Morality can be used to attain status through prestige or dominance.

Both relate to the virtue facet of status value. Prestige status comes from how admirably well someone sets an example, while dominance is one’s ability to enforce group culture, or combat members of foreign groups. Dominance is a go-to when other more positive pursuits of status fail.rM1


  1. Brett & Kate McKay, “Podcast #756: How the Desire for Status Explains (Pretty Much) Everything,” The Art of Manliness (blog), November 15, 2021, https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/podcast-756-how-the-desire-for-status-explains-pretty-much-everything/. (See notes.)