When academic psychology first emerged, social inequality was normal. The field’s pioneers lived in a world where universal suffrage and equality were novel concepts, and where voting rights were typically limited to privileged men. Early psychologists, many of whom were from the upper classes, often reflected this societal bias, associating poverty and criminality with physical and mental inferiority. Theorists such as Cesare Lombroso believed that criminals could be identified by their appearance, while figures like Gustave Le Bon saw the ‘masses’ as savage and as prone to evolutionary regression. These ideas, rooted in classism and misogyny, contributed to a psychological framework that justified social stratification and saw the poor as a threat, a legacy that continues to influence the field today.