Back to site
Poverty doesn’t just empty a bank account; sometimes it also swallows up a person’s “sense of worth.”Prolonged economic pressure isn’t only a financial crisis; it’s a quiet, ongoing psychological erosion.When the mind becomes consumed by “poverty” for months and years, the nervous system no longer has the opportunity to find security, calm, and recovery.The body stays in a state of alert; sleep is disrupted, anxiety rises, tolerance becomes lower, cognitive abilities decline, and little by little a person feels they no longer “have the power to live”—they only manage to endure.
Psychological research has shown that chronic economic insecurity has a direct relationship with increased depression, anxiety, suppressed anger, psychological burnout, and marital conflicts.But there’s a deeper layer to the story—something we talk about less: the impact of poverty on “schemas.”Schemas are deep emotional and mental patterns that form in childhood and become more active in times of crisis.Poverty and economic insecurity can strongly activate several schemas:
🔹 The “defect and shame” schema:Little by little, a person feels that because they aren’t financially successful, they are not “enough.,” Hidden shame begins to form—shame from being compared, falling behind, and feeling incapable.
🔹 The “emotional deprivation” schema:The person feels that no one truly understands them. They suffer in silence and think their pain doesn’t matter to others.
🔹 The “abandonment and insecurity” schema:When life is constantly unpredictable, the mind stops trusting the future. Even during moments of calm, a person waits for the next catastrophe.
🔹 The “failure and inadequacy” schema:Inflation, unemployment, and constant financial pressure can create the feeling that “I can’t manage life.”And then these schemas enter relationships.People become more easily irritated, more sensitive, and sometimes more distant. Many of today’s arguments aren’t only about money; they’re about the wound that poverty places on self-esteem, psychological safety, and the feeling of being valuable.
📌 But perhaps the most important thing we can do for our minds during times of economic pressure is to stop “psychological isolation.”Poverty doesn’t only separate people from resources; it gradually separates them from one another too.A person becomes quieter, says less about their pain, asks for help less, and withdraws further into their own mind.While research shows that secure relationships and emotional support are among the strongest protective factors for the psyche in economic crises.In hard days, people need people more than ever.
✍️ Dr. Ali Reza Gol
Learning article
The Impact of “Lack of Money” on Schemas:
Poverty doesn’t just empty a bank account; sometimes it also swallows up a person’s “sense of worth.”Prolonged economic pressure isn’t only a financial crisis; it’s a quiet, ongoing psychological erosion.When the mind…
Psychological research has shown that chronic economic insecurity has a direct relationship with increased depression, anxiety, suppressed anger, psychological burnout, and marital conflicts.But there’s a deeper layer to the story—something we talk about less: the impact of poverty on “schemas.”Schemas are deep emotional and mental patterns that form in childhood and become more active in times of crisis.Poverty and economic insecurity can strongly activate several schemas:
🔹 The “defect and shame” schema:Little by little, a person feels that because they aren’t financially successful, they are not “enough.,” Hidden shame begins to form—shame from being compared, falling behind, and feeling incapable.
🔹 The “emotional deprivation” schema:The person feels that no one truly understands them. They suffer in silence and think their pain doesn’t matter to others.
🔹 The “abandonment and insecurity” schema:When life is constantly unpredictable, the mind stops trusting the future. Even during moments of calm, a person waits for the next catastrophe.
🔹 The “failure and inadequacy” schema:Inflation, unemployment, and constant financial pressure can create the feeling that “I can’t manage life.”And then these schemas enter relationships.People become more easily irritated, more sensitive, and sometimes more distant. Many of today’s arguments aren’t only about money; they’re about the wound that poverty places on self-esteem, psychological safety, and the feeling of being valuable.
📌 But perhaps the most important thing we can do for our minds during times of economic pressure is to stop “psychological isolation.”Poverty doesn’t only separate people from resources; it gradually separates them from one another too.A person becomes quieter, says less about their pain, asks for help less, and withdraws further into their own mind.While research shows that secure relationships and emotional support are among the strongest protective factors for the psyche in economic crises.In hard days, people need people more than ever.
✍️ Dr. Ali Reza Gol