Essay on Poverty in America

Submitted By LynneHonsberger
Words: 3363
Pages: 14
Open Document
Poverty in America- ABS Case Study “Dee”
ABS 200 Introduction to Applied Behavioral Science
Instructor K
October 21, 2013

Poverty in America- Case Study “Dee” I will describe a case study based on Dee, and poverty in America. As I write this I will share Dee’s life, how and why she is in poverty. “I am too proud to complain,” (Seccombe, 2007) Dee in my case study will tell us. While most experience poverty as individuals, we on the outside looking in cannot fully grasp its causes and effects without an appreciation of the social environment in which poverty exists. Poverty is experienced both on a macro, societal level, and experience. To truly understand it requires us to connect both the micro- and macro-level experiences. Dee is hoping to avoid programs like welfare, and food stamps or Medicaid, but there are few options open to those in the cycle of poverty. Poverty is increasing in America. What are the reasons for poverty for those like Dee, how did they get there? Is the cause individualism, social structuralism, culture of poverty, or fatalism?
In the case study I am presenting about Dee, in this paper the focal point will be on poverty and how Dee ended up there. What events and factors took place for her to end up and remain in the cycle of poverty? This study is based on a client named Dee, who lives in poverty. I will share Dees background influences that led to her situation. The fact that she does not want to except help from the government in terms of welfare, food stamps, or nor does she accept that this is the way her life will always be. Dee is a 31-year-old woman with an 11 year old daughter. “She is happy to be alive, after years of submitting to physical and sexual abuse by her domineering husband, she is finally free.” (Seccombe, 2007). It took Dee a long time to get from that place to where she is now. She makes few apologies for herself, “I just didn’t know that I was worth more than that,” she says. (Seccombe, 2007). Dee grew up in a home that was also in poverty, it was impoverished economically, socially, and spiritually, so she married at age 18 to escape that environment. What she cares about most is her daughter, Clare. “Can she ever forgive me for making her live like that—for seeing her momma bleeding on the floor? For seeing her daddy leaning over me with a bat, laughing? For listening to us as we cursed each other?” (Seccombe, 2007). For her to finally get out of that situation, it took both police intervention and help from her church members to leave her abusive husband. Those church members that cared about her finally insisted after a brutal attack from her husband that she move to a safe place. They found temporary shelter at the home of a church member’s sibling. “For the first time in a long while, maybe forever, Dee said she felt safe.” (Seccombe, 2007). All of these factors combined leave Dee and Clare in the cycle of poverty. She wants to be on her own and self-sufficient. Why is life so hard for her?
This is what explains the uncertain situation of Dee, Clare, and the millions of others who have difficulty meeting basic needs for food, shelter, and clothing. Why are people poor? The video from James Li indicates the cycle of poverty and similarities in relation to my case study. This video explains the cycle of poverty for individuals such as “Virnie, with lack of education, low income jobs, absence of healthcare, nonexistent affordable housing, and many other things”, just as Dee has faced. Therefore government dependence is passed on from generation to generation without the ability for them to get out. (Li, James May 2007). There are many theories offered to explain the nature of poverty and why so many individuals are impoverished in the United States (Seccombe, 2011). Another case from the video, Tammy’s story shows the similarities to my case study. It features Tammy a mom of four children living on the
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Poverty in America

Poverty In America

Poverty is a phenomenon that every country experiences. To this day no utopian society exists, but there are notable differences between the experiences of poverty in a highly developed nation compared to third world nations. In the United States, individuals living in poverty are assisted by a vast welfare system that prevents individuals from falling into the absolute poverty. This system allows Americans to spend brief periods of their below the poverty line before the pull themselves back up…

Words 224 - Pages 1

Poverty In America

Michelle Brophy Mr. Saine English 101-008 03 December 2014 Poverty in America Poverty in America is a growing cause in our country. Between the years 2011 to 2013 the percentage of people in poverty is 14.6, in 2012 there where 46.5 million people living in poverty (“United”). Many people are forced to live in poverty whether they come to the United States or already live here. Two basic types of poverty measures are absolute measures and relative measures. Absolute measures, such as the current…

Words 1903 - Pages 8

There Is Poverty In America

myself free from the clutches of poverty in America. Millions of Americans are stuck in poverty. Poverty destroys a person’s life and is a major problem in America. Most people do not come out of poverty and if they do it takes years. Poverty is common in the lives of single-parents and african americans or hispanics. Poverty is like a brain tumor because it is so hard to get rid of. Most people do not want to live a life of poverty but they have no other choice. Poverty has been apart of the american…

Words 302 - Pages 2

Poverty In America

Poverty is a big problem around the world, affecting everyone. Poverty is when you don’t have enough money or resources to support yourself or your entire family. There are many causes of poverty around the world. Many things are being done to fight poverty around the world. Poverty happens most in countries with discrimination and bad government and it has many effects on the people who live in poverty. Around 700 million people live on less than $2.15 per day. It mostly affects women and children…

Words 686 - Pages 3

Poverty In America

Thousands of homeless people are scattered across America. Seeing people sleeping next to a convenience store begging for donations sure is a devastating sight. Unemployment rates are ridiculous, and some people just cannot get a job. It is sad enough that job availability will continue to worsen as life progresses. The solution to this, you may be wondering? The answer to these painful situations that America suffers from is the implementation of a utopian idea known as a basic income guarantee…

Words 1214 - Pages 5

Poverty In America

Poverty in America is a crucial issue, with remedies constantly debated by the government and the public at large. However, problems and barriers affecting employment, financial precarity, and poverty differ based on gender due to factors such as immigration status, marital/child status, and “traditional” stereotypes surrounding women and labor. Census data from 2018 shows that 12.9% of women in America live in poverty in comparison to 10.6% of men in America (Bleweis, Boesch & Gaines). Structurally…

Words 858 - Pages 4

Poverty In America

Today in society, the general public leads a life where money and materialistic articles are of great significance, ultimately putting the one that granted them these many blessings, God, on the back burner. It is no secret that the citizens of America are divided and categorized by their income status, whether considered as “wealthy” or “poor”, the results of being designated to a specific social group remains the same. As unfortunate as it is being a part…

Words 1232 - Pages 5

Poverty In America

The poverty vicious circle implies that the lifelong hindrances and issues continue from one generation to another. For instance, most families in the west and southern states are suffering from the lineage of unemployment. The implicated unemployment and generational low wages create a milieu, in which children are not able to attend school. In such families, children have to work often to provide an earning for their families. Poverty in such instances disorients the structure of normal life in…

Words 941 - Pages 4

Poverty In America

Poverty has been a persistent issue in the United States. In 2016, 40.6 million people were below the U.S poverty line (US Census, 2018). Since the 1930’s, the federal government has been battling poverty. This first occurred in the early 1910’s when state governments in the south began developing systems and programs that gave citizens opportunities to work. For example, social security was an early system, which then spread north to other states and eventually was adopted by the federal government…

Words 768 - Pages 4

Poverty In America

He gets bullied every day and need to find a way out even if his parents cannot help him. This is how children in poverty feel every day of their lives. One in five people live below the poverty level, no matter their surroundings. Knowing this it is difficult to calculate the actual amount of people in an environment that are living in poverty (Thompson[pg2]). The topic of poverty possesses infinite causes, which negatively impact the victim, his or her family and society in which he or she lives…

Words 763 - Pages 4