Vicious Circle of Poverty: The Psychological Barriers and Coping Strategies

In most cases, material dimensions are emphasized while defining poverty lines and minimum standards of welfare. However, there are different approaches to defining poverty due to its interdisciplinary nature. In 1995, the multidimensional definition of poverty was adopted and approved at the World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen. According to the latter, poverty is described in deprivation terms connected with each other, with an emphasis on poverty-related stigma, discrimination, vulnerability, and social exclusion (United Nations, 1995). Current article overviews the empirical data to analyze how public stigma toward poor people might be interiorized in their identities which in result causes negative feelings toward their selves and passive behaviors to improve social-economic conditions. Coping strategies and policy level recommendations are also discussed for developing social services for poor people.