From Calamity to Sanity Post Series: Status in the SCARF model
SCARF is a model based on social learning and engagement that has emerged out of recent neuroscience. Authored by , it is a powerful model to help explain why people move between threat and reward states, or Red and Blue Zones in their brains.
SCARF stands for Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness. Consider these to be social resources that we need to be at our best. Neuroscience research has shown that when we ‘receive’ these resources from people around us, we experience the neurobiology of reward - we feel good and we tend to be at our best.
Seeking a better score is driven by Status and results in reward or pain in the brain depending on the outcome
Status
This social need is all about “Where do I fit?” And “How well am I doing?”. Status is a comparative factor - we are constantly comparing ourselves to both other people and (more often) ourselves. We compare ourselves to ourselves through the dimension of time - how much better or worse am I compared to where I was this time last week, last month, last game. When we get feedback from the world (those around us, ourselves, games, tests, results) that places us above where we expect to be, then our brains respond with neurobiology of reward. When we are lower that we want or expect to be, then we experience a status threat.
This dimension of SCARF is a significant influencer of pain or reward in the brain, and it is a key motivator for game playing, especially where beating your previous best is a part of the process. It is also one of the primary motivators in social media, where post popularity (or lack of) drives a feeling of social success or failure. Feedback, one of my other pet subjects, is also strongly affected by the Status dimension.
Unless you find yourself in demand during the current pandemic, it is very likely that you are being denied Status, if not triggered by a Status threat. If you have been laid off in the COVID-19 economy (or at any other time), then you will likely have had a massive status threat response. Posting a video on TikTok or Facebook that nobody responds to also triggers the threat response. Beating a high score in a game, social media popularity, or being acknowledged for a job well done all give some degree of reward.
So in a time where Status rewards are hard to come by, try working on personal improvement projects that give you intrinsic reward. For instance, back at the start of March I struggled to run, in spite of regularly walking. Now, with some help from a few apps, I can run 5km (I’m lucky enough that I can still exercise outside). What ever your ‘project’ might be, if you can measure your performance and progress, you can get that sense of self-satisfaction when you improve. Make sure to ‘micro-celebrate’ each gain.
Status rewards for kids are super important too, they help build social integration and helpful behaviour habits, far more than status threats. Praise your kids authentically when you see something you want to reinforce. Be careful though, make sure you praise the effort or the behaviour, not the outcomes. “I love the way you really tried to stay quiet while mummy was on the video call just now.” is an example. Read more on this in Carol Dweck’s book on Growth Mindset.
Further reading:
Your Brain at Work by David Rock
Growth Mindset by Carol Dweck
