on dignity: Some thoughts on value & dignity

Mar 3

Somewhere along the way, we began behaving as though value were obvious. As though price, prestige, scarcity, visibility, and access were simply natural qualities that certain objects - and certain people - just happen to possess. From an analytical perspective, however, these attributes are not inherent properties but socially stabilized designations. They arise through institutional endorsement, repeated, exchange, legal frameworks, media amplification, and collective belief. Things that seem “naturally valuable” are actually treated as valuable because institutions and society consistently support that judgment - it is sustained by institutional and cultural reinforcement. Objects and positions frequently cited as markers of “high value” - a luxury car, a limited-edition accessory, prime real estate, or elite social standing rooted in wealth, fame, or the status of being highly educated - do not possess intrinsic, built-in superiority simply by existing; they do not contain worth as an ontological feature. Their valuation is relational. It emerges from scarcity mechanisms, market demand, symbolic association, and shared cultural coding. Should the network of recognition that sustains these associations dissolve, the attributed value would recalibrate or collapse. If no one wants a luxury brand anymore, if no one cares about celebrities, or if academic degrees cease to command recognition, the symbolic premium attached to them would simply disappear. Social value systems are constructed realities; dependent on shared recognition. The value exists because people collectively recognise and uphold it; it is contingent upon agreement.

Contingency, however, does not imply irrelevance. Socially constructed value exerts measurable effects. It regulates access to resources, shapes opportunity structures, reinforces, shapes opportunity structures, reinforces hierarchies, and influences perception and self-concept. It organises aspiration and produces anxiety. Indivduals orient behavior around these valuation systems because they carry tangible consequences. They influence who is invited in and who is left out and what we decide is valuable begins to organize how we live. These systems of value do not float above us; they move through us. They inform what we desire, what we pursue, and how we measure ourselves. Recognition motivates ambition and the possibility of falling behind produces the anxiety. Social constructs are rarely experienced as something “invented”. It feels obvious that some people matter more, earn more, are treated with more respect. It feels obvious that some objects are better, more desirable, more elevated. That feeling of obviousness is precisely what gives these hierarchies their power. The prefix “Dr.” or the title “Professor” open doors, a luxury brand signals access, Titles and credentials influence hiring decisions, credibility, mobility, and obviously self-confidence - conditional self-confidence.

From a social psychological perspective, the everyday measurements that “rank” people and structure contemporary life function as status signals. Human beings are highly responsive to such cues because, historically, status has been linked to access to resources, protection, and influence. Sensitivity to hierarchy is built into social perception. In environments saturated with comparison, these signals do not remain external. Individuals do not merely observe rankings; they internalize them. People evaluate themselves relative to others, particularl when internal standards are unclear - by professional standing, institutional affiliation, visibility, reputation, and access. Success is defined by relative position. Who is more established, more recognized, more influential becomes part of everyday perception. Evaluation is continuous and embedded in ordinary interactions. When someone carries prestige - a well-known institution, a respected title, visible recognition - people tend to assume credibility before engaging deeply with what they are actually saying or doing. The signal comes first. The evaluation follows, if it follows at all. Affiliation becomes shorthand - the group, institution, or circle someone belongs to starts to stand in for an independent evaluation of them. If someone says they teach at a prestigious university, people often assume intelligence and credibility immediately. If someone is associated with a well-known brand, they are perceived as successful. And…if elite affiliation amplifies credibility, the opposite also operates. If affiliation with elite institutions or circles grants credibility more quickly, what happens to those who stand outside such recognition? If legitimacy is inferred from prestige, and authority from association, how is dignity perceived when none of these signals are present?

