The Psychology of Social Class: How Socioeconomic Status Impacts Self-Acceptance and Self-Esteem

Shijing Guo

doi:10.54254/2753-7048/37/20240545

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Published on 15 January 2024

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Guo,S. (2024). The Psychology of Social Class: How Socioeconomic Status Impacts Self-Acceptance and Self-Esteem. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,37,204-209.

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The Psychology of Social Class: How Socioeconomic Status Impacts Self-Acceptance and Self-Esteem

Shijing Guo *^,1,

¹ Oregon State University

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/37/20240545

Abstract

This paper reviews research on the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on self-acceptance and self-esteem. It defines self-esteem as an individual's overall evaluation of their self-worth. Self-acceptance refers to positively accepting one's self-perceptions and experiences without judgment. Research shows SES is positively associated with self-esteem, likely because higher SES provides more resources to fulfil needs for competence and self-worth. Low SES is linked to lower self-esteem due to greater exposure to stressors and fewer resources to cope. Moreover, self-esteem is positively related to self-acceptance, as believing in one's self-worth facilitates accepting oneself. Furthermore, SES may also directly predict self-acceptance by enabling needs satisfaction. Additionally, self-esteem may mediate the relationship between SES and self-acceptance, such that SES influences self-acceptance through its impact on self-esteem. The paper calls for longitudinal research analyzing the relationships among SES, self-esteem, and self-acceptance across development and diverse populations. It also advocates testing causality through experiments. This research has implications for interventions targeting self-esteem and self-acceptance to improve psychological health.

Keywords

social class, socioeconomic status, self-acceptance, self-esteem

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Cite this article

Guo,S. (2024). The Psychology of Social Class: How Socioeconomic Status Impacts Self-Acceptance and Self-Esteem. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,37,204-209.

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About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Social Psychology and Humanity Studies

Conference website: https://www.icsphs.org/

ISBN：978-1-83558-275-6(Print) / 978-1-83558-276-3(Online)

Conference date: 1 March 2024

Editor：Kurt Buhring

Series: Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media

Volume number: Vol.37

ISSN：2753-7048(Print) / 2753-7056(Online)

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