Review - Frames Of Understanding Poverty - Book Report/Review Example

Book Review- Frames of Understanding Poverty Book Review- Frames of Understanding Poverty Framework For Understanding Poverty is a book written by Ruby Payne and was first published in 1995. The book provides a great insight for understanding how individuals’ social economic status influences ones behavior, learning, work and decision making. The author achieves this by focusing on the hidden rules of various social economic classes; poverty, middle class, and wealth. The book further provides vital strategies that can be used by individuals in the poor social economic class to move to the social middle class. Payne mainly focuses on the poor social class, something that enhances reader understanding. Payne states that the source of poverty in this class emanates from social economic circumstances and individual behavior. The author argument that runs throughout her book is that poverty is relative. In addition, she argues that individuals always operate with the hidden rules of the social class in which they have been raised in. She further states that unsuccessful working relationship with poor individuals emanate from lack of awareness of the hidden rules that exist in the various social classes. Once professionals understand that the poor lack middle-class knowledge, which most schools and business fall, they can use middle life skills to transform their norms and behavior. More importantly, Payne notes that the differences between different social classes can be bridged mainly through education and relationships. Lastly, Payne argues that for people to move from poverty social class to middle class, they must be willing to give up relationship for some period (Payne, 2006). The part that captured my interest most while reading this book is chapter seven which focuses on discipline. In this chapter Payne provides the readers with great knowledge that is critical in understanding why individuals in different social classes behave in a certain way. The hidden rules of individuals from generational poverty include non-verbal communication, which is most common than verbal communication and physical fighting, which is used for survival. Individuals from this social class are also vulgar and give angry responses because they lack belief value systems and explain why individual from this social class portray high levels of indiscipline. Payne argues that destiny and fate govern the world of individuals who live in generational poverty and that notion of having choices is foreign to individuals in this social class. Worth noting is her argument where she states that discipline of individuals in this social class is about penance and forgiveness and not change. This is however contrasted with individuals from the middle social class where individual’s choices are a key in their lifestyle and reprimand is taken seriously. To them, the future is very important and formal education is seen as essential for future success. Her views are actually a total replica of what happens in the society and reading this made me understand why most indiscipline cases are mostly from individuals from the poverty social economic class. However, their behavior cannot be solely explained by hidden rules as low self esteem, defense mechanism and many other factors may also influence the way these individuals behave. Payne research on how social economic class impacts on individuals behavior is of great importance to the educational community, especially in understanding the discipline issue among learners from different social classes. Many scholars also share the sentiments that Payne has espoused in her book on the relationship between social economic status and achievements. Lack of resources has been found to contribute to low achievement which Payne also notes in her book. This is because individuals from the poor social class cannot access some resources that are essential to enhance their success. In addition in most cases, this individuals lack role models who they can look up to and motivate them to work hard. Moreover, most of the people they interact with are from the same social class who has in most cases not achieved much. They therefore tend to look up to them and in the end they end up with the same fate. Furthermore the dependant relationships that exist among this group of individuals also tend to derail their achievement and Payne notes that they can only move to middle class social class if they cut these social relationships for some time. Individuals in this social class leave poverty because it is painful to live in it, their goal or vision, relationship and special talent (Payne, 2006). Moreover, in this book Payne presents her arguments in a more effective way that enhances the readers understanding of the different social classes. The use of, charts, statistics and case studies play a key role in supporting her point of views and the reader understanding of her arguments. This shows that her work has been well researched and is not merely based on assumptions. In the introduction she uses statistics about poverty that lay a basis for her discussion and help the reader understand why she lays her focus on this social class. She similarly uses statistics from the U.S. Bureau of the Census on income levels in relation to educational attainment.  She further uses a case study in another section of the book to support her account on generational poverty.  The use of visual diagrams arouses individual’s imagination that makes the reader understand her argument as they portray a contrast of the different social classes. However, the views of Payne may contribute in stereotyping different social classes in society. Her arguments may lead to stereotyping of individual from the poor social class who are portrayed negatively. This may thus lead to training of professionals in negative stereotypes that could lead to creation of attitude among these individuals and thus limit their effectiveness. Her arguments that the poor laugh when disciplined, argue loudly with the teachers , make angry responses and make inappropriate or vulgar comments and use fight as means of conflict because they lack language or belief system are not necessarily true because individuals personality plays a major role in influencing individual behavior compared to social class. In addition her arguments that the poor people have easy access to guns may cause fear and influence individuals’ relations with people from this social class when interacting with them. Moreover she perpetuates offensive stereotypes by terming the poverty class as disorganized, noisy and irresponsible individuals who like to solve disputes with their fists. The behavior she highlights as only demonstrated by the poor, which is part of their hidden rules is also portrayed by individuals from the wealth social economic class. Therefore, these descriptions she has given may be used for judging individuals behavior and thus may lead to misguided conclusions that maybe biased (Payne, 2006). I would recommend this book to any individual who seeks to understand the hidden rules of the various social classes that influence and explains how they behave. Most of the arguments of the writer on the various social classes are plausible and provide readers and educators with essential guidelines that will enhance their effectiveness in interacting with individuals from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Her arguments and views will also provide professionals and leaders with important insights that would ensure they have successful relationships with individuals from different social backgrounds. Moreover, reading the book will provide the reader with useful insights in comprehending the strategies that would be applied in addressing the various impacts of poverty among the poor. References Payne, R. (2006).A Framework for Understandind Poverty.Highkand,Tex: AHa Press Read More