Is there shame in wealth, and nobility in poverty? Or Vice Versa?

April 18, 2012 8:32 PM

Give me your stories of behavior based on socioeconomic status.

Standard line: Rich people are entitled/spoiled, and expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter. Poor people are lazy/stupid, and blame others for their misfortune.

This is obviously a sweeping generalization of a very complex and subtle issue. Namely: How does socioeconomic status affect behavior and personality?

I'm looking for books, articles, personal stories, or anything else you can think of that would illuminate this topic. An example: I've found that people from wealthier backgrounds are neater, because growing up with housekeepers led them to expect a clean and tidy living space. I'm sure there's more I could learn. Help me!

posted by nickhb to Human Relations (2 answers total)

Yes. This is a hot topic. I'm asking specifically because of all the rhetoric involving the 1% and the 99%. Being wealthy or poor, and especially growing up wealthy or poor, lead to completely different outlooks on life, but this effect is much more complex than rich=entitled, poor=angry that we see in the media all the time. Perhaps a better way to phrase would be "How does socioeconomic status affect psychology and behavior in ways that would be non-intuitive to a layperson?"
posted by nickhb at 8:44 PM on April 18, 2012

Parts of this resonated with me when I first read it: http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-stupidest-habits-you-develop-growing-up-poor/

Although, as you state, most of these kinds of stories are blunted generalizations.
posted by FreelanceBureaucrat at 8:46 PM on April 18, 2012