Etudier, Mesurer et Manipuler la Classe Sociale en Psychologie Sociale: Approches Economiques, Symboliques et Culturelles [Studying, Measuring and Manipulating Social Class in Social Psychology: Economic, Symbolic and Cultural Approaches]

Abstract

Jusqu'à récemment, la classe sociale était peu étudiée en psychologie, et lorsqu'elle était prise en compte, c'était plutôt comme une variable démographique à contrôler que comme variable d'intérêt. L'objectif de cet article est de présenter une revue intégrée des recherches récentes sur la classe sociale en psychologie sociale qui examinent la façon dont la classe sociale influence le fonctionnement psychologique et le comportement. Cette littérature conçoit la classe sociale comme un contexte de socialisation modulant l'accès à des ressources, ce qui façonne les manières de penser, de ressentir et d'agir des individus. Nous présen-tons trois approches qui se distinguent en se focalisant sur trois aspects différents du contexte de classe sociale -les ressources économiques, symboliques ou culturelles -et leurs conséquences en termes de processus psychosociaux -focalisation attentionnelle, orientation vers le soi ou l'environnement ou façons de se définir comme individu. La présentation de ces trois approches et des processus psychosociaux associés nous amènera également à discuter des indicateurs utilisés pour mesurer la classe sociale (revenus, emploi, niveau d'éducation, rang perçu). Enfin nous argumenterons comment une psychologie sociale des classes sociales permet, notamment par le recours à la manipulation des processus, une identification précise des mécanismes par lesquels la classe sociale influence le fonctionnement psychologique et le comportement.Mots clés: classe sociale; ressources économiques; rang perçu; capital culturel Until recently, social class has been rarely studied in psychology, and when it was taken into account it was rather as a control demographic variable than as a variable of interest. The aim of this paper is to propose an integrated review of recent research in social psychology that examines how social class influences psychological functioning and behavior. This literature conceptualizes social class as a context of socialization that modulates access to resources, which shapes individuals ways of thinking, feeling and acting. We present three approaches that respectively focus on three distinct aspects of the social class context -economic, symbolic or cultural resources -and describe how these resources impact attentional focus, orientation towards the self or the environment and ways to define oneself as an individual. We review the supporting empirical evidence sustaining these approaches and discuss the relevance of the indicators used to measure social class (income, employment, level of education, perceived rank). Finally, we argue that an experimental social psychology of social class is particularly needed as it allows, through the manipulation of processes, to identify the mechanisms by which social class influences psychological functioning and behavior.

‘Where there is a will, there is a way’: Belief in school meritocracy and the social‐class achievement gap

“…However, the pattern of stratification among groups in the school system shows that the goal of meritocracy is not being met (Mijs, 2016) because school success is influenced by factors unrelated to real merit. Social class is one such factor (Bradley & Corwyn, 2002;Goudeau, Autin, & Croizet, 2017;Sirin, 2005;White, 1982). An SES achievement gap exists before entering school and expands as children progress through school, most notably in mathematics skills (Galindo & Sonnenschein, 2015;Jordan & Levine, 2009) and reading and language skills (Aikens & Barbarin, 2008;Arnold & Doctoroff, 2003).…”

Doing better (or worse) than one's parents: Social status, mobility, and performance‐avoidance goals

“…Interestingly, low perceived ability, negative emotions, and identity threat are precisely three factors identified in previous research as antecedents of performance‐avoidance goal endorsement (see Brodish & Devine, ; Cury, Elliot, Da Fonseca, & Moller, ; Pekrun, Elliot, & Maier, ), which makes FG students particularly likely to endorse performance‐avoidance goals. Second, research has documented that, because FG family values are less in line with university expectations than CG family values, FG students experience a ‘mismatch’ in higher education, which results in lower performance and poor emotional experiences (Stephens, Fryberg, Markus, Johnson, & Covarrubias, ; see also Goudeau, Autin, & Croizet, ). Such a mismatch may also increase FG students’ fear of performing poorly.…”

School Selection and the Social Class Divide: How Tracking Contributes to the Reproduction of Inequalities

“…Social psychology has recently produced a number of studies that experimentally manipulate the cultural and structural factors that might affect the results of students from different social classes (Goudeau, Autin, & Croizet, 2017).…”