Having our status confirmed or denied can colour how we perceive the world around us. If we have associated status with a specific area of our lives and that area is jeopardised we can fall into dispair. We all have a desire to feel important to be valued and feel and that we mean something. Status is often associated with being top dog, wealthy or famous yet we can have real status when we are valued for what we do and know. Showing respect for each other no matter what position each person is in and consulting a person on their area of expertise will help reinforce a sense of status. Greed can be a powerful force when it comes to needs as when deprived of a specfic need in our early years we may be driven to satisfy that need excessively. Crimes have been committed through people feeling disrespected and diminished in status within their peer group which shows how powerful & dysfunctional a drive to meet a need can be and how it can be met positively or negatively. During teenage years the pull to have status within a peer group & move further away from the immediate family is strong but this is also the time when a young person is vulnerable to a variety of negative social & environmental influences. To be targeted or rejected during this time & have that sense of status diminished can have a devastating impact on a young person’s mental wellbeing. If you want to have influence over your child, get to know their friends and understand how they are getting their needs met. We can’t change people but we can influence by our own behaviour and help guide somebody to get a sense of status from contributing to the greater good. An inflated need for a status and significance can reduce the ability to connect with others as if it involves needing to be seen as ‘the best’ which can reduce the ability to show vulnerability and create enriching connections with others. Do you feel suitably rewarded or appreciated for what you do? Do your family, peers, colleagues or relations respect you for the roles you play in life? Do you feel you fit in or do you feel jealous or inferior to others and yearn for what you think you haven’t got? How do you think you are meeting the need for status? Is it serving you and helping you evolve & grow and elevating those around you or is it creating separation between your world and others?
