Status seeking and painful feelings of inferiority are pervasive in human nature. The ultimate origin of these phenomena is traced to the infant's dawning awareness of his separateness from the good, milk-giving mother and his unhappy discovery that he produces only worthless feces. The manifestations of status in social intercourse, clothing, rank, committees, and institutions are explored. Extending the use of the term, the author contends megalomanic delusions are almost universal, even in nonpsychotic portions of the population.