Sociology Plus
Culture of Poverty Definition
The culture of poverty refers to the distinctive patterns of behaviour, beliefs, and practices developed within impoverished communities that are allegedly transmitted across generations and serve to perpetuate the state of poverty. This concept posits that certain attitudes, such as fatalism, dependency, apathy, and despair, arise from the experience of persistent deprivation and create a self-perpetuating cycle where individuals lack the agency or motivation to escape their circumstances.
Origins and Core Concept
The term was formally introduced by anthropologist Oscar Lewis in the early 1960s, particularly through his research on poor families in Mexico and Puerto Rico. Lewis argued that poverty created its own distinctive culture, which inhibited the development of attitudes and practices necessary for social and economic advancement. He suggested that this cycle of deprivation was self-perpetuating, as children were socialised into the values and beliefs that supported remaining in poverty.
Theoretical Debates and Criticisms
The application of the ‘culture of poverty’ argument has generated significant debate regarding the causes of poverty. Critics have argued that focusing solely on individual attitudes and family dynamics neglects the structural causes of poverty, which are rooted in the inbuilt inequalities of wealth, income, and power within capitalist societies. Furthermore, some empirical research suggests that impoverished communities actively develop complex survival strategies, demonstrating enterprise and inventiveness rather than mere fatalism or apathy.
Significance and Application
The concept has been utilised in various ways, ranging from a rationale for adjusting government support for the poor to conservative interpretations that attribute poverty to individual failings, often linking welfare dependence to perceived laziness. Sociologists have explored the relationship between this concept and external influences, contrasting ‘backward’ values (like fatalism) with modernizing values (such as enterprise). In contexts such as the Third World, the argument has been situated within broader debates concerning the role of cultural values in economic development, often contrasted with the pursuit of ‘modern’ values.