Chapter 10 Vocab

Question 1

the argument that poor people adopt certain practices
that differ from those of middle-class, “mainstream” society in order to adapt and survive in difficult economic circumstances.

Answer 1

Culture of poverty

Question 2

the notion, building on the culture of poverty argument, that the poor not only are different from mainstream society in their inability to take advantage of what mainstream society has to offer but also are increasingly deviant and even dangerous to the rest of us.

Answer 2

Underclass

Question 3

reward structures that lead to suboptimal outcomes by stimulating counterproductive behavior; for example, welfare—to the extent that it discourages work efforts.

Answer 3

Perverse incentives

Question 4

the point at which a household’s income falls below the necessary level to purchase food to physically sustain its members.

Answer 4

Absolute poverty

Question 5

a measurement of poverty based on a percentage of the median income in a given location.

Answer 5

Relative poverty

Question 6

a paradigm in which low income, unstable employment, a lack of cultural resources, and a feeling of inferiority from social class comparisons exacerbate household stress levels; this stress, in turn, leads to detrimental parenting practices such as yelling and hitting, which are not conducive to healthy child development.

Answer 6

Parenting stress hypothesis