Status and the self: Socioeconomic inequality in core beliefs

In popular discourse, voices repeatedly claim that personal success is largely a matter of mindset. In psychological science, such claims correspond to self-related core beliefs—generalized self-representations. Yet the absence of a comprehensive framework has prevented systematic study of their links to socioeconomic inequality. Building on the CorBel model—an integrative taxonomy of 97 belief nuances derived via natural language processing—we analyzed two preregistered, SES-representative national samples (Germany: N = 435, UK: N = 266). Across countries, positive beliefs (e.g., competence, autonomy, trust) were associated with higher SES, whereas negative beliefs (e.g., insecurity, unworthiness, pessimism) were linked to lower SES. These associations replicated across SES indicators (education, income, wealth) and explained up to 20% of variance in SES outcomes. This study provides the first systematic mapping of how socioeconomic inequalities are mirrored in individuals’ innermost psychological constitution, identifying beliefs as potential targets for interventions with societal and policy relevance.