Status Frustration among College Students: The Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Undergraduate Performance

Cohen's status frustration theory explains that even though everyone is encouraged to achieve a high status in society, lower-class people have very small chances of successfully doing so. Students from a private college and a public community college were given questionnaires about socioeconomic statuses, college majors, career plans, grades, and participation in delinquent activities. Findings support specific components of Cohen's theory. Minority and lower-class students participated in more deviant behaviors. Results also revealed significant differences in prestige of career goals between students of different social classes. Finally, there was a significant relationship between perceived opportunities and grade point averages.