In their masterful and provocative new book, "The Spirit Level," epidemiologists Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett present statistical evidence of the sociallly corrosive impact of inequality. They claim that many of our widespread, chronic, social problems like: mental illness, drug abuse, infant mortality, shortened life expectancy, obesity, poor educational achievement, teenage births and pregnancies, homicides and violence, as well as high rates of imprisionment, are strongly influenced by economic, social, and psychological inequality. Although they mention Alfred Adler briefly, they emphasize the connection of real and perceived inequality of the development of trust, liberty, and fellowship. Check out their web site at
www.equalitytrust.org.uk.