The Hidden Rules of PovertyBy Shannon Schalles, LPC

Scarcity

“Every psychologist understands that we have very limited cognitive space and bandwidth. When you focus heavily on one thing, there is just less mind to devote to other things. We call it tunneling — as you devote more and more to dealing with scarcity you have less and less for other things in your life, some of which are very important for dealing with scarcity. There's a lot of literature showing that poor people don't do as well in many areas of their lives. They are often less attentive parents than those who have more money, they're worse at adhering to their medication than the rich, and even poor farmers weed their fields less well than those who are less poor.” (Shafir, 2014)

Tunneling• Tunneling describes the narrowing of

focus that happens naturally when a person is focused on lack in a certain area of life. It can be a lack of money, time, or any other resource.

• How was it for you? Even focusing on a presentation is difficult when you feel your needs are not met.

• Having a project due tomorrow, example of tunneling. It is easier to focus on that one thing but very difficult to focus on anything else.

How might this apply to someone in poverty?• A waitress may get your order wrong,

if she is living in poverty, she may be worried about getting a ride home from work in the dark, or that if she doesn’t get enough tips she won’t be able to pay for her sons’ fieldtrip. Concerns about getting her basic needs met are competing for her attention and energy.

“What's most striking is that these findings make a very strong case for the idea that people who look very bad in conditions of scarcity are just as capable as the rest of us when scarcity does not impose itself on their minds. What's interesting about a lot of behavioral research is that we don't have full intuitive access to it. For example, research on the use of cellphones in cars has been striking because we all have the illusion that we can manage calls just fine. But the findings are clear that when you are on a cellphone in the car, even when it's not hand held, your reaction time is comparable to being legally drunk. That's not intuitively available to us because most of us just don't feel it. The same thing happens here. People know they're busy and distracted, but the impact and the consequences of that distraction are much more impressive than we realize.” (Shafir, 2014)

Poverty and Privilege• In order to have an honest discussion about poverty, we have to also talk about

privilege. I would like to think I am successful because I am hard working and oh so smart… but the truth is…

I was born into an upper middle class family in Kansas. I was sent to good public schools, I never questioned whether or not I would go to college. I have a supportive family. We could go even farther back, when my great grand parents came to Kansas from Germany fleeing poverty and rumors of war they were able to buy land, were able to farm and were lucky enough to hit oil. Had any one of those conditions not happened, my life would be drastically different. I won a birth lottery. I could have just as easily been born in poverty, in another country etc. and my life would be vastly different.

Basic Adolescent Tasks• Consider all that parents in middle and upper class families do to teach an

adolescent to become an adult. For example my parents taught me how to count back change, how to work, how to drive, how to open a checking account, how to fill out a job application, how to apply for college. Many kids in foster care do not have people who can teach them these things, even if they have their parents- many of their parents never had anyone to teach them.

• Also consider the “safety net” that many middle and upper class kids have early in adulthood; if they lose a job, cannot find a job after graduation, have medical bills or a car break down(etc.) often they have a familial support system to help them get back on their feet. A young person in poverty may be trying to help support their family or at the very least may not have anyone to turn to when difficulty arises.

Action Step

• Consider with gratitude the people who have helped you get where you are. A boss that took a chance on you, a teacher who believed in your potential, a parent or grandparent who taught you, a mentor or pastor who invested in you. Take a moment and reflect on who those people are. Even events that were helpful to you. List them on the paper provided and be ready to share one or two examples.

Hidden Rules of Economic Class• The Hidden Rules of Economic Class are not based on race, ethnicity,

religion, or location.

• They have seen these same values in most populations on the earth, and certainly in the United States.

• This doesn’t mean there are not differences in different populations, just that they tend to have many of these things in common.

• What is a Hidden Rule? Do you put cups in your cabinet with the open side up or down? Dad’s special chair, etc. It is the “water in which we swim” hidden because we tend to not question it. It is our basic framework for how we do life and what we value.

Action Step

• Handout “Could You Survive?” Quizzes (p. 40-43) • Take quiz for each economic class. Think about which

class you fit best in and how you might have to adapt if switching to another class.

• Break into small groups of 3-4 people to discuss the quizzes.

Hidden Rules of Economic Classes

Discussion Questions:• How did you do? Could you survive in multiple economic classes?• List at least one good thing about each class, what are the strengths?• How can knowing the hidden rules of your child’s economic class be

helpful in communicating with them and their family?

Now we will zoom in on one economic class in particular, those in poverty.

Situational Poverty

Defined as a lack of resources due to a particular event (i.e., a death, chronic illness, divorce, etc.) • Often an attitude of pride and refusal to accept charity • Usually have more resources (ie. Family support,

emotional support, connections that can help them escape poverty.)