And what becomes a status marker becomes an “identity” resource. (© Edie Lou)

Value and Visibility

But why do people adopt social standards as personal standards? Well…People do not invent their standards of worth in isolation. They learn them. From early on, they observe who is respected, who is deferred to, who is overlooked, and who is dismissed. These patterns are not neutral, obviously. They communicate what a society considers valuable. Prestige attracts attention. Titles command authority. Wealth opens doors. These patterns are so familiar that people generally do not question them - they are treated as facts, as reality. Yet their familiarity is precisely what gives them force - those signals begin to function as indicators of importance. Over time, such indicators are not merely observed; the are internalized. Over time, these patterns communicate more than information about power; they communicate what is considered valuable. Prestige, affiliation, visibility, and professional standing become associated with importance because they consistently attract attention, advantage, and opportunity. This learning process does not require explicit instruction. It unfolds through repetition. When certain markers reliably produce respect or access, individuals begin to orient themselves toward those domains. Effort, ambition, and identity gradually align with what appears to secure recognition. The external structure of hierarchy - who ranks higher, who ranks lower - biomes a reference point for personal evaluation.

Individuals acquire standards of value through observational learning. They infer norms by observing patterns of reinforcement in their social environment. When certain characteristics - such as prestige, professional titles, wealth, or institutional affiliation - are consistently met with deference, attention, and access to resources, these response function as social rewards - they form stable patterns of differential treatment. Over time, individuals learn to associate those characteristics with legitimacy and importance. People tend to adjust their perceptions and behavior so they align with what appears socially accepted. If most people treat a prestigious title with deference, an individual is likely to follow that pattern,e even if they have not independently evaluated the person’s competence. The motivation is alignment - fitting into the social environment and avoiding dissonance or social friction. In simple terms; if everyone treats something as important, it becomes easier to treat it as important too. People adjust their responses to match what appears socially approved. This so called normative influence refers to the tendency of individuals to align their attitudes, perceptions, or behaviours with those of a group in order to conform to social expectations and maintain social acceptance.

And what is repeatedly valued becomes a status marker. And what becomes a status marker becomes an “identity” resource. Through observational learning, individuals infer what is valued, those valued characteristics organize people into ranked categories. Once categories are ranked, belonging to them affects identity. The standards of value do not remain diffuse cultural preferences; over time, they crystallize into structured hierarchies. When particular characteristics are repeatedly associated with credibility, authority, and access, they begin to differentiate not only behaviours but social positions. Individuals are sorted, implicitly or explicitly, according to their proximity to valued markers. In this way, learned standards of value solidify into status categories. Once value becomes attached to social categories, hierarchy ceases to operate solely at the level of evaluation and begins to organize belonging. It is at this point that the analysis moves from norm acquisition to identity formation. Status is no longer simply a signal of advantage; it becomes a dimension of self-definition. And, obviously, status does not remain an external classification; it can become integrated into identity. Henri Tajfel’s work in social psychology demonstrated that individuals derive part of their self-concept from the social groups to which they belong, and that the perceived status of those groups influences self-evaluation. People do not simply observe hierarchy; they locate themselves within it. When a group is regarded as prestigious, competent, or superior, its members tend to experience a corresponding enhancement in costal identity. When a group is marginalized or devalued, its members may experience threat, defensiveness, or diminished esteem. Hierarchy in this sense, is not only a structure of distribution but a structure of belonging. The individual’s sense of who they are becomes intertwined with the relative standing of the groups with which they identity. And this is the turning point: Status becomes a source of “meaning” - it is no longer merely a ranking of positions. To occupy a respected role, hold an esteemed credential, or belong to an elite institution is not simply to possess external advantage; it is to inhabit a valued “identity” category. Conversely, exclusion from recognized domains can be experienced not only as economic or professional disadvatange but as symbolic diminishment. When group-based status becomes a component of self-definition, social differentiation stabilises itself internally. The defence of hierarchy becomes, at least in part, the defense of identity.

