TY  - EJOU
AU  - Zheng, Jiaqi 
AU  - Chen, Xuanyu 
AU  - Wu, Changze 

TI  - Beyond income: How subjective social class shapes well-being through deprivation, control, and system-justifying belief
T2  - Journal of Psychology in Africa

PY  - 
VL  - 
IS  - 
SN  - 1815-5626

AB  - This study examined how subjective social class (SSC) is associated with subjective well-being (SWB) through relative deprivation (RD) and sense of control (SoC), and how this process varies by system-justifying belief (SJB). Using a large-scale social survey (Study 1; males = 54.2%; mean age = 52.99 years) and a questionnaire-based survey (Study 2; females = 63.3%; mean age = 29.14 years), the results showed that SSC was positively associated with SWB and exerted a significant indirect effect through a sequential mediation pathway involving RD and SoC. This indirect effect was stronger among individuals with higher levels of SJB. These findings are consistent with perspectives emphasizing social comparison and cognitive adaptation, suggesting that individuals’ subjective perceptions of social hierarchy shape well-being through both deprivation-related and control-related processes. The results highlight the importance of considering SSC and ideological beliefs when understanding social inequality and psychological well-being.
KW  - Subjective social class; subjective well-being; sense of control; relative deprivation; system-justifying belief

DO  - 10.32604/jpa.2026.079106