1.1 Basic Concept
In order to take a closer look at the emergence of social inequality, TwinLife not only looks at different causal factors, but also different indicators of personal and social success or failure.
Figure 1 provides an overview of the relevant characteristics. On the side of the determining factors (left), both genetic predispositions and aspects of the environment in which children and young people grow up and live are taken into account. On the impact side (right), not only objective but also subjective information about a person's individual career is considered. For example, the educational path and entry into work, as well as participation in social, cultural and political life and the subjective assessment of quality of life are examined. Children are influenced by their environment, but they can react differently to this environment depending on their individual characteristics. They can also interact with it and design it. In order to be able to take a closer look at this reciprocal process, the characteristics shown in Figure 1 should be recorded over a period of 8 years. This makes TwinLife broader than most comparable twin studies and should be understood more like a classic social science study. In this way, many areas of life, outcomes and possible origins of social inequality are examined.
Figure 1. Basic concept and six domains of social inequality.
ᐅ Biological factors
With the help of information from monozygotic and fraternal twins, the significance of genetic differences for numerous development indicators such as behavior can be determined.
In addition to biological characteristics, environmental characteristics are also considered, such as socio-economic status, family environment and structure, relationships between family members and neighborhood characteristics.
Certain genes in a person can be “switched on” or “muted” by environmental influences. This plays e.g. B. plays a role in the development of diseases and can explain why identical twins can have the same genetic makeup for Alzheimer's, but not both develop it. We investigate epigenetic interactions in our satellite project ➔ TECS .
“Person” means, on the one hand, the individual and his behavior and, on the other hand, his characteristic behavioral tendencies, which in psychology are referred to as “personality”. A person's personality influences their behavior in almost all areas of their life. The ➔ “Big Five” model can be used to provide a comprehensive description of personality. It includes, for example, the characteristics of extraversion, openness, or conscientiousness. But also other features, such as B. self-efficacy perception, self-confidence, or dealing with stress (so-called coping styles) play a role.
The environment includes all external influences. This includes, for example: B. whether you grow up in the city or in the country, the area where you live, which school or place of work you attend or the income that a family has at its disposal. The special importance of environmental influences istaken into account in the satellite project ➔ TwinLife “Environment” .
This is about the fact that the environment and the person influence each other, that is, they interact with each other. On the one hand, the environment affects the people in it - but at the same time the people also create the environments around themselves and for others. This could be the case, for example: For example, an extroverted person creates an environment with lots of friends, or growing up on a farm makes a person more likely to love animals. Culture in the broader sense (see “social and cultural transmission”) also plays a role.
The social and cultural transmission of social inequalities describes the shaping of people's perception and behavior by socially and culturally shaped norms and values. These influence the opportunities, behavior and ultimately the experiences of people within society. They can thus contribute to the creation or maintenance of social inequalities.
ᐅ Education & educational success
In addition to cognitive skills and their development, motivation and educational level are also examined.
ᐅ Career & success on the labor market
This area includes perceived job security, job satisfaction, as well as work commitment, current job and position as well as income or, if applicable, receipt of social benefits.
ᐅ Social and political integration
This examines the characteristics of each person's social environment, such as support from family, friends, and spouses. Social and political commitment, social resources and the degree of perceived belonging are also of interest.
ᐅ Subjective assessment of quality of life
This category summarizes people's emotional stability, self-esteem, global life satisfaction and life satisfaction in certain areas.
ᐅ Physical & mental health
In addition to quality of life, this area includes assessments of general health with regard to illnesses, but also subjectively perceived impairments and information on health behavior.
ᐅ Behavioral problems & deviant behavior
At this point, among other things, criminal or delinquent behavior is asked, as well as the extent of internalized and externalized problem behavior.