Race, economic class, and perceived outcomes of work and unemployment

Abstract

Tested 2 hypotheses derived from locus-of-control and expectancy theory: (a) black and/or unemployed men will perceive weaker relationships between working and positive and negative outcomes than white and/or working class men, and (b) black and/or unemployed men will perceive stronger relationships connecting not working with the same set of outcomes. Instrumentality ratings were gathered from 200 black and white working-class and unemployed men as part of a larger interview. Significant multivariate race, economic class, and interaction effects occurred for both types of ratings, but the direction of effects was not as predicted. Black Ss saw stronger relationships between working and various outcomes than whites, and positive-compared to whites' negative-instrumentalities of unemployment. The economic-class main effects were opposite in direction for blacks and whites, and the largest differences occurred between the black and white working class. Results are discussed in terms of experiential differences and shifts in levels of adaptation. (21 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)