Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
6-2013
Abstract
Scholars across the social sciences have studied social class for centuries. In this review, we suggest that social class is a fundamental means by which individuals are ranked on the social ladder of society. A rank-based perspective on social class shines light on several future areas of research: Specifically, understanding how social class ranks individuals vis-à-vis others leads to predictions about how class is signaled in interactions, influences social cognition and health, is shaped by global economic inequality trends, and changes across the life course. Importantly, our theory highlights the potential of experimental manipulations of social class rank for testing the causal role of social class in shaping basic patterns of cognition, emotion, and behavior. Future predictions regarding the channels of social class rank signals, along with how position on the social ladder shapes political attitudes and interacts with cultural values, are considered.
Discipline
Applied Behavior Analysis | Social Psychology | Social Psychology and Interaction
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
Psychological Inquiry
Volume
24
Issue
2
First Page
81
Last Page
96
ISSN
1047-840X
Identifier
10.1080/1047840X.2013.778803
Publisher
Taylor & Francis (Routledge): STM, Behavioural Science and Public Health Titles
Citation
KRAUS, Michael W., TAN, Jacinth J. X., & TANNENBAUM, Melanie B..(2013). The social ladder: A rank-based perspective on social class. Psychological Inquiry, 24(2), 81-96.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2739
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/110.1080/1047840X.2013.778803
Included in
Applied Behavior Analysis Commons, Social Psychology Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons