PSYCHOLOGY OF POVERTY: WHY IS IT HARD TO OVERCOME IT?

It's better to be rich and healthy, than poor and sick.

Genial words. So simple but so complicated to realize and to follow.

There're 2 main questions:

• how does poverty influence people?
• do people create poverty, or it's created by people's consiousness?

It's a two-way road. Poverty affects consciousness, consciousness affects poverty.

Let's take a closer look.

Now I'll tell you about a very wise psychological theory that proves why poor people very often remain poor forever.

I think there's a vivid connection with Steemit. People just try to earn here and now, and they don't think about the future and don't invest money in their Steem Power, that's why they don't move further. If you weak, you don't propose something valuable for others, then why all the rest must vote for you? They invested much money in their success, and now they get results of their wisdom and patience,  and you just were hunting for fast profit, purchasing all the money from Steemit acc. You chose the way of fast but little money, other people though about the future and their development and invested in this idea - the results would be different.

Do you agree?

So let's look at this theory in details.

Tunnel vision

The main problem of poverty, perhaps, is a kind of tunnel vision.

We pay attention to a problem that must be solved right now, and long-term problems are pushed far away.

American psychologist Eldar Shafir made several experiments on this topic and found out that - problems with the tunnel effect lead to a decrease in productivity.

The brightest example:

People needed to do some work, during which it was possible to measure their productivity (in the original, the term fluid intelligence is used, which denotes the ability to think abstractly and solve problems).

However, before the work was done, the participants were offered to read two scenarios at random. The essence of both scenarios is the failure of the participant's car.

The differences were in the cost of repairs. In one case, the cost was $ 100, in another  - $1500.

Participants read these scenarios, and then started to work.

And here the tunnel effect appeared. People who had high income did not pay much attention to the cost of repair, it did not affect their performance in any way.

But people with a small income were very sensitive to the price. If it was little ($100), they, in general, did not notice it. But when it was big ($ 1500), the productivity fell greatly!

Why? Because people couldn't think about anything else except that very expensive repair of the car.

Poor people behave very rationally - within the framework of their tunnel focus. They are attentive to discounts and opportunities to save money, choose the most successful option for purchase.

In this case, the same tunnel effect still affects the actions of people. For example, instead of choosing an expensive but long-lasting option (for example, boots), a person chooses an option that is short-lived, but cheap.

Why? Because longevity is too difficult category for comprehension, if you have a task right now to buy something and save enough to live 2 weeks more till you get your salsary.

This is why it is difficult for poor people to change the situation in which they are at the moment.

They analyze any actions only in the short term - "will it give me money right now?"

All the rest is just impossible to evaluate. It doesn't mean people are stupid, no, it's just influence of poverty.

Focusing on solving current issues, it's just not possible to think about the future.

Therefore, it is so difficult for people with low incomes to get out of poverty. It is necessary to think a lot about the future and it is very difficult to do this because of the "tunnel effect".

It is not surprising that poverty magnets you, even when it seems that you can get out of it without much trouble.

Can we somehow get rid of this "tunnel effect"?

Yes, although it is difficult. Nevertheless, something can be done.

•  it is necessary to give yourself an opportunity to think about the future, expand the boundaries of the "tunnel".

This means that it is necessary at least one hour per week not to think about the daily bread, but to think about the future - what and how to change in your life, what you need to learn, where and what opportunities you can find, what tasks need to be done and etc. 

• you need to understand your opportunities in the social sphere better.

Family psychologists and social workers are taught a special technique - a sociogram.  The essence of the sociogram is the fixation on a sheet of paper of all familiar people with an indication of their resources. This can be done by a list, but better in the form of a map. You can use these people and their help to improve your life.

•  it is useful to understand that poverty is not guilt

Anyone whose head is clogged with the question "Where to get money?" works badly. I emphasize - anyone.

 This is the impossibility due to the congestion of brain resources.

Conclusion

Poverty "sucks" the resources of the brain, because of this, a person simply can not think  about the future, which reliably fixes his condition. To break out of poverty, it is necessary to free up some of the resources for thinking about ways to change the life. Then there is a chance.

What do you think of it? Do you agree?

Do you notice examples of this theory?