The Cultural Psychology of Social Class in the United States: Individualism, Interpersonal Relationships, and Well-being

Many scholars and legislators approach issues of social class from a deficit perspective, framing social class differences almost exclusively in terms of the resources and behaviors that working-class or lower-class people lack. In contrast, this book takes a cultural psychological perspective by exploring the ways in which Americans from relatively lower and higher social class backgrounds define themselves, their friendship and kinship groups, and even what it means to be ?well.? Using evidence from a variety of sources, it is argued that the nature of individualism, interpersonal relationships, and well-being varies substantially across American social class groups. These differences are apparent among national samples of adults and also among undergraduate students from various backgrounds and institutions. This book can be useful to college practitioners, faculty, and administrators who want to better understand their diverse students, as well as to psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and others who are generally interested in issues of social class, psychology, and culture.