Dignity: Outside the Ladder

And here we have a problem. Clearly. We can all agree on that identity is always shaped by social context. However, not all identity foundations are equally stable. A socially constructed status-identity is built primarily from externally recognized markers: prestige, education, wealth, institutional affiliation, visibility, aesthetic alignment. These markers are comparative and publicly validated. Their value depends on collective agreement. When identity is organized around such markers, it becomes structurally dependent on recognition and position. In other words when social rewarded domains are primarily external they provide highly visible but comparatively superficial foundations for identity. They are externally validated, publicly legible, and hierarchically ranked. If self-concept is organized around such markers, identity becomes dependent on position within a comparative field. The difficulty is here that they are contingent and externally regulated. When identity is anchored in markers that fluctuate with recognition, market shifts, or institutional status, stability becomes precarious. The self is structured around maintaining alignment with socially rewarded signals rather than around internally grounded values. This produces fragility. And once value is organized comparatively, evaluation becomes habitual. If prestige and recognition define importance, individuals begin to sort both themselves and others accordingly. Those who possess valued markers are treated as legitimate; those who do not are perceived as lacking. The logic is subtle but pervasive: If worth is demonstrated through status signals, absence of those signals can be interpreted as absence of worth. This produces two consequences: Individuals judge themselves harshly when they fail to meet socially rewarded standards and on the other hand individuals judge others through the same lens, filtering dignity through visible markers.

So let’s talk about dignity. Dignity refers to intrinsic human worth that does not depend on rank, achievement, wealth, education, visibility, or recognition. It is non-comperative and does not vary according to social standing. Every person possesses dignity. It does not depend on productivity, prestige, or approval. Dignity is not accumulated over time, nor can it be revoked by loss of position. It belongs to the human being as such. It is not reward; it is a condition. This understanding is codified in contemporary human rights doctrine. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights begins with a clear assertion: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Dignity is universal and inherent, not contingent upon circumstance or performance. It precedes social evaluation. But if dignity is intrinsic, then it does not expand with prestige nor contract with marginalization. A celebrated public figure does not possess more dignity than a person without status, a homeless person does not possess less human worth than a wealthy executive. A highly educated professional does not hold greater human worth than someone excluded from institutional pathways. Social standing may vary; dignity does not. It remains constant across differences in recognition. A person’s social position can change drastically. Someone may lose employment, status, financial security, housing. They may become homeless but none of this alters their dignity. Circumstances change. Recognition changes. Position changes. Dignity does not. In principle…

In everyday life it looks different. The way individuals are perceived and treated is often shaped by visible cues that precede any substantive exchange. Respect, credibility, and attentiveness are frequently mediated by signs rather than by the intrinsic worth of the person before us. Ervin Goffman demonstrated how social interaction is structured through the interpretation of symbols. In his analysis of stigma and presentation of self, he argued that individuals are read through outward markers which frame expectations before character or competence are independently assessed. These markers operate as interpretive shortcuts. Once a person is read through such a marker, perception narrows. The individual is no longer encountered in their full complexity but is reduced to a socially loaded attribute. the interaction is structured in advance by expectation. This reduction has consequences that extend beyond impression. When someone is categorised through a stigmatised lens, others may withdraw, avoid eye contact, shorten interaction, or shift tone. The person’s social presence is diminished - social life distributes respect unevenly. Dignity may be inherent in principle and should not change, yet the extent to which others recognise and express that dignity in interaction can vary significantly. The same mechanism works at the other end of the spectrum. When certain markers are culturally read as prestigious or legitimate, interaction shifts before anything substantive has happened. Credibility is assumed in advance. Authority is extended almost automatically. The person enters the room already framed as serious, capable, worth listening to. The issue is not that such individuals possess greater dignity - obviously. They do not. The issue is that dignity is expressed toward them more readily. Respect, attentiveness and seriousness - the everyday gestures through which dignity is enacted - are distributed unevenly.

