Psychosocial Implications Of Poverty

This book presents a multidimensional, psychosocial and critical understanding of poverty by bringing together studies carried out with groups in different contexts and situations of deprivation in Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, Nicaragua and Spain. The book is divided in two parts. The first part presents studies that unveil the psychosocial implications of poverty by revealing the processes of domination based on the stigmatization and criminalization of poor people, which contribute to maintain realities of social inequality. The second part presents studies focused on strategies to fight poverty and forms of resistance developed by individuals who are in situations of marginalization. The studies presented in this contributed volume depart from the theoretical framework developed by Critical Social Psychology, Community Psychology and Liberation Psychology, in an effort to understand poverty beyond its monetary dimension, bringing social, cultural, structural and subjective factors into the analysis. Psychological science in general has not produced specific knowledge about poverty as a result of the relations of domination produced by social inequalities fostered by the capitalist system. This book seeks to fill this gap by presenting a psychosocial perspective with psychological and sociological bases aligned in a dialectical way in order to understand and confront poverty. Psychosocial Implications of Poverty – Diversities and Resistances will be of interest to social psychologists, sociologists and economists interested in multidimensional studies of poverty, as well as to policy makers and activists directly working with the development of policies and strategies to fight poverty.

This book presents a multidimensional, psychosocial and critical understanding of poverty by bringing together studies carried out with groups in different contexts and situations of deprivation in Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, Nicaragua and Spain. The book is divided in two parts. The first part presents studies that unveil the psychosocial implications of poverty by revealing the processes of domination based on the stigmatization and criminalization of poor people, which contribute to maintain realities of social inequality. The second part presents studies focused on strategies to fight poverty and forms of resistance developed by individuals who are in situations of marginalization. The studies presented in this contributed volume depart from the theoretical framework developed by Critical Social Psychology, Community Psychology and Liberation Psychology, in an effort to understand poverty beyond its monetary dimension, bringing social, cultural, structural and subjective factors into the analysis. Psychological science in general has not produced specific knowledge about poverty as a result of the relations of domination produced by social inequalities fostered by the capitalist system. This book seeks to fill this gap by presenting a psychosocial perspective with psychological and sociological bases aligned in a dialectical way in order to understand and confront poverty. Psychosocial Implications of Poverty - Diversities and Resistances will be of interest to social psychologists, sociologists and economists interested in multidimensional studies of poverty, as well as to policy makers and activists directly working with the development of policies and strategies to fight poverty.

The most interdisciplinary, integrated text on poverty, The Web of Poverty: Psychosocial Perspectives gives you a full understanding of poverty and its consequences, equipping you to affect social change. This unique book examines the social and personal causes of poverty, focusing on the consequences of poverty at the neighborhood and school levels and on families, children, and youth. Ethnic and racial minorities are considered throughout the text, and a chapter is devoted to the interface of poverty, segregation, and discrimination. The Web of Poverty helps you clearly see the effects of poverty by considering the cultural and social contexts of victims’lives. In doing so, it fills a gap in the literature caused by books that overlook personal issues and data related to individual experiences. Chapters address contentious and sensitive issues within a critical psychosocial perspective that informs concepts such as the subculture of poverty, social pathologies, and the “overclass.” Many of the topics and perspectives you'll explore in its pages are rarely considered together in one volume. Specifically, you'll read about: the plight of impoverished mothers and their children a comparison of the poverty of disadvantaged African Americans and poor white Americans health disadvantages of the poor the effects of poverty on school systems and the quality of education students receive the factors of age, race, and ethnicity that can lead to poverty a refutation of the notion of genetic inferiority of the poor Poverty is often the cause of other social ills such as delinquency, which can destroy the social fabric of neighborhoods and limit opportunities to escape impoverished situations. The Web of Poverty will help you accurately see poverty as part of this “big picture.” It contains material from the fields of sociology, developmental psychology, family studies, economics, delinquency, ethnic studies, health, and behavior genetics. This amalgamation gives you a thorough psychosocial perspective.

The strengths and abilities children develop from infancy through adolescence are crucial for their physical, emotional, and cognitive growth, which in turn help them to achieve success in school and to become responsible, economically self-sufficient, and healthy adults. Capable, responsible, and healthy adults are clearly the foundation of a well-functioning and prosperous society, yet America's future is not as secure as it could be because millions of American children live in families with incomes below the poverty line. A wealth of evidence suggests that a lack of adequate economic resources for families with children compromises these children's ability to grow and achieve adult success, hurting them and the broader society. A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty reviews the research on linkages between child poverty and child well-being, and analyzes the poverty-reducing effects of major assistance programs directed at children and families. This report also provides policy and program recommendations for reducing the number of children living in poverty in the United States by half within 10 years.

