

DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2009.12.007

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