title: Middle class and marginal? Socioeconomic status, stigma, and self-regulation at an elite university.
abstract: In four studies, the authors investigated the proposal that in the context of an elite university, individuals from relatively lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds possess a stigmatized identity and, as such, experience (a) concerns regarding their academic fit and (b) self-regulatory depletion as a result of managing these concerns. Study 1, a correlational study, revealed the predicted associations between SES, concerns about academic fit, and self-regulatory strength. Results from Studies 2 and 3 suggested that self-presentation involving the academic domain is depleting for lower (but not higher) SES students: After a self-presentation task about academic achievement, lower SES students consumed more candy (Study 2) and exhibited poorer Stroop performance (Study 3) relative to their higher SES peers; in contrast, the groups did not differ after discussing a nonacademic topic (Study 3). Study 4 revealed the potential for eliminating the SES group difference in depletion via a social comparison manipulation. Taken together, these studies support the hypothesis that managing concerns about marginality can have deleterious consequences for self-regulatory resources.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. SarahEMJohnson@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Richeson
authors.forename: Eli J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Finkel
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D015205:Northwestern United States; D011203:Poverty; D012649:Self Concept; D012923:Social Class; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D012933:Social Identification; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013240:Stereotyping; D057190:Stroop Test; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities