社会流动感知：研究现状及未来方向*

王雪; 卓悦民; 杜洪飞; 高海燕; 史佳鑫

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240613

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心理科学 ›› 2024, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (6) : 1410-1421. DOI: 10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240613

社会、人格与管理

社会流动感知：研究现状及未来方向^*

王雪¹, 卓悦民^2,3, 杜洪飞^2,3, 高海燕⁴, 史佳鑫^**3

作者信息 +

Perception of Social Mobility: Research Progress and Future Directions

Wang Xue¹, Zhuo Yuemin^2,3, Du Hongfei^2,3, Gao Haiyan⁴, Shi Jiaxin³

Author information +

文章历史 +

摘要

社会流动是指个体在不同社会阶层之间的变动。早期文献主要关注客观社会流动,而近年来研究发现,主观社会流动感知对个体的心理和行为也会产生重要影响。社会流动感知是指人们感知到的在不同社会阶层之间进行变动的可能性。尽管相关研究逐渐增多,但国内对社会流动感知的关注还相对较少,且现有研究也存在一些局限。首先介绍了社会流动感知的定义及其研究意义,然后阐述了个体心理因素、人口学变量对社会流动感知的预测,并总结社会流动感知对心理健康、社会态度和价值观、行为的影响。在此基础上,进一步从社会流动类型、前因、影响机制等三个方面,指出现有研究的局限,提出未来研究方向。

Abstract

Social mobility refers to the movement of individuals between different social hierarchies. Early research on social mobility mainly focused on objective social mobility. However, accumulating studies suggest that subjective perceptions of social mobility have important implications for individual psychology and behavior. The perceotion of social mobility refers to the perceived possibility of movement or change between different social classes or strata within a society. This review aims to highlight recent advances in the field of social mobility perception and to lay a foundation for future research.
Integrating research from several fields, the authors and first introduce the definition and research significance of the perception of social mobility. They then explain how individual psychological factors (e.g., cognitive style and psychological resources) and demographic factors (e.g., social mobility experience, subjective socioeconomic status, and objective socioeconomic status) predict the preception of social mobility. They then present the downstream effects of social mobility perception on mental health (e.g., emotions, well-being, and life satisfaction), social attitudes and values (e.g., belief in social justice, materialism, and long-term orientation), and behaviors (e.g., interpersonal and intrapersonal behaviors).
Next, the authors point out the limitations of current literature and the direction of future research. First, existing research overlooks the specific types of social mobility. There are four criteria to clarify social mobility. Based on the factors causing social mobility, it can be divided into mobility due to controllable factors and mobility due to uncontrollable factors. The authors suggest following the first approach because it aligns more closely with people’s lay perception of social mobility. Social mobility can also be classified based on different reference points and measurement indicators: absolute intergenerational mobility, relative intergenerational mobility, absolute intragenerational mobility, and relative intragenerational mobility. In addition, based on the judgment object, social mobility can be divided into personal and societal. Studies have found that people are more likely to exhibit optimistic bias when the estimation objects are more relevant to them. Based on direction, social mobility can be divided into upward and downward. However, when people think about social mobility, they tend to consider upward mobility, which is true for researchers as well. Current research often confuses these types, which may lead to inconsistent research fingdings. The authors suggest that future research should clearly specify the type of social mobility being studied.
Second, the authors suggest that future research can expand on how social environmental factors influence the perception of social mobility. On the one hand, it is possible to explore the influence of cultural factors. For example, individualistic versus collectivistic cultures might influence the perception of social mobility. In individualistic cultures, which emphasize personal independence and self-actualization, individuals are more likely to attribute success to personal effort and ability. In contrast, collectivist cultures emphasize group harmony and collective goals, with individual achievements often seen as a result of group support and cooperation. As a consequence, people in individualist cultures may perceive higher levels of social mobility. Power distance might also influence social mobility perception; the greater the power distance, the lower the perception of social mobility. On the other hand, it is possible to explore the impact of economic environmental factors on social mobility perception, including the level of economic development and economic inequality.
Lastly, current research lacks an integrated theoretical framework to understand the effects of social mobility perception. We propose that the perception of social mobility produces subsequent effects mainly through three pathways: psychological resources, motivation, and identity. Psychological resources can influence the perception of social mobility perception, and vice versa. Specifically, low social mobility perception might reduce the sense of control and self-efficacy. Additionally, the perception of social mobility might influence motivation, including approach-avoidance motivation and self-enhancement motivation. Furthermore, identity might be a mechanism for the effects of social mobility perception. High social mobility perception might lead to subsequent effects by increasing identity conflict and identity uncertainty.

导出引用

王雪, 卓悦民, 杜洪飞, 高海燕, 史佳鑫. 社会流动感知：研究现状及未来方向^*[J]. 心理科学. 2024, 47(6): 1410-1421 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240613

Wang Xue, Zhuo Yuemin, Du Hongfei, Gao Haiyan, Shi Jiaxin. Perception of Social Mobility: Research Progress and Future Directions[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2024, 47(6): 1410-1421 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240613

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基金

*本研究得到中央高校基本科研业务费专项资金（310422147）、国家自科基金“资源稀缺对共享消费的影响研究：基于资源稀缺双路径模型”（72402011）、北京师范大学珠海校区引进人才工作运行和科研启动项目（312200502504）、国家社科基金“新发展阶段民众共同富裕心态和影响机制研究”（23BSH074）的资助