Week 6/7 Poverty, stigma

Question 1

Poverty Stigma

Answer 1

the negative attributions, evaluations, and
stereotypes associated with individuals experiencing poverty

Question 2

Attributions about poverty typically fall into one of three
categories (Feagin, 1975):

Answer 2

1. Internal attributions: describe people living in poverty as
   personally responsible for their position; results from
   character flaws
2. External attributions: describe poverty as the result of
   societal barriers; focuses on structural and social conditions
3. Fatalistic attributions: describe poverty as the result of
   chance/bad luck

Question 3

Common stereotypes about those in poverty include

Answer 3

Laziness
* Criminality
* Dependency
* Unintelligence
* Incompetence

Question 4

meritocratic beliefs

Answer 4

the belief
that society places individuals in the appropriate position to best suit their
skills and abilities

Question 5

What are the effects of internal and external attributions to poverty?

Answer 5

• When people make internal attributions for poverty…
• They are more likely to blame those in poverty
• They are more likely to oppose welfare policies/wealth redistribution
• In contrast, when people make external attributions for poverty…
• They are more likely to support welfare policies/wealth redistribution
• They are more likely to personally help those living in poverty
• They are more likely to engage in allyship

Question 6

The fundamental attribution error

Answer 6

provides a psychological mechanism
through which perspective-taking experiences such as MEM can translate
to reduced internal/increased external attributions for poverty

Question 7

Living in poverty is about
being excluded:

Answer 7

• From public spaces and
  services
• From decision-making
  processes
• From opportunities
  (education, jobs)
• From socialization
• From moral regard →
  dehumanization

Question 8

Dehumanization

Answer 8

the denial or minimization of our common humanity;
seeing members of a group as “less human”
* Not an “on/off switch”; occurs along a continuum

Question 9

As a process, dehumanization is about moral disengagement:

Answer 9

• Disengagement and reduction in concern
• The exclusion of groups from the circle of moral regard
• The subtraction of human qualities
• The imposition of sub-human or non-human qualities

Question 10

When it comes to poverty, dehumanization can manifest in various ways:

Answer 10

1. Moral disengagement: replacing empathy/compassion with disinterest,
   or even disgust/fear
2. Justifying inequality: seeing those in poverty as “deserving” of their
   inferior status, or even blaming them for it
3. Social exclusion: denying access to resources, opportunities, and basic
   human rights

Question 11

The poverty tax and examples

Answer 11

the additional costs and financial burdens imposed on
individuals and families living in poverty
Some examples:
* High-interest payday loans; bank overdraft fees
* Food deserts; inability to buy in bulk
* Lack of access to reliable transit; relying on expensive transportation
options

Question 12

Psychology of scarcity:

Answer 12

the cognitive and
behavioural effects that
arise when individuals
perceive themselves to be
lacking in resources (time,
money, etc.)