It’s often assumed that getting a college education or professional job means that a person from a working-class or low-income background has finally “made it” and will seamlessly join the middle or upper class. The reality, however, is often quite different. As Della Mae Justice, a successful lawyer who was raised in poverty, explained to the New York Times in 2005, “My stomach’s always in knots getting ready to go to a party, wondering if I’m wearing the right thing, if I’ll know what to do.” She continued, “I’m always thinking: How does everybody else know that? How do they know how to act? Why do they all seem so at ease?”
Research: How You Feel About Individualism Is Influenced by Your Social Class
And it can affect your performance at work.
May 22, 2017, Updated May 22, 2017
Summary.
It’s often assumed that getting a college education or a job in a professional workplace means that a student or employee has finally “made it” and can leave her social class background behind. The reality, however, is often quite different. Research shows that people coming from working-class backgrounds prioritize values like loyalty, humility, and interdependence, while the values prioritized in upper-class settings like universities and companies tend to be individuality, self-expression, and influence. Some experiments have shown that simply reminding students about the independent culture of college (for example, urging them to “pave your own path”) can increase their levels of stress, reduce their sense of fit or belonging, and undermine their performance on academic tasks. To address this, institutions and organizations need to incorporate social class into their diversity programs and adjust evaluation systems so collaboration and interdependence are rewarded.