The Culture of PovertyThe Culture of Poverty

“Being the Difference”

Why study the culture of poverty?

•To understand how life in poverty is different than middle class.

•Understanding personal values and beliefs is important in interacting and providing service.

Situational Poverty

Having fewer resources (typically income) than one is accustomed to due to life events. Some common characteristics among many people in situational poverty:

•are surrounded by people who are educated or able to earn a living wage•attend (or attended) school regularly•have health care•generally are able to make it back to middle class•grew up in a stable environment•do not internalize the poverty as their own fault

Working Class Poverty

Having income but not one that allows for saving or extras. Some common characteristics among many people in working class poverty:

•do not own property•live paycheck to paycheck•do not have health care•view poverty as a personal deficiency

Generational Poverty

When a family’s economic level remains low for two or more generations. Some common characteristics among many people who are from generational poverty:

• typically family has never owned land• typically never knew anyone who benefited from education• typically never knew anyone who moved up or was respected in a job• highly mobile• high family illiteracy• learned helplessness

Resources and PovertyResources and Poverty

Working definition of poverty – “The extent to which an individual does without

resources”

Ruby Payne, Ph.D.A Framework for Understanding Poverty

Resource ContinuumResource Continuum

Under Resourced

Instability/CrisisIsolationDysfunctionConcrete RealityCasual/oral languageThought polarizationSurvivalPovertyNo work/intermittent workLess educated

Resourced

StabilityCommunityFunctionalityAbstract, representationalFormal written languageOption seekingAbundanceProsperityWork/careers/larger causeMore Educated

Resources

•Financial : Having the money to purchase goods and services•Emotional : Being able to choose and control emotional responses particularly to negative situations without engaging in self-destructive behavior. This is an internal resource and shows itself through stamina, perseverance and choices.•Mental/Cognitive: Having the mental abilities and acquired skills (reading, writing, computing) to deal effectively with daily life.•Spiritual: Believing in divine purpose and guidance/•Physical: Having physical health and mobility.•Support Systems: Having friends, family and backup resources available to access in times of need. These are external resources.•Relationships/Role Models: Having frequent access to individual(s) who are appropriate, who are nurturing, and who do not engage in self-destructive behavior.•Knowledge of Hidden Rules: Knowing the unspoken cues and habits of different groups.•Language/Formal register: Being able to competently, use the language and sentence structure of work and school.

Oral and Print Communication

Learners/Styles

Oral versus Print

In general, there are two styles of communication: oral and print. Print communication is highly valued in the US education system.

People from generational poverty tend to have an oral style of communication and people from middle class backgrounds tend to have a print style of communication

Understanding systems of communication is important when working with people of different cultures and backgrounds. Here are some of the characteristics of oral and print communicators:

Oral Communicators

• Focus on several ideas at once

• Interrupt, have multiple conversations at once

• Relationships are more important than anything

• Comfortable jumping from subject to subject

• It is normal to show emotions/feelings

• Sharing your personal experiences is how you connect

• You are very physical and expect physical responses

• When you need information, you ask those around you

• Telling the same stories over and over helps you understand

• You learn best when you get to practice in your environment

• You focus on what is going on around you right now

• You focus on the big picture, not the detail

Print Culture

• Focus on one idea at a time

• A plan is essential, your goal is to stay on task

• Important to think abstractly, analyze, focus on detail

• Like things in order…first this, than this etc.

• Do not show emotions unless you know someone well

• You do not share personal stories unless you know someone well

• Do not show physical affection unless you know someone well

• When you need information, you look for a book or article on the subject

• Time is crucial and you are rigid about it

• You sort and categorize information

• You approach tasks by breaking them into parts

Formal versus Casual Register

Formal Register:• is used if you speak in compete sentences• use specific words such as those that are considered appropriate at work, school and for business transactions. Formal register contains little, if any, slang.

Casual Register• is the language used in conversation with friends. •Words used are less specific and the message depends more on nonverbal cues than messages using a formal register.

Some people have not been exposed to formal register which is the style commonly used in schools, hospitals, and clinics. If this is the case then explicit teaching might need to be done in order to help a person succeed in a particular environment. •Great opportunity for mentors•After school programs for children•Case Manager coaching

Concepts that Living in Poverty Teaches

Success - Generally unattainable, limited topeople who have a lot of luck

Failure - Inevitable, no hope to overcome inherentdeficiencies

Job - Does not pay in respect or a living wage;takes you away from your family

Emotions - Emotions are made to be expressed,publicly or privately

Future - Difficult and painful to envision, so livefor now

Money - To be used before it gets away, notenough anyway

Police/Courts - Hurt people, the enemy, unfriendly,out to get us and should be avoided

Education - For “those” people, not people likeme, takes you away from your family and causesadditional stresses because you don’t have the statussymbols to belong (right clothes, shoes, food,car, house, etc.)

