Delusion of Poverty

In this society, some of the most important things in your life have to deal with money. In Chad Foster’s book, Financial Literacy for Teens, he taught his readers how to save, spend, invest and give away your money. Reading this book has taught me to start saving when I’m young, know the differences of what I need to buy rather than what I want, to make money while I sleep and giving away some of your money will not only help yourself, but help many others as well.

Economic insecurity can create other serious consequences on mental health, such as; Personality and mood disorders, Psychoses that can lead to suicide and many other behavioral problems that make individuals turn to incautious choices like criminality and violence. According to the article “Education, Poverty and Terrorism: Is There a Causal Connection?” individuals living in poverty are more likely to do irrational things due to the financial pressure they’re on, the feeling of hopelessness can trigger some unsettling emotional response that can incur in aggressiveness and other acts of

To many Americans, poverty is merely a synonym for ‘not rich’. Even those who understand the definition may struggle with the concept that poverty is not a distant, foreign, concern; poverty can occur in any country, region, neighborhood, and household. In a study performed by Carroll et al, 60% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “poor people are poor because of laziness and lack of will power (2011, p. 116). In the same questionnaire, 77% of respondents felt most poor people have the ability to escape poverty without government assistance (Carroll et al, 2011, p. 117). As above facts show, despite the widespread nature of this issue those not living in poverty often have

Poverty is an issue that has affected society since civilization was first created. Even with a globalized economy and economic opportunity prevalent nearly everywhere, there is still a vast majority of people who live in financial strain. According to recent information obtained by the World Bank, “10.7% of the world’s population live on less than US $1.90 a day”(World Bank 2013). In the United States considered the wealthiest nation on Earth, the poverty rate is 12.7% which is 40.6 million people(US Census Bureau 2016). Though some people are in poverty because of their own choices, poverty is a result of structural institutional practices in place.

Growing up in rural North Carolina, many people settled for simple lives. Accordingly, there were no top executives or fancy cars in my town, but content. This would all be fine if families were financial stable, but they are not. For example, the workers on our farm were always calling to see if they could go ahead and get paid even if it was only twenty dollars. Residents of our rental homes seemed to always be behind on their rent and my parents were forced to evict them. It was almost like a revolving door with renters in our houses. Unfortunately, this is far too common not only in the South, but in the world. As a result, my parents made sure my sister and I understood how to combat financial insecurity early on by

Poverty, a common problem in the US and yet, something that people consistently overlook. We are often unaware of the magnitude of poverty in the U.S and sometimes even disregard it. People living in destitution are at greater risk for behavioral and mental problems. Children or Teens who live in poverty are prone to poor academic achievements, become school dropouts , or grow subject to abuse or neglect. People in poverty also occasionally show signs of anxiety and depression.

The debt might be a contributor or it may not be. In August, 2014 seventy-two percent of Americans feel financially stressed (apa). The wealthy suffer from financial stress as well as the poor. Financial stress causes health risks such as ulcers, migraines, and sleep disturbances to many other disorders that can affect a person’s daily life (everydayhealth). The stress that is caused when spending too much money or wasting money on pointless items can be tremendous money. Even if the wealthy do live a luxurious lifestyle, it soon will lead to bad side effects. When financial stress occurs, a wealthy person assumes that if paying back whatever it is that is needed to be paid back, the struggle will be fixed. Many wealthy people do not begin a realistic budget to help monitor their spending, which will help lower stress levels (everydayhealth). If people are too busy buying or spending money on expensive items on a whim and finally see the all the bills afterwards will lead to financial stress. Not everyone will experience this because they know how to control themselves. Other people have the leisure to not worry about spending too much on the latest item. They simply do not care about what happens afterwards. Everything will slowly build up and create health disorders like stress, depression, or anxiety. The wealthy may not think or have a second thought about how

In a study conducted by Oscar Lewis, he claims “the low-income population of San Juan and New York and found a widespread way of thinking that he called fatalism” (Macionis 2013:88). He determined people who are raised in poverty are more likely to have, “low self-esteem, limited aspirations, and a sense of powerlessness” (Macionis 2013:88). Some ethnicities, mainly the minority, are described as “oppositional culture” when they succeed or portray stereotyped white characteristics of prosperity in order to discourage advancement. People raised in poverty can find it hard to believe in a better life with education and success if they are only exposed to below average condition of living, education, income, and health care. Poverty is not only an issue of income, it also has negative effects that are detrimental to a person over time.

Part of the issue as displayed through this book is that families truly have no since of fear with money. If they make money then continue to spend poorly and loose their money, they are back to where they started. This is what they know and what they are comfortable with. If a wealthy person, or even middle class family looses their money, they are in a new place, a place of fear. They have never lived this way before and all of their expenses are above what they have lost. There is also no since of saving with in the working poor community. When you are living on a minim wage pay check living week to week, you are putting all you have to support your family and to put food on the table, not to put money away

The existence of poverty is to commonly overlooked and denied by many. This is true when you or a friend have probably walked by a beggar and gave him/her nothing. You think he does drugs or you think he drinks but in reality he might have just made one mistake and there was no one there to help him back up. This chain of having no money is a factor that can destroy one’s self reputation. Poverty affects the health and education of those below the line of

Poverty is hard to escape when it is all you know. Thinking about financial difficulties uses so much mental effort that many people have little mental capacity remaining to do many of the things that might bring them out of poverty. In the book Hillbilly Elegy, the author J.D. Vance and his Mamaw had trouble filling out his financial aid forms. The mere thought of their financial issues prevented them from successfully completing simple paperwork. Poverty affects your brain by using an abundance of cognitive resources and consequently prevents people from completing their day-to-day tasks.

My own financial health resonates well with the above quote from Daly and Farley, not because I’ve thought about money, but because I know nothing about it. As a young student still breaking ties from home, I have to navigate the intricate world credit, lease contracts, financial aid, and investments seemingly to no avail. In his chapter titled “Enough Debt,” Dietz alludes to this complex world that is the American financial system that I and every other American are currently dealing with. With any complex system, there are misconceptions tied to it that can provide a simpler understanding to those analyzing it. Dietz provides three of the most prevalent misconceptions, how their true function actually debunks them, and then systemic changes

One psychologist named Sigmund Freud would say that poverty is explained through the unconscious mind which is scientifically known as psychoanalytic psychology. Poverty can be explained in this perspective by saying that people who do suffer from poverty have an unconscious urge for a way of thinking about a topic. Sigmund Freud would say something like that person struggles with an unconscious thought of them possibly failing in life and be a disappointment. He would find out if that person was unconsciously struggling by having them saying random answers during his test. He even would let

Many describe poverty as an economic deprivation, or lack of income. However, this alone does not incorporate the different social, cultural and political aspects of this unfortunate reality. Poverty is not only a deprivation of economic or material resources but a violation of human dignity. The general scarcity, lack, or the state of one without a specific amount of material possessions or money. It is a versatile concept that may be defined as either absolute or relative. Time and again, poverty is a call to action, for the poor and the wealthy alike, it is a call to change the world so that many more may have enough to eat, adequate shelter, access to education and health, protection from violence, and a voice in what happens in their communities.

First of all, does one’s mentality change in or through poverty. Yes, yes it does. Just like any big, or traumatic incident, going through or being in poverty can negatively affect your mental state, and in turn, affect your life. When someone is in poverty, everyday feels like a battle. You or me may not think anything of getting up in the morning or skipping a breakfast or two, but for people in poverty, they always struggle with these things. If someone is in poverty for long enough, the may not have think that there is any hope. People in poverty quite often, must skip meals, and not get much to drink. They can easily fall into a