The role of privilege in shaping one’s path to success cannot be denied, as the widening economic disparities in society serve as a stark reminder of the advantages or disadvantages individuals may face along their journey.
Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers explores the idea that success isn’t solely a product of individual merit but rather heavily influenced by external factors, such as culture, environment, and opportunity. In Gladwell’s book, he examines Lewis Terman’s Genetic Studies of Genius, later known as the Terman Study of the Gifted. The early 20th century study set out to investigate whether high IQ students achieved higher rates of success. While the studies have received some criticism for a limited sample size, the data reveals a solemn truth.
When the study subjects reached adulthood, Terman reviewed their progress. The top 20% were classified as the A group, deemed successful based on their merits and comprising professionals such as lawyers, physicians, engineers, and academics. Ninety-eight percent of the A group graduated from college, and among them, 98 graduate degrees were earned. The middle 60% constituted the B group, performing satisfactorily. The remaining subjects, the C group, were judged by Terman to have achieved the least despite their superior mental agility.
One third of the Cs were college dropouts. A quarter only had a high school diploma, and of the total 150 Cs – all of whom were dubbed geniuses –a mere 8 had earned graduate degrees.
Terman exhaustively analyzed various factors to identify underlying influences. These included the participants' physical and mental well-being, their scores on masculinity-femininity assessments, hobbies, and career preferences. He also examined when they first began to walk and talk, as well as their exact IQ scores during elementary and high school. After all the analysis, one factor stood out amongst the rest: family background.
Socioeconomic status (SES) refers to an individual’s or family’s position in society, determined by factors such as income, education, occupation, and subjective perceptions. It is a way to categorize and measure the relative social and economic standing of individuals or groups within a community.
SES serves as a tool to analyze patterns of inequality and disparities. Those with higher SES typically have better access to quality healthcare, education, housing, and other resources, along with greater social and economic mobility. In contrast, individuals with lower SES often face barriers to these opportunities, perpetuating cycles of poverty and limited access to resources.
Studies by the National Institute of Public Health in Denmark have shown that schoolchildren from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to experience daily emotional symptoms and have lower levels of self-efficacy and social competence compared to those from higher socioeconomic positions.
Self-efficacy, a concept popularized by psychologist Albert Bandura, refers to an individual’s belief in their ability to accomplish specific goals or tasks. Essentially, it is the confidence in one’s capacity to succeed. Individuals with high self-efficacy often set more ambitious goals, persist through challenges, and bounce back from failures. They view setbacks as opportunities for learning and growth. Cultivating strong self-efficacy is essential for building resilience and sustaining motivation, both key factors in achieving success.
The daily lives of many low-income families are marked by frequent and persistent stressors, often beyond their control, creating chronic obstacles to success. For children from these backgrounds, unstable and chaotic home environments can make it difficult to establish consistent routines essential for academic and personal growth.
Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds typically perceive family life as unpredictable. They often face enduring conflict, lower-quality interactions, and harsher, inconsistent parenting. These environments are frequently labeled as "cold" and "neglectful," though these terms mainly reflect the difficult circumstances and pressures parents face, not intentional parenting choices. These experiences, shaped by broader family and neighborhood dynamics, ultimately influence how individuals perceive and respond to stressors.
Research indicates that the economic conditions of the area in which people live can impact how effective their strategies for dealing with stress are. Children who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds tend to develop coping methods that are well-matched to the challenges they face due to limited resources. In such circumstances, individuals place a high value on their ability to handle stress by using techniques like reevaluating their situation and managing their emotions (often called "shifting"). Furthermore, in a low socioeconomic setting, successful adaptation includes the ability to withstand adversity with resilience, find meaning in tough situations, and maintaining a positive outlook in the face of difficulties (referred to as "persisting").
Conversely, individuals with high socioeconomic status (SES) are often more effective at proactively reducing stressors due to their greater access to resources, enabling them to take preventative actions, solve problems, and influence outcomes. This perspective is supported by various studies.
Shifting refers to the use of strategies that help individuals adapt to their external environment. This may involve reinterpreting a stressor to make it seem less threatening or preventing it from triggering negative emotional reactions. The benefits of shifting in a low socioeconomic context are well-documented in developmental psychopathology, lifespan development, and cultural psychology.
Additional studies show that socioeconomic factors such as education had substantial effects on coping strategies and that there was a positive relation between high education level and adaptive coping strategies and a negative relation between low education level and maladaptive coping strategies. Low SES in childhood is related to poor cognitive development, language, memory, socioemotional processing, and consequently poor income and health in adulthood. The school systems in low-SES communities are often under resourced, negatively affecting students’ academic progress and outcomes.
Socioeconomic status has a significant impact on the overall well-being of individuals, influencing both their physical and mental health. Low SES, coupled with factors like lower educational attainment, poverty, and poor health, has far-reaching consequences in society. Inequities in the distribution of health, resources, and quality of life are on the rise, both within Canada and on a global scale. There is a growing need for society to place greater emphasis on addressing the root causes of socioeconomic disparities and take steps to narrow the profound gaps in socioeconomic status, both domestically and internationally for the betterment of all.
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