Linton, Ralph (1893-1953), was an American anthropologist. He developed the concepts of status and role, which are used by many social scientists.
According to Linton, a person’s status consists of a “collection of rights and duties.” Such status is either achieved by a person’s own efforts, or given by society to an individual based on such traits as age, parentage, and sex. Linton believed a person’s status shapes his or her role—that is, the way the person functions in society. Linton also showed how a person’s role affects his or her personality. He helped develop the view that each culture produces a particular basic personality type.
Linton was born on Feb. 27, 1893, in Philadelphia. While earning a Ph.D. degree at Harvard University, he researched the archaeology of Polynesia. From 1925 to 1927, he lived in Madagascar and studied the culture there. He later taught at the University of Wisconsin and at Columbia and Yale universities. Linton’s books include The Study of Man (1936) and The Cultural Background of Personality (1945). Linton died on Dec. 24, 1953.
