The pressure that stems from anomie operates unevenly between the different strata, having greatest effect on the most deprived. Srole and Middleton (1963, cited in Huschka and Mau, 2005) made the psychological concepts of anomie and alienation operational, thereby giving rise to many empirical studies, especially in the United States. More contemporary versions have argued that inequities and social polarization produce anomie at times of social change.