This paper investigates the way in which an individual identifies his/her own social status. The analytical framework used in this paper proposes that self-identification of social group (or social class), denoted as upper, middle or lower status, would be determined not only by an individual's judgment about his/her status itself, but also by the perception about his/her own standard of living. Using a national sample of adults (JGSS-2000), subjects were cluster analyzed based on their subjective status judgment as well as their assessment of their living standards. Members of each cluster shared a particular pattern of perception in terms of the variables used in the analysis. They also have the tendency to self-identify themselves in the same social group (i.e., upper, middle, or lower). These clusters, therefore, were considered more or less correspond to such status groups. The paper discusses how each status group can be characterized in terms of the respondents' subjective status judgment and the perception about their living standard.

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     The present paper investigates how the income of elderly people is influenced by the longest-held occupation one had engaged by analyzing the data collected from a nationwide survey. The results showed that there were groups of rather rich people whose annual income were higher than or equal to 3 million yen (approximately US$23,000) in every age bracket of the people who had engaged in professionals and large company white-collar workers as well as in some age brackets of small company white-collar workers, large company blue-collar workers, and self-employed white-collar workers. Those who had engaged in self-employed blue-collar workers and farmers in general had the lower income than those had engaged in other occupations had. The income of elderly people was strongly affected by occupational status he had engaged and by the age or when each people had engaged in the occupation. The result obtained by using MDPREF disclosed that those who had engaged in the professionals, large company white-collar workers, and large company blue-collar workers had the similar and high income. Those who had engaged in large company blue-collar workers and were between 60 to 64 yeas old had the especially high income. The income of those who had engaged in large company blue-collar workers was higher than that of those who had engaged in small company white-collar workers at all age brackets except for the age between 70 to 74 years old. These along with the result obtained by MDPREF suggest that former employees in large company had higher income than those in small company irrespective of blue or white-collar had.

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     An overview of studies is presented which utilize cluster analysis and MDS (MultiDimensional Scaling) in sociology. Before focusing our attention onto studies in sociology, questionable ways of applying these two procedures are discussed which can be seen not only in studies in sociology but also commonly in many other areas. Then several aspects of applying these two procedures in sociology, which seem to be interesting and to be problematic, are focused upon. Discussions follow on how to cope with the problematic aspects and how to apply these procedures more appropriately. Procedures of cluster analysis and MDS, which have been developed with relation to sociological studies, are referred to, and procedures of applying cluster analysis and MDS, which also have been introduced in sociological studies, are presented. Several new aspects of applying cluster analysis and MDS in future sociological studies are stated.

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     Mathematical sociology can and is expected to treat the emergent mechanism of social norms. Social norms work as the cement of society, yet sociology so far regards them as given. However, if we neglect its emergent mechanism, we may misunderstand individual behavior or social phenomena. If we clarify it, on the other hand, we can solve the fundamental sociological problem: the problem of order. One promising strategy is to formalize the emergent mechanism as preference formation to treat individual internalization of social norms. As a result, theoretically we can use results of rational choice theory and game theory, and methodologically we can bridge micro individual behavior to macro societal structures. For this purpose, pinpoint models are required. This project may contribute to answering what society is desirable.

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     In this paper, it is pointed out that analysis of the university entrance examination system in Japan should be investigated from a game theoretic point of view. Here, the game theoretic point of view means that subjects will choose the possible alternatives under "rationality". Then, rationality of the systems on the entrance examination, which have been proposed by the ministry of education, are discussed by using stochastic models. In conclusion, in case of taking account of the better results between two examinations, or giving students double chance at the entrance examination, there is less rationality than people expected.

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     Reconsidering the fact that the concept of “double bind” has been defined linguistically, this paper aims to returning to cybernetics as a source of this concept, providing a system model of it with less ambiguity, and obtaining a novel implication on it in family system theory, by reconstructing it from social psychological and sociological perspectives. For these aims, this paper formally describes Hase's approach where double bind situations are regarded as stable states between positive and negative feedbacks in relational systems, and Yamada's suggestion where double bind situations are regarded as a gap of emotions based on the theory of “feeling rules” proposed by Hochschild, by using the theory of cognitive consistency in social psychology.

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