The most interdisciplinary, integrated text on poverty, The Web of Poverty: Psychosocial Perspectives gives you a full understanding of poverty and its consequences, equipping you to affect social change. This unique book examines the social and personal causes of poverty, focusing on the consequences of poverty at the neighborhood and school levels and on families, children, and youth. Ethnic and racial minorities are considered throughout the text, and a chapter is devoted to the interface of poverty, segregation, and discrimination. The Web of Poverty helps you clearly see the effects of poverty by considering the cultural and social contexts of victims’lives. In doing so, it fills a gap in the literature caused by books that overlook personal issues and data related to individual experiences. Chapters address contentious and sensitive issues within a critical psychosocial perspective that informs concepts such as the subculture of poverty, social pathologies, and the “overclass.” Many of the topics and perspectives you'll explore in its pages are rarely considered together in one volume. Specifically, you'll read about: the plight of impoverished mothers and their children a comparison of the poverty of disadvantaged African Americans and poor white Americans health disadvantages of the poor the effects of poverty on school systems and the quality of education students receive the factors of age, race, and ethnicity that can lead to poverty a refutation of the notion of genetic inferiority of the poor Poverty is often the cause of other social ills such as delinquency, which can destroy the social fabric of neighborhoods and limit opportunities to escape impoverished situations. The Web of Poverty will help you accurately see poverty as part of this “big picture.” It contains material from the fields of sociology, developmental psychology, family studies, economics, delinquency, ethnic studies, health, and behavior genetics. This amalgamation gives you a thorough psychosocial perspective.

This volume is constituted of a collection of leading contributions, each focusing on understanding the global dynamics of poverty and wealth together, from a psychological (particularly social psychological) perspective. It is one of few (if any) books on the subject that combines psychological theory and research with community development and practice.

Papers presented at the Seminar on "Psychology of Poverty and Disadvantage", 18-20 December, 1997, organized by Centre of Advanced Study in Psychology, at Bhubaneswar.

One in five American children now live in families with incomes below the povertyline, and their prospects are not bright. Low income is statistically linked with a variety of poor outcomes for children, from low birth weight and poor nutrition in infancy to increased chances of academic failure, emotional distress, and unwed childbirth in adolescence. To address these problems it is not enough to know that money makes a difference; we need to understand how. Consequences of Growing Up Poor is an extensive and illuminating examination of the paths through which economic deprivation damages children at all stages of their development. In Consequences of Growing Up Poor, developmental psychologists, economists, and sociologists revisit a large body of studies to answer specific questions about how low income puts children at risk intellectually, emotionally, and physically. Many of their investigations demonstrate that although income clearly creates disadvantages, it does so selectively and in a wide variety of ways. Low-income preschoolers exhibit poorer cognitive and verbal skills because they are generally exposed to fewer toys, books, and other stimulating experiences in the home. Poor parents also tend to rely on home-based child care, where the quality and amount of attention children receive is inferior to that of professional facilities. In later years, conflict between economically stressed parents increases anxiety and weakens self-esteem in their teenaged children. Although they share economic hardships, the home lives of poor children are not homogenous. Consequences of Growing Up Poor investigates whether such family conditions as the marital status, education, and involvement of parents mitigate the ill effects of poverty. Consequences of Growing Up Poor also looks at the importance of timing: Does being poor have a different impact on preschoolers, children, and adolescents? When are children most vulnerable to poverty? Some contributors find that poverty in the prenatal or early childhood years appears to be particularly detrimental to cognitive development and physical health. Others offer evidence that lower income has a stronger negative effect during adolescence than in childhood or adulthood. Based on their findings, the editors and contributors to Consequences of Growing Up Poor recommend more sharply focused child welfare policies targeted to specific eras and conditions of poor children's lives. They also weigh the relative need for income supplements, child care subsidies, and home interventions. Consequences of Growing Up Poor describes the extent and causes of hardships for poor children, defines the interaction between income and family, and offers solutions to improve young lives. JEANNE BROOKS-GUNN is Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Child Development at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is also director of the Center for Young Children and Families, and co-directs the Adolescent Study Program at Teachers College.