The Downside of Social Mobility: Status-Based Identity Uncertainty, Academic Achievement & Psychological Well-Being

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

A growing psychological literature links socioeconomic status (SES) to important life outcomes, such as academic achievement and well-being. However, this research tends to examine stable aspects of one's SES background (e.g., current income or education level). Less is known about the more dynamic aspects of SES and how status transitions influence achievement and well-being. The present research seeks to fill this gap by investigating the antecedents and consequences of perceiving that one's social status is in flux or transition, called status-based identity uncertainty. Given that higher education is one of the primary means through which people pursue upward mobility, status transitions are especially likely during and just after the college years. The present research focuses on this critical period for mobility and aims to enhance the understanding of factors that contribute to academic achievement and psychological well-being for college students. Using a multi-method approach, the current research will examine the experience and implications of status transitions. First, a longitudinal study will investigate the influence of status-based identity uncertainty on college students' outcomes. More specifically, this study will examine whether changes in status-based identity uncertainty over time predict changes in academic motivation, grades, and psychological well-being. Next, a set of laboratory experiments will seek to establish a causal relationship between status-based identity uncertainty and college outcomes. These experiments will involve activating different aspects of one's status identity (e.g., past or future) and then evaluating academic motivation, psychological well-being, and physiological responses. The project is poised to address socioeconomic disparities in achievement and well-being and to improve outcomes of college students from low SES backgrounds. Further, the proposed work, in which SES is conceptualized as dynamic, opens the door for novel and important research that recognizes the subtleties of how an individual's evolving SES can influence thoughts, behaviors, and important life outcomes.