Key Definitions
This term refers to an individual’s or group’s position in a hierarchical social structure based on education, income, occupation, and wealth.
What is socioeconomic status (SES)?
Poverty is associated with higher rates of this mental health condition, often linked to chronic stress and unmet needs.
What is depression?
A condition in which a person cannot meet basic needs and/or has liabilities that outweigh assets.
What is poverty?
In the U.S., social class distinctions are primarily based on income, education, occupation, and this factor.
What is financial status or source of income?
In counseling, this person is responsible for initiating conversations about class due to stigma and power differences.
Who is the counselor?
Discriminatory beliefs and behaviors toward individuals based on perceived or actual socioeconomic status.
What is classism?
Individuals living in poverty often experience higher exposure to this, increasing the risk for PTSD and anxiety disorders.
What is violence or trauma?
This concept refers to the sum of assets minus liabilities and does not always correlate with income.
What is net worth?
This term describes the degree to which individuals can move between social class levels.
What is class mobility?
This level of advocacy includes meeting basic needs such as food, housing, and employment.
What is individual-level advocacy?
This form of classism involves unexamined class biases that influence self-esteem, identity, and relationships.
What is internalized classism?
Low-SES clients are more likely to experience this outcome in counseling treatment.
What is higher dropout rates?
The U.S. government term for disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake due to limited resources.
What is food insecurity?
The idea that the U.S. is a “classless society” with equal opportunity for all is considered a cultural myth known as this.
What is the American Dream?
Advocacy efforts aimed at empowerment, education, and public policy occur at this level.
What is community-level advocacy?
Systematic disadvantage of working-class people created by political, economic, and social institutions.
What is structural classism?
Feeling devalued due to one’s SES can lead to lowered self-esteem, humiliation, and increased risk of this outcome.
What is suicide?
Women, children, and these groups are disproportionately represented among people living in poverty in the U.S.
Who are racial and ethnic minorities?
Despite national wealth, the U.S. shows increasing inequality and a strong link between inequality and reduced mobility, except for this country.
What is the birth lottery?
Counselors are encouraged to integrate class-conscious approaches using theories such as Feminist Theory, RCT, and this model.
What is the Social Class Worldview Model (SCWM)?
Unearned advantages that individuals receive simply due to their social class status.
What is class privilege?
The ability to externalize classism and identify structural causes contributes to better coping and this positive outcome.
What is resilience?
This theory explains how people believe poverty is caused, either by individual failure or structural factors.
What is poverty attribution?
Despite national wealth, the U.S. shows increasing inequality and a strong link between inequality and reduced mobility, except for this country.
What is the United States?
Advocacy is described in the chapter as a normal and necessary part of this professional role.
What is counseling?