An Analytical Approach to the Theory of Social Stratification

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to formulate and illustrate a generalized approach to the theory of social stratification. This field has, in spite of its central importance, been in a notably undeveloped stae. The emergence of a highly generalized conceptual scheme in social theory which has elsewhere been traced by the author suggests the possibility of a more thorough theoretical approach than has hitherto been possible. Social stratification, here regarded as the differential ranking of the human individuals who compose a given social system and their treatment as relatively superior or inferior, may be analyzed in terms of the following classification scheme: (I) membership in a kinship unit, (2) personal qualities, (3) achievements, (4) possessions, (5) authority, and (6) power.