Dramatic income inequality gets rid of the possibility for there to be lots of social capital in a society, leading to more stress and poor health
Findings such as how the low social capital that comes with income inequality can lead to more stress and poor health make perfect sense to Richard Wilkinson. Wilkinson found that income inequality is a strong predictor of poor health because it is about being made to feel poor. In his writing, he emphasizes that trust requires reciprocity, and reciprocity requires equality. In contrast, hierarchy is about domination, not symmetry and equality. By definition, you can’t have a society with both dramatic income inequality and lots of social capital. These findings would also have made sense to the late Aaron Antonovsky, who was one of the first to study the SES/health gradient. He stressed how damaging it is to health and psyche to be an invisible member of society. To recognize the extent to which the poor exist without feedback, just consider the varied ways that most of us have developed for looking through homeless people as we walk past them.
References
- Sapolsky, Robert. (2004). Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers Chapter 17. The View from the Bottom (p. 531). New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience / Psychology / Neuropsychology / Social Psychology Sociology / Medicine / Politics / Economics Status:☀️