Ascribed Identity

Ralph Linton, the famed anthropologist and author ofThe Study of Man andBody Ritual of Nacirema, proposed in 1936 two sociological concepts that became, according to Theodore Kemper, almost universally accepted. These terms wereascribed identity andachieved status. This entry predominately explores the nature of ascribed status and identity, but its importance became significant in relation to achieved identity. Generally, ascribed identities were aspects determined at birth over which people had little control. In Linton's era, ascribed identities ...