ABSTRACT
The central feature of a social inequalities approach to formulation is that it goes beyond the traditional boundaries of psychology in emphasising the role of social and cultural contexts in shaping problems. This is shown in two main ways: structural features of society are seen as systematically marginalising and disempowering some people and not others; and psychology itself is viewed as part of an ideological dimension which shapes how we think and feel about ourselves. Importantly, this includes what is regarded as acceptable or deviant behaviour, such as what is seen as mental ‘ill health’. In fact the very notion of psychological experience as indicative of a state of ‘health’ is a pervasive and questionable assumption.
