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Kylee Dyer

Mrs. Houtz-Gillman

English 10 CP

25 February 2019

Social Effects of the Caste System

A society is defined by how the system treats its members and how individuals in that

society view their roles in that system. The study of the caste system of India provides a unique

opportunity to understand a social structure that may seem strange to Western minds. It is

important to understand what a caste is; by definition a caste is “a division of society based on

differences of wealth, inherited rank or privilege, profession, occupation, or race, or a system of

rigid social stratification characterized by hereditary status, endogamy, and social barriers

sanctioned by custom, law, or religion” (Merriam-Webster). Another vital piece of information

to understand is the pyramid arrangement of the social classes. The Varna system is structured

like a pyramid and at the top of the pyramid are the Brahmins, the spiritual teachers; the

Kshatriyas, the warriors, kings and administration; the Vaishyas, the traders and agriculturalists;

and finally, the Shudras, the laborers who make up the bulk of the population (Szczepanski). It

may seem as though a society structured like this would be unstable due to the imbalance of

power, but understanding the social climate and benefits of the system for members of Indian

society is key in appreciating this unique structure. The previously nonexistent social structure,

desire for order and shared social identity led to the caste system in India.

Indian society is distinctive in that before the implementation of the caste system, the

region had not had a unifying society. “India has always been a place of significant diversity in

belief, with a number of different religions and even more subdivisions within those religions. In
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short, Indian society was full of chaos, in that there was no social order. No religious leader

could emerge to control all those divisions, just as no political leader could hope to make

everyone happy” (Newton). Despite this, there was a general consensus that chaos was not

beneficial to society and as a result, the caste system, with its four-tier Varna classification was

implemented. A Varna was more than just a social division, it became all-encompassing for the

individuals involved. Caste dictated occupation, friendships, choice of spouses as well as many

other areas of life. The organization of the four Varnas was explained in the Purusha myth of the

Rig Veda where the universe pervading spirit is split into four parts.

From his mouth came forth the Brahmins

And of his arms were Kshatriyas made

From his thighs came the Vaishyas

And his feet came the Sudras (Balaji).

The Vedas establish a clear hierarchy in these verses and give a divine explanation for the caste

system that is easily understood. The implementation of the caste system brought structure to an

entire region, in all areas of life, and brought an end to the chaos that inevitable arises in the

absence of a social order.

It is natural for humans to seek the safety and order provided by society as opposed to

chaos, and for this reason, social systems develop. An individual's role in Indian society is called

dharma and is defined as, “conformity to one's duty and nature” and is decided primarily by birth

and caste (Merriam-Webster). In this society being bad at one’s dharma is preferable to not

living their dharma at all, even if they would be better suited to another position. The

combination of dharma and caste obviously makes for excellent social cohesion, as every

individuals path is predestined and if they want to improve their next life, they must follow this
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path. India’s caste system is built on the belief that attaining enlightenment - or moksha - is the

paramount reason for existence, to be released from the cycle of reincarnation all together. This

system was brought about with the knowledge that most people desire safety and comfort, and

would rather stay in what is familiar. This concept is well explained by the following quote, “The

main idea is that such an order in a society would lead to contentment, perpetual peace, wilful

adherence to the law, wilful deterrence from all misconduct, responsible exercise of liberty and

freedom, and keeping the fundamental societal traits of ‘shared prosperity’ above all others”

(Ancient History Encyclopedia). It was the hope that such a system would lead to a stable order

in which the people would benefit would deliberately comply with.

Inherent caste prejudice leads to an elevated sense of group identification and social

identity within castes, even to the point that the caste identification overrides all other social

identities. Social identity theory states that, “people derive an important part of their identity

from affirmation of membership with the group they belong to” (McLeod). This insider/outsider

mentality causes major divisions in societies as seen in the caste system. The rigid separation

between the four Varnas affects the society in countless ways, and not usually for the better.

Inflating the sense of self-esteem and acceptance in the “in-group” makes it the norm to

disparage members of lower castes thus increasing the stronger sense of caste identity.

According to a collaborative research paper on Indian Caste Identity, “Group members are

motivated to maintain a positive social identity. This motivation then results in positive

evaluation of in-group conformers and negative evaluations of in-group deviants” (Sankaran,

Sindhuja, et al). Essentialized caste identity of other members of the caste make devaluating

desenters beneficial to one's own social standing. This phenomenon is known as the “Black-

sheep effect” refers to, “the tendency for group members to evaluate a group member who
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performs an offensive behavior more harshly than an outgroup member who performs the same

offense” (Psychology Glossary). Fear of becoming the “black sheep” prevents individualization

and keeps the group as a whole in check. Group identification can both beneficial and harmful to

individuals and society as a whole.

The caste system of India is unique and worthy of further study. The previous lack of

social structure, desire for an orderly system and mutual social identity led to the implementation

and continuation of the caste system in India. Studying the caste system is imperative to

understand a society that is very prevalent in the modern era. The caste system was implemented

to bring order and structure but whether or not it was beneficial to individuals is up to

interpretation. The caste system continues to this day and it is the duty of good world citizens to

use the information available to develop a further understanding of this unique social structure.

Works Cited

Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited. "Caste System in Ancient India." Ancient.eu,

edited by Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited, 2019,

www.ancient.eu/article/1152/caste-system-in-ancient-india/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2019.

Balaji, Murali. "Why Caste is So Complex, and How Students Can Better Earn About it."

Hafsite.org, The HAF Bog, 2019, www.hafsite.org/blog/why-caste-is-so-complex-and-

how-students-can-better-learn-about-it/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2019.

Kelete, Selina. "The Caste System Brahmin and Kshatriya." Sholarblogs.emory.edu, 25

Nov. 2015, scholarblogs.emory.edu/rel100hinduism/2015/11/25/the-caste-system-

brahmin-and-kshatriya/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2019.

McLeod, Saul. "Social Identity Theory." Simple Psychology, 2008,

www.simplypsychology.org/social-identity-theory.html. Accessed 13 Feb. 2019.

Merriam-Webster. "Definition of Dharma." Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2019,

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dharma. Accessed 15 Feb. 2019.

Merriam-Webster. "Definition of Caste." Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, 2019,

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caste. Accessed 11 Feb. 2019.

Newton, Kevin. "The Caste System in Early India." Study.com, edited by Study.com,

2019, study.com/academy/lesson/the-caste-system-in-early-india.html. Accessed 7 Feb.

2019.

Psychology Glossary. "The Black Sheep Effect." Glossary of Psychology, 2019,

www.psychology-lexicon.com/cms/glossary/35-glossary-b/309-black-sheep-effect.html.

Accessed 14 Feb. 2019.

Sankaran, Sindhuja, et al. "The Role of Indian Caste Identity and Caste Inconsistent

Norms on Status Representation." ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, edited by Frontiers Media SA, U.S.

National Library of Medicine, 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5374864/.

Accessed 9 Feb. 2019.

Szczepanski, Kallie. "History of India's Caste System." ThoughtCo, 29 Jan. 2019,

www.thoughtco.com/history-of-indias-caste-system-195496. Accessed 15 Feb. 2019.