Psychology and the Social Class Worldview

Book excerpt: This unique textbook explores the complex topic of social class, explaining the many psychological nuances of class and classism in people's lives as subjective and phenomenological experiences. Social class can be a deeply personal, complicated topic that is often frustrating and uncomfortable to discuss, and as such has often been a blind spot in teaching and academic literature. For the first time, Noonan and Liu look to address this in one comprehensive text, using a combination of first-person narratives, academic approaches to class, and psychology's contributions to the subject. Across seven chapters, the book introduces a highly accessible theoretical model of the psychology of social class, Liu's own Social Class Worldview Model (SCWM-R). Using vivid autobiographical texts to bring the theoretical model to life, the authors show how our worldviews develop through interactions with our social class and economic environment, and provide a unique array of methods and skillsets to help incorporate the model into teaching. Each section of the book guides the reader through core concepts in the area, from socioeconomic factors, social structures, poverty, race, racism, White privilege, and White supremacy. Featuring activity suggestions, discussion questions, and writing prompts to help apply theory to real-life narratives, this is the ideal resource for students and instructors across psychology, sociology, health economics, and social work, as well as anyone taking courses on examining social class.