And when worth becomes positional, dignity - which is non-comparative actually - exists within a structure that continually contradicts it (© Edie Lou)

Contingent Self-Worth

If some people are consistently treated as more valuable than others, that difference does not stay outside the self. Jennifer Crocker*s theory of contingent self-worth helps explain why. Her research offers a precise account of how social hierarchies migrate inward and shows that contingent individuals often base their sense of personal value on domains that are socially rewarded. These domains reflect what a culture visibly affirms - achievement, prestige, recognition, institutional affiliation, influence. When self-worth becomes anchored in such domains, it becomes contingent - the person’s sense of value becomes regulated by external validation. It fluctuates. And that fluctuation is the psychological tension with dignity, which is supposed to be non-conditional. Contingent self-worth is structurally unstable. Because it depends on performance within valued domains, it fluctuates with feedback. Affirmation produces elevation; criticism or exclusion produces threat. The individual’s sense of worth becomes reactive to evaluation. How a person feels about themselves begins to depend directly on how they are evaluated by others - or on whether they meet socially valued standards. Affirmation, praise, or visible success can temporarily elevate one’s sense of value, while criticism, exclusion, or diminished recognition can and probably will unsettle it. The individual’s self-regard begins to move in response to external feedback. Confidence rises when validation is present and contacts when it is withdrawn. Instead of asking “What do I stand for?” the operative question becomes, “Where do I stand?”. Real identity, the non-comparative identity - is overshadowed by performance-based self-definition.

In this context, evaluation does not simply assess performance; it regulates that identity. Social responses become indicators of worth. The self is calibrated against approval, and its stability depends upon maintaining recognition. Rather than resting on an internal assumption of value, self-esteem becomes responsive to shifts in status and perception. It is a reactive self-worth: a sense of value that fluctuates according to social reinforcement. People absorb the standards of their environment because those standards are constantly affirmed as legitimate. What is rewarded looks meaningful. What receives attention looks important. Over time, the criteria begin to feel self-evident. They are rarely examined because they are everywhere. But there is also another layer: going along is easier than pushing back. To accept prevailing standards requires less risk tag to challenge them. To move with “hierarchy” is socially safer than to stand against it. Questioning the criteria that structure recognition carries cost. It may threaten belonging, professional mobility, or social comfort. It may destabilize one’s own position within the hierarchy. In contrast, compliance offers stability. It allows individuals to benefit from the system without confronting its premises. So, conformity is not only “habitual”; it is crazy convenient. This convenience is significant. When recognition is tied to status, and status offers security, many will orient themselves toward maintaining that structure rather than interrogating it - because the system reward adaptation and discourages any disruption. To “close one’s eyes” is mainly less about ignorance than about self-preservation. The result is that valuation standards persist through everyday acquiescence. Hierarchy is reproduced because it is easeier to inhabit than to contest. And when self-worth becomes entangled with that hierarchy, standing up to it can feel like standing against oneself.

And let’s face this, our social system is structured hierarchically from the outset. Contemporary societies distribute recognition, opportunity, credibility, and resources through ranked systems. From early schooling onward, individuals are sorted, evaluated, and obvisously compared. Within such system, hierarchy is built into how advancement, prestige, and authority are allocated. When people grow up inside this structure, their self-understanding does not develop in isolation from it. They learn where they stand within ranked institutions. They learn what counts as upward mobility. They learn which positions are admired and which are ignored. Identity is therefore shaped within a system that constantly signals relative placement; people develop their sense of self inside a social order that continuously indicates where they stand compared to others. People learn where they stand within ranked institutions. They learn which positions are admired and which are ignored. And, if the social system is organized through ranking, then self-wort easily becomes positional. And when worth becomes positional, dignity - which is non-comparative actually - exists within a structure that continually contradicts it. If people come to feel valuable just because of their position, they are living inside a system that constantly undermines the idea that worth is equal - and this definitely conflicts with the very principle of equal dignity.

Dignity and humanity belong together because dignity is the ethical acknowledgment that every human being possesses worth simply by being human (© Edie Lou)

As We Are

Why write this all? Well, if we loot at the status quo of contemporary life and the relevance becomes difficult to ignore. We live inside a culture of positioning. Careers are compared, lives are curated, opinions are amplified or ignored depending on who speaks them, and visibility operates like currency that never ever feels sufficient. We are not simply living; we are being constantly interpreted in terms of position. In that atmosphere, it becomes almost inevitable that self-worth begins to drift outward. When recognition is structure through hierarchy, we begin to live as if our worth depends on securing a place within it - and that distorts who we become. Also, when identity becomes organized around position, the question is no longer simply how we are perceived, but what we begin to value. In contemporary culture, the most visible and socially rewarded values are those that function hierarchically: achievement, prestige, influence, visibility, accumulation. These values gain meaning in relation to others. One is not simply accomplished; one is more accomplished. One is not simply visible; one is more visible. And because the system is comparative, it never stabilizes. There is always someone ahead, more respected, more established, more wealthy. The reference point keeps shifting, and with it, the sense of security.