• Many times use the formal register

Generational Poverty• Defined as having been in poverty for at least 2 generations. • Poverty is not just financial.• Resources that individuals have differ greatly from situation to

situation.• Remember these are common traits of people who have lived in

scarcity for long periods of time, try not to assign judgement to these traits, middle and upper class also have their own strengths and weaknesses.

• Within group variation is always more than between group variation.

Dr. Payne’s definition of poverty is “the extent to which an individual does without resources” She lists 8 Resources:*Financial *Spiritual *Emotional *Mental *Physical *Support Systems *Relationships/Role Models *Knowledge of hidden rules

Generational Poverty

Traits of Families in Generational Poverty include:• Few resources- in most areas (useful to look for resources.)• Background “noise” – Almost always the TV is on, no

matter what the circumstance. Conversation is participatory, often with more than one person talking at a time.

• Significance of entertainment – When one can merely survive, then the respite from the survival is important. In fact, entertainment brings respite.

• Importance of relationships – One only has people upon whom to rely, and those relationships are important to survival. One often has favorites. • Oral-language tradition – Casual register is used for

everything• Matriarchal structure – The mother has the most powerful

position in the society if she functions as a caretaker.• Survival orientation – discussion of academic topics is

generally not prized. There is little room for the abstract. Discussions center around people and relationships. A job is about making enough money to survive. A job is not about a career.

• Ownership of people – People are possessions. There is a great deal of fear and comment about leaving the culture and “getting above your raisings”• Negative orientation – Failure at anything is the

source of stories and numerous belittling comments.• Discipline – Punishment is about penance and

forgiveness, not change.• Belief in fate – Choice is seldom considered• Polarized thinking – Options are hardly ever

examined. Everything is polarized; it is one way or the other. (“I quit” and “I can’t do it”)

• Time – Time occurs only in the present. The future does not exist except as a word. Time is flexible and not measured. Time is often assigned on the basis of the emotional significance and not the actual measured time. Time is not thought of in a linear way, may have difficulty making a timeline or saying when an exact event happened.• Sense of humor – A sense of humor is highly valued, as

entertainment is one of the key aspects of poverty. Humor is almost always about people – either situations that people encounter or things people do to other people. • Identity tied to rescuer/martyr role for women – A

“good” woman is expected to take care of and rescue her man and her children as needed.

• Importance of non-verbal/kinesthetic communication – Touch is used to communicate, as are space and non-verbal emotional communication.

• Lack of order/organization – Many of the homes/apartments of people in poverty are unkempt and cluttered. Devices for organization (files, planners, etc.) don’t exist.

• Lives in the moment – does not consider future ramifications: Being proactive, setting goals and planning ahead are not a part of generational poverty. Most of what occurs is reactive and in the moment. Future implications of present actions are seldom considered.

• Importance of personality – Individual personality is what one brings to the setting – because money is not brought. The ability to entertain, tell stories, and have a sense of humor is highly valued.

Action Steps

• Group Discussion: Do you see any of these traits in the CASA children you are working with? What about their resources?

• Handout- “Creating Relationships” (p. 52)

Registers of Language

Communicating between the Registers

• You can go up or down one register in a conversation and it's socially acceptable. But if you go up or down two registers or more, people are often offended.

• Maria Montaño-Harmon, a linguist in California, found that in generational poverty virtually all that the adults and students know is casual register.

• Use the registers of language as a teaching tool. Many times in schools when students say, "I don't know," they cannot say it in your words. How much time do we give them to translate something from casual register to formal register? Students get referred for discipline because of language issues when they're in the wrong register.

Communicating between the Registers

•A sixth-grade boy was sent to the office because he told the teacher that something "sucked." Part of his discipline was to find two ways to say "sucked" in formal register. His first translation was, "I don't like this work." His second translation was, "There's no longer any joy in this activity.”•When youth speak in casual register, have them come up with two other ways to say it in formal register. Give information in story form.

Action Step

• In small groups, try translating the Pledge of Allegiance from frozen and formal to consultative or casual.

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Action Step

Discussion Questions:• How did you do? Was it hard to translate? • Can you imagine how difficult it is for a CASA child or

parent to translate the more formal and frozen language of our court system?

• How could this knowledge help you communicate differently?

Wrap Up!

• Did we accomplish what we set out to accomplish tonight?• What is one major take-away that will affect how you do

your job as a CASA advocate?• Any questions?

Resources for Further Study

• “A Framework for Understanding Poverty” Ruby Payne, Ph.D. (book and workbook very helpful)

• “Bridges Out of Poverty” Ruby Payne, Ph.D. • “Scarcity: The New Science of Having Less and How It

Defines Our Lives” by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir