The Social Psychology of Social Class and Mobility by Jessica Calarco and Chloe Rosenstock (2025)

Compared to other social scientists, social psychologists have been less involved in efforts to explain patterns of social class reproduction and social class mobility, and when they have these considered these questions, they have historically tended to adopt deficit-oriented perspectives that normalize existing inequalities. In this chapter, we begin by examining how a micro-level focus promotes this kind of deficit thinking and outline what social psychologists could learn from macro- and meso-level research on social mobility. Third, and drawing insights from Critical Social Psychology, we will consider how more structurally oriented research could bring the micro back in. Finally, we will conclude by arguing that attention to the interplay of micro-, meso-, and macro-level forces can facilitate a move away from interventions that aim to promote individual mobility within the existing class structure and toward interventions that aim to disrupt existing hierarchies and ensure dignity for all.