Teachers - The enemy, don’t like people like me,make me feel unwanted, not cared about and stupidbecause I don’t know things that others seemto have mastered

Health - Care non existent, if very sick go toemergency room, share prescription medicine,glasses, remedies

Doctors - Stay away and they can’t tell you badnews, not seen as advocates or caring, are seen as“knowing everything”

Dentists - Fear! People we know don’t go to thedentist. When they do go, tremendous hassle tofind access and then a great deal of pain. Brushingand flossing are some rules “those” peoplemade up, won’t help me, other things morepressing than my teeth

Nutrition & Exercise - Not words we use, forpeople who have too much time and money ontheir hands, whatever is going to happen to yourbody will happen no matter what you do

Fate - Life happens, you have no power to change it only to react to it.

One aspect of generational poverty is a learned helplessness that is passed from parents to children and on down the line. This learned helplessness can be explained as the ideology that there is no way for one to get out of poverty and so in order to make the best of their situation one must live in the moment and experience what they can when they can. This leads to people spending money right as they get it and teaches children to do the same which also creates a trap for children keeping them and their children in poverty.

Ruby Payne, Author“A Framework for understanding poverty.”

Barriers to SuccessSystemic

•Silence about issues of poverty•Social Class/invisible•Stereotypes and lack of understanding•Isolation and lack of social mobility•Institutional and punitive structures

•Schools•Banks•Local Shopping•Loans•Drug rehab availability •Prisons•Homeless camps•Insurance, etc.

(cont.)Barriers to success

•Internal Barriers• Internalizing the blame/shame•Limitations on future plans and dreams

•Expectations for employment•Expectations for education

I just wanted to survive and grow up. I never really thought about being anything,. I never considered my self worthy to be anything.

Reuben

Characteristics and Strengths of Those in Poverty

•Relationship based•Spontaneous•Holistic•Emotional•Physical•Repetitious•Present Oriented

Implications for action

•Every individual, family and community has strengths. In order to know what the strengths are one must listen to stories, narratives and personal accounts.

•There must be recognition of life’s difficulties, but is should also be acknowledged that these struggles create strong survivor’s who can apply their survival skills and given genuine opportunity, move forward.

•A “helper” is best defined a as “collaborator” or “consultant”, not an “expert” or “professional. The wisdom and resources of all parties concerned must be respected and acknowledged through listening to stories, feats, hopes and dreams.

Five Powerful Communication strategies

1.Telling Stories – using vivid examples to allow people to feel the impact of what they are doing.

2.Modeling appropriate behavior in supportive ways.

3.Developing relationships while sharing information.

4.Using simple familiar words and examples of what people can relate to.

5.Giving information verbally and repeating it frequently while maintaining good eye contact.

Characteristics of an organization that is mentoring and moving their families out of

poverty

•Believe in the individual “Tell them what is right with them”.

•Help build networks of support and introduce your mentoring family member to others who can mentor.

•Believe there is a way out of poverty!!! See the hope! If we don’t believe this our families will see it as too much to overcome

•Develop a full backpack of resources.

•Characteristics of an organization that is mentoring and moving their families out of poverty (cont.)

•Teach your families how to build and maintain their own networks of support.

•Have poverty competency.

•You must understand the structural causes of poverty… without this knowledge you are likely to blame or judge.

•Gain awareness of the history of poverty. Study models of which have worked and those which have not worked.

CuriousBy Donna Beegle

I find myself more late with every crisis

more angry with every injusticemore greedy with every deprivationmore rude with every judgmentmore disorganized with every evictionmore negative with every untreated illnessmore unstable with every insecurity.

I find myself more civil with every bite

more respectful with every kindnessmore hopeful with every chancemore grateful with every opportunitymore ready to learn when I am safemore motivated when there is hopemore happy when I am valued.

I find myself like the 37 million people in povertyresponding in very human ways to my environment.

Training Content adapted from the following books

The Framework of PovertyBy Ruby Payne, Ph.D..

Know Poverty, Be the DifferenceBy Donna Beegle, Ph.D..