There is no end of the road. It is a rabbit hole. The deeper one descends into the narrower the space for rest becomes. Impostor syndrome, burnout, anxiety emerge from this perpetuum mobile. Achievement fuels comparison; comparison fuels anxiety; anxiety fuels further striving. The system does not need external force once internalized. No one is standing there and dictating. Individuals become the engine of their own exhaustion. There is no point at which one can finally exhale and say, “Now I am enough”. The motion itself becomes the structure. What appears to be progress often reveals itself as endless circulation. Without grounding identity in something non-comparative, the system runs - and we run with it. And, obviously, at the cultural level, performance has become omnipresent. In an era shaped by social media - for decades by now - identity becomes a persistent, publicly inspectable representation that is continuously exposed to comparision. The structure of social media amplifies an existing valuation culture. When the sense of value is connected to how other respond to you, then changes in their response affect how we feel about ourselves. The deeper we go into positional valuation the more fragile the foundation becomes - it is structured around unstable signals. The things is, when identity is built on positional value (status, visibility, prestige), it is already structurally unstable and self-worth is tied to recognition, then identity becomes more reactive. The nervous system begins to register reception as information about value. Social media intensifies exposure to evaluation. (Social media does not automatically weaken self-worth. It becomes destabilizing only when self-worth is dependent on reception.)

Why does any of this matter? Because we live in a time of visible fracture - war, polarization, hostility, comtepm that spreads faster than the brain can catch up with. People turn on each other with astonishing ease. People interpret others through labels - nationality, political affiliation, religion etc. - instead of encountering individuals. And when identity becomes tied to status and group belonging, disagreement feels like threat. If my sense of worth is partly grounded in my group’s superiority - economic, intellectual, moral, cultural - then critique of the group feels like critique of me. People defend their status, their ideology, their professional class, their cultural capital because identity is entagled with those structures. When identity is built on hierarchy, disagreement feels like threat. When worth is tied to position, difference feels destabilizing. And when dignity is filtered through status, respect becomes conditional. We begin to treat each other according to markers instead of according to shared humanity. Value and dignity are not just abstract moral “slogans”. Much of what we call “value” operates at the conventional level. Constructed value - it is contingent, comparative, and often shallow. But value, in the deeper sense, does not originate in approval. It does not arise from reward, nor from status, nor from group affirmation. At its most developed from - what Lawrence Kohlberg would describe as post-conventional reasoning - moral judgement rests on universal principles. A person’s place in a hierarchy does not determine their value as a human being. Position describes social standing. It does not measure humanity. Dignity and humanity belong together because dignity is the ethical acknowledgment that every human being possesses worth simply by being human, and moral value emerges from that acknowledgement: it is the set of principles that protects and affirms this equal worth.

And, yes, our work begins with reflection - with the willingness to question whether what we are chasing truly anchors us, or merely keeps us in motion. (And exhaustion). We have to consciously distinguish between what the system rewards and what gives life depth. If we constantly chase approval, external validation, we believe those things define us. We need clarity about what actually matters. Dignity is already ours - our birthright. If we internalize this then our self-esteem becomes less reactive. A stable sense of self grow from coherence: from living in alignment, acting with integrity even when no one is watching. And if self-esteem is less reactive self-worth becomes internally anchored. In that state, it becomes inevitable to recognize others as full subjects. From that ground, respect for others is no longer performative - it becomes intuitive. One recognises in the other the same vulnerability, interiority, and claim to dignity that one inhabits personally. The fact that we are conscious, vulnerable beings who experience pain, love, hope constitutes our shared humanity.

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