After thinking about one of the posts including a statement to the effect of it can't be just the money. I got to thinking and searching. I found an interesting article from the
International Journal of Psychological Studies that claims certain prolonged life circumstances can alter a persons brainwaves. I'm not sure exactly what N2 and P3 waves are, even after reading the study but in essence "prolonged exposure to certain life circumstances can make people less cognitively and emotionally affected by violence and aggressive events and information"
(Wang, Zhao, Qui, Ybarra, Liu, & Huang, 2012, p. 37). In the discussion of the study the authors believe low SES groups are more desensitized and this can cause them to have greater struggles in "opportunities for advancement" (p. 42).
I cannot imagine living in a world where violence was a part of my daily life. This research makes me think of Maslow's hierarchy. It is hard to learn if you are worried about what will happen when you get home, if you will be able to eat or any number of other things.
Wang, Y.,
Zhao, Y., Qui, J., Ybarra, O., Liu, L., & Huang, Y. (2012). Neural
Correlations of
Aggression amond Individuals from Low and
High Socioeceonomic Status: An ERP
Study. International Journal of
Psychological Studies , 37-45.
Your comments remind me of a documentary I watched the other day on killer stress. Robert Sapolsky (2008) studied chimps for years and looked at the health affects of stress on the chimps that were lower in social status. The chimps that were weaker, were beat up and far more stressed than the alpha males. The picked on chimps had greater health problems than the alpha males.
ReplyDeleteThe documentary also studied children who were in the womb during famine. It was found that even decades later they are still dealing with the health affects of malnutrition in the womb.
In other words, it is not necessarily the money but all the outcomes associated with not having money that cause the health problems and less academic achievment.
Sapolsky, R. (2008). Killer stress [DVD].
I listened to a woman talk at a victim’s panel who had lived in a verbally and physically abusive marriage for years. She spoke about why she didn’t leave the relationship earlier. She said that the relationship had become her “normal.” She said she had just learned to cope with the abuse until a crisis forced her to get out. After she left, and had time to reflect back, she said that she couldn’t understand why she had put up with it for so long. The conditions of poverty and low socio-economic status have become the “normal” for thousands of people. They don’t know how to get out. Those who might be considered “middle class” might think, “Why do they put up with those conditions?”
DeleteI also think that all the outcomes associated with poverty are important to think about. Perhaps, this is a way of approaching the issues and finding strategies.
ReplyDeleteI read that Black students of lower SES had "significantly lower self-efficacy regarding their ability to change dietary habits". What does this suggest about self-efficacy regarding making life changes?
Fahlman, M. M., McCaughtry, N., Martin, J., & Shen, B. (January 01, 2010). Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Nutrition Behaviors: Targeted Interventions Needed. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 42, 1, 10-16.