“Really Expressing their Truth”: Class Socialization and the Habitus

• In Event: 4467 - Section on Social Psychology Refereed Roundtables (Cosponsored with Section on Sociology of Emotions)
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 7: Class and Status

Abstract

The habitus has received significant theoretical attention, both positive and negative. Yet many empirical studies about class avoid discussing the habitus, focusing instead on specific behaviors or situations. Using two and half years of observations in two elementary schools, supplemented by over 70 interviews with parents, teachers, and students, I argue that children from different class backgrounds receive different socialization experiences that lead to the development of different class habitus. I highlight three areas of the habitus – desired sense of self, moral worth, and perception of the world – in which children differ substantially. These patterns suggest that upper-middle-class children are taught and aspire to see themselves as special, while working-class children are taught and aspire to see themselves as respectable. Overall, these findings argue for the significance of the habitus and its ramifications for social reproduction.

Author

• Peter Francis Harvey, University of Pennsylvania