Economic Inequality and Social Psychology Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and analytical concepts related to the social psychological impacts and health correlations of economic inequality.

Meritocracy

A societal system in which individuals' opportunities and advancement are determined by talent and hard work rather than social class and network connections.

Relative Income

An individual's social position or status in relation to others within their society, defined by the size of the income gaps between people rather than absolute national wealth.

Top 20% to Bottom 20% Ratio

A measure of income inequality derived from UN and World Bank data that measures how much richer the top 20% of a country's population is compared to its bottom 20%.

UNICEF Index of Child Well-being

A 40-component index analyzed in the British Medical Journal that measures indicators such as parent communication, books at home, immunization rates, and school bullying.

World Values Survey Trust Measure

A metric assessing social trust by determining the percentage of a population that agrees with the statement that most people can be trusted.

Social Mobility

An income-based metric evaluating whether children attain different income levels than their fathers, showing higher mobility in Scandinavian nations such as Denmark compared to the UK and USA.

Upward Social Comparison

A psychological process in which an individual compares themselves to others who are perceived as higher or relatively advantaged on the social gradient.

Downward Social Comparison

A psychological process in which an individual compares themselves to others who are perceived as lower or relatively disadvantaged on the social gradient.

Social Evaluative Stressor

A category of stressor identified in research by Sally Wilson and Margaret Kennedy involving performance observation or judgment by others, which strongly predicts spikes in cortisol levels.

Social Capital

A measure of involvement in community life that correlates closely with high trust and low levels of economic inequality.

Punitive Sentencing

Harsher judicial sentencing policies that primarily account for the tenfold difference (ranging from 40 to 400 people in prison) between equal and unequal societies, rather than differences in crime rates.