Perception of Social Mobility: Research Progress and Future Directions

Wang Xue; Zhuo Yuemin; Du Hongfei; Gao Haiyan; Shi Jiaxin

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240613

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Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2024, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (6) : 1410-1421. DOI: 10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240613

Social，Personality & Organizational Psychology

Perception of Social Mobility: Research Progress and Future Directions

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

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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.

Key words

social mobility / economic mobility / social mobility perception / socioeconomic status / social equality

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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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