Why Do the Myths Persist?

Chapter 19 reviews why, despite strong evidence to the contrary, the poverty myths continue to exist. Two sets of factors are examined—psychologically based factors and sociologically based factors. Psychological factors include particular personality traits, system justification, the use of stereotypes, confirmation bias, and attribution errors. Sociological factors include an understanding of who in society benefits from the existence of these myths. They include political actors, the affluent, and society as a whole. Summoning a newfound willingness to interrogate the role of individualism and meritocracy in shