What defines an individual's social class? How many social classes are there and is it possible to change the social class a person was born into? Max Weber, Karl Marx, Robert Purrucci, and Earl Wysong have all, to some extent, answered these questions, although they are different in some ways but also share many similarities. Marx, Purrucci, and Wysong believe that there are only two social classes, while Weber believes that there is an intermediate number. There are actually five social classes that allow mobility between classes, plus the following will be used to determine an individual's social class: occupation, income, wealth, education and status. “People with common occupations, earning roughly similar incomes, constitute a class.” (Marger 39) “People often talk about their profession or job as what they do for a living.” (Marger 39) “People often talk about their profession or job as what they do for a living.” (Marger 39) Purrucci and Wysong 146) Purrucci and Wysong believe that a profession shows the influence that a person has on the economy of a society and its relationship with the economic means of production Weber pointed out that even if people. can work in the same place, they can have different jobs and occupy “markedly different class positions” (Marger 38) “Class structure is related to one's occupation but is not determined by that occupation” (Purrucci et. Wysong 151), meaning that there are other key elements that can influence the social class an individual is considered to belong to. Income “gives people the means to support themselves (Purrucci and Wysong). 146) Marx pointed out that "workers have no choice but to continue to work for less than their fair share of the product" (Marger 31) because in a society "inequality is not only inevitable, but necessary” (52) for it to function smoothly...... middle of paper ...... and to occupy status in their community and among other colleagues of the same prestige. The wealthy class includes business owners and CEOs; they could also have inherited their wealth. They are well-known and high-ranking personalities. Even though a person may be in the comfort class, but have high status in their city or earn a large amount of money, both of these could potentially allow them to change social class. Social classes are very complex, but “the relationship between power and wealth is undeniable. (Marger 40) People can change the social class they are in, but it is not simply a factor that determines a person's social class. Occupation, income, wealth, education and status are all major factors that can help determine which of the five social classes a person belongs to. An individual can change social class if they want to..