The Emerging Psychology of Social Class
Title
The Emerging Psychology of Social Class
Author
Kraus, Michael W.
Research Area
Class, Status and Power
Topic
Social Stratification
Abstract
The objective material conditions of our lives shape social perceptions and relationships in fundamental ways. In this essay, I survey research examining the influence of one's social class position in society on basic psychological processes—including conceptions of the self and relationships with others. Insights from this research indicate that relatively lower class individuals are characterized by contextualized selves—selves that are more intertwined with the social environment and other individuals—whereas relatively upper class individuals are characterized by solipsistic selves—selves that are independent from the environment, and instead linked with internal goals, wishes, and motivations. Understanding these class‐based differences in the social self—evidenced in social behavior, cognition, and emotion profiles—has the potential to inform interventions that reduce societal problems related to constrained social class mobility and rising economic inequality.