Congruity and Incongruity of Status Attributes within Occupations and Work Positions

Focusing attention on congruities & incongruities of status attributes, a tentative framework is developed which should facilitate analyses & comparisons of occup's & work positions within occup's. The terms occup'al congruity & incongruity refer to the extent to which important attributes of status are in balance with one another or internally consistent. 4 status attributes can be used to determine the extent & types of congruity & incongruity: (a) rewards, (b) prestige, (c) authority & (d) functional importance. Each occup or work position holds a certain ranking in society with respect to each of these attributes. 3 basic types of congruity may be identified: (1) status attributes consistent or in balance with one another, (2) each status attribute internally consistent or in balance, & (3) formal status attributes consistent with the informal status attributes of the incumbent. Corresponding types of incongruity may be identified. Incongruity may be structural in origin, produced by such conditions as (i) where occup's are subject to monopolistic hiring practices, (ii) where there is a scarcity of qualified personnel for an occup, (iii) where there are strong occup'al associations for purpose of status improvement (iv) where restrictions are imposed by outside agencies, & (v) by soc & technological change itself. Nonstructural incongruity is usually brought about by the deliberate attempts of individuals to elevate their statuses. This is most frequently in connection with low-ranking positions calling for close & frequent interaction with persons in positions of high rank. It is possible for the incumbent of the low-ranking position to acquire informal power that is completely inconsistent with his formal authority. Nonstructural incongruity may come about nondeliberately as a result of the personal characteristics of the incumbent, such as where the qualifications, skills, training, &/or motivations of the individual are out of line with those required for adequate performance of his duties. People do not react identically to incongruity in their occup's or work positions. Reference group theory can be usefully employed to explain how incongruity places individuals under stress. The feeling of relative deprivation with respect to a reference group becomes the source of strain toward congruity. Both role conflict & status incongruity place soc structure under stress by creating tensions within actors who occupy positions or conflicts among actors occ