Conspicuous Consumption
The use of products and services that are known to be expensive to signal that you are wealthy. For example, renting an expensive sports car for the weekend to post photos of yourself on social media.Conspicuous Conservation
The use of products and services that you perceive as environmentally friendly and socially responsible out of a desire to signal that you are a good person.Promotion
Promoting causes out of a desire to promote yourself.Authority & Influence
Seeking authority and influence out of a desire to be perceived as powerful.Social Media
Social media behavior such as friending people you have no interest in communicating with just to inflate numbers such as a friend count.Name Dropping
Finding excuses to mention the names of well known people or institutions with which you have some type of association.Communication
Bragging or using vocabulary to demonstrate your status as opposed to a desire to communicate meaning. For example, a banker who uses obscure investment banking terms they know a conversation partner will not understand out of a desire to impress them with their professional status.Countersignaling
Signaling negative things about yourself to suggest that you are stronger than those who seek status. For example, an entrepreneur who brags that they dropped out of a prestigious university out of a desire to convey confidence, independence and strength.Notes
Status seeking is a type of motivation, not a type of action. For example, you might buy a luxury handbag out of a passion for its design with no thought to how it makes you appear to others.| Overview: Status Seeking | ||
Type | ||
Definition | An action that is primarily designed to improve an individual's social status. | |
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