16 | Does Poverty Make Us Selfish? ~ Jacqueline Mattis

Social science paints a bleak picture of unprivileged life. Poverty is certainly treated as a social problem - as a harsh condition to live in. But it is also painted as a condition which blunts humanity's capacity for altruism and virtue. 
Jacqueline Mattis is a psychologist who has studied altruism and prosociality in deeply deprived areas, such as  majority African-American inner-city housing projects. Her work demonstrates that altruism does not vanish amongst those who struggle for survival. No, living in racialised poverty is not fun. But yes, people are still doing beautiful things daily. And they might even do so more often than in more privileged areas.
Dr Mattis and Ilari discuss topics, such as:

Is altruism unattainable for those without food and safety?
Everyday altruism in poor areas
Altruism amongst the homeless
The psychological impact of catastrophes
Is poverty linked to anti-social behaviour?
The difficult dilemma of improving policing for African-Americans
Religion and spirituality: dangerous, trivial, or important?
The concept of grace


Names mentioned

Abraham Maslow (humanistic psychologist, famous for his "hierarchy of needs")
Vitkrol Frankl (holocaust survivor, author of Man's Search For Meaning)
Ta-Nehisi Coates (author of Between the World and Me)
Rebecca Solnit (author of A Paradise Built in Hell)
Rutger Bregman (author of Humankind)
Stanley Milgram & Philip Zimbardo (founding figures in social psychology) 
Batja Mesquita (author of Between Us: How Culture Shapes Emotion)
Christine McWayne 


Get in touch

Email: makela.ilari@outlook.com