American upper class
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The American upper class described the sociological ideology concerning the status of the "top layer" of society in the United States. According to famed American sociologist W. Lloyd Warner, the upper class may devided into the upper-upper class and the lower-upper class. The former term being applied to established families of great wealth, while the latter is used to describe the nuveau riche.<ref name="What is Social Class in America, Lloyd Warner">Warner, Lloyd, Marchia Meeker, Kenneth Eells (1949). What is Social Class in America, Lloyd Warner. New York, NY: Irvington Publishers.</ref>
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[edit] Social class and income
Also, it should be noted that class status and wealth can be two different things. Someone might have a great deal of wealth, but be members of the middle- or lower-class. Those taking the functionalist approach to sociology and economics view existence of classes as necessary<ref name="Society in Focus">Thompson, William, Joseph Hickey (2005). Society in Focus. Boston, MA: Pearson. 0-205-41365-X.</ref> in order to distribute persons so that a) only the most qualified are able to gain positions of power and b) all persons fulfill their occupation duties to the greatest extent of their ability. In order to make sure that important and complex tasks are handled by qualified and motivated personnel, society offers incentives such as income and prestige. The more scarce qualified applicants are and the more essential the given takes is, the larger the incentives will be. income and prestige which are often used to tell a person's social class are merely the incentives given to that person for meeting all qualifications to complete an important takes that is of high standing in society due to its functional value.<ref name="Social Class and Stratification">Levine, Rhonda (1998). Social Class and Stratification. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. 0-8476-8543-8.</ref>
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"It should be stressed... that a position does not bring power and prestige because it draws a high income. Rather, it draws a high income because it is functionally important and the available personnel is for one reason or another scarce. It is therefore superficial and erroneous to regard high income as the cause of a man's power and prestige, just as it is erroneous to think that a man's fever is the cause of his disease... The economic source of power and prestige is not income primarily, but the ownership of capital goods (including patents, good will, and professional reputation). Such ownership should be distinguished from the possession of consumers' goods, which is an index rather than a cause of social standing." -Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore, Principles of Stratification. |
As mentioned above, income which is one of the most prominent features of social class, is not one of its causes. In other words, income does not determine the status of an individual or household but rather reflects upon that status. income and prestige are the incentives in order to fill all position with the most qualified and motivated personnel possible.<ref name="Social Class and Stratification">Levine, Rhonda (1998). Social Class and Stratification. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. 0-8476-8543-8.</ref>
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[edit] Social class at a glance
[edit] See also
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- Social structure of the United States
- American middle class
- Social class
- Household income in the United States
- Educational attainment in the United States
[edit] US related topics
[edit] References
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