Games of status

In a study intended to point toward possible applications of game-theoretic reasoning to sociological problems, mathematical models are used initially to examine the results of two-person nonconstant sum games in which a single value, status, is maximized, and subsequently to examine the results of multi-person games. The two-person, single-value-maximizing game quickly demonstrates behavior to be purely competitive. The multi-person game illustrates possibilities of coalition behavior, as demonstrated elsewhere in game theory, which includes the possibility of combinations against individual players, but the outcomes are highly sensitive to the values assigned to status factors, as in peck orders and potlatches. The relationship between games of status and simple games is examined also.