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Although the countries worldwide have been dealing with poverty issues for several decades this problem is still urgent. Even the international commitment to the problem has not lead to substantial progress in reducing poverty levels. As regards the United States, the recent statistics in poverty rate reveals 14.8% of the poor population amounting to 46.7 million (Bray & Schommer-Aikins, 2016, p. 579). Poverty is associated with individuals’ inability to sustain basic amenities which include decent access to adequate resources: food, clean water, housing, clothing, health services, and safety. Such deficiencies restrict human freedom and leave people powerless so they fail to obtain access to opportunities allowing them to earn money, develop, and be the part of society. The causes of poverty as a global epidemic are numerous but some of them refer to psychological rather than economic factors. The main psychological theories embracing the problem of poverty in the United States explicate the following causes: individuals’ internal characteristics and social exclusion.
Individuals’ internal characteristics emphasize the set of beliefs and attitudes to influence their behavior. In terms of poverty, a low level of self-esteem, self-transcendence values, life satisfaction, and trust do not allow poor people to develop. The poor are known to have high scores on stress levels and they also perceive external threats highly. These characteristics predict poor people’s low levels of trust and life-satisfaction. Firstly, such values can shape a specific type of socialization when people tend to come across conditions of economic disadvantage throughout their life. For instance, people’s laziness can prevent them from taking responsibility for their place in society because they are not inclined to improve their way of living. Only hard workers are likely to escape the poverty trap due to the striving to change their lifestyle (Bray & Schommer-Aikins, 2016, pp. 579, 587; Poluektova et al., 2015, pp. 4, 11). Another evidence of individuals’ internal characteristics is linked with inability to make rational decisions because irrationality is both the cause and the outcome of being poor. Such features of the decision-making process present a vicious cycle which hampers climbing out of poverty. Even the fact that the poor are less concerned about social, economic, cultural, and ecological problems proves the point (Kraay & McKenzie, 2014, p. 145; Poluektova et al., 2015, pp. 4, 11). Thirdly, being permanently poor can be associated with ill health which hampers the adequate use of the country’s resources for individuals to support themselves. The poor feel deprived of the public welfare due to their subjective perception of the world and inability to satisfy their needs. Such lifestyles may inevitably be related to poor individuals’ position in society and a limited access to health facilities (Harding, 2016, p. 274; Poluektova et al., 2015, p. 11). Effective interventions can help shape poor people’s values and beliefs through technology as the individual study empowers students to learn and develop their inner self (Mumtaz, 2000, p. 328). As a result, individuals’ internal characteristics determine the set of values which can be formed by their laziness, inability to make rational decisions, or ill health.
Social exclusion refers to another psychological theory explaining the cause of poverty, which is closely connected with inequality in society when individuals experience a lack of social support. To begin with, the gender bias, oppression, discrimination, and racism lead to the lack of support. Poor individuals become excluded from social life because others reject their interaction. Therefore, the poor are vulnerable to labor market exclusion and destruction of their social connections. They also fail to use a number of facilities which can improve their livelihood; the facilities include access to obtaining relevant skills and personal development. The insufficient social support produces social problems like homelessness and unsafe environment (Bray & Schommer-Aikins, 2016, p. 579; Poluektova et al., 2015, p. 11). Additionally, social exclusion describes inequality in the workplace as individuals can be excluded from labor market participation and subsequent welfare state benefits. Rural problems of accessibility and remoteness deprive the poor of the right to find the relevant job and feel the part of society. The gap between social groups diminishes chances of social mobility regardless of people’s race, ethnicity, and class. Again, the gap generates the lack of income and consequent malnutrition, hunger, ill health, and increased levels of morbidity (Harding, 2016, p. 274). The next evidence to support social exclusion among the poor population relies on individuals’ social and behavioral deficiencies. The culture of poverty emphasizes the deficiencies since they can be transmitted to future generations and may reinforce various deficiencies in others. The environment rejects people’s deviant behavior, so such social ills make the public less economically viable within society and less successful in life. In this regard, effective educational interventions must focus on equity of access to opportunities, resources, and support (Penuel and Fishman, 2012, pp. 282-283). If poor people do not change their behavior or persist in promoting the culture of poverty, no U.S. programs to close the gap between the poor and non-poor will be effective.
In conclusion, the two interrelated theories which are fundamental to the cause of poverty in the country cover individuals’ internal characteristics and social exclusion. On the one hand, the poor population may be reluctant to improve their livelihood because they are lazy or unable to make rational decisions by themselves. The poor’s ill health may also impede their development and seeking the way out of the vicious circle. On the other hand, a lack of social support, which brings forth social exclusion, is connected with prejudices among the non-poor population. Moreover, remoteness from labor market deprives the poor of the opportunities to earn a living and build social connections. In addition, behavioral deficiencies are characterized as social ills which hinder people’s psychological and social development. Thus, the psychological theories underline the main causes of poverty among the U.S. population.
References
Alternative Approaches for Studying
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and Barry J. Fishman
and Barry J. Fishman
arge-Scale Science Education Intervention Research We Can Use
Large-Scale Science Education Intervention Research We Can Use
Bray, S. S., & Schommer-Aikins, M. (2016). Health profession students’ way of knowing and social orientation in relationship to poverty beliefs. Psychology Research, 6(10), 579-589. http://dx.doi.org/10.17265/2159-5542/2016.10.003
Harding, D. J. (2016). Culture, poverty, and racial inequality: A new agenda? Contemporary Sociology, 45(3), 273-276. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0094306116641405
Kraay, A., & McKenzie, D. (2014). Do poverty traps exist? Assessing the evidence. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 28(3), 127-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1257/jep.28.3.127
Mumtaz, S. (2000). Factors affecting teachers’ use of information and communications technology: a review of the literature. Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education, 9(3), 319-342. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14759390000200096
Penuel, W. R., & Fishman, B. J. (2012). Large-scale science education intervention research we can use. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 49(3), 281-304. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tea.21001
Poluektova, O. V., Efremova, M. V., & Breugelmans, S. M. (2015). Poverty and psychology. (Basic Research Program Working Papers; Vol. 49, No. WP BRP 49/PSY/2015). National Research University Higher School of Economics. Retrieved from https://pure.uvt.nl/ws/files/13848580/Poluektova_et_al._2015.pdf
William R. Penuel
William R.
Mumtaz, S. (2000). Factors affecting teachers’ use of information and communications technology: a review of the literature. Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education, 9(3), 319-342. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14759390000200096
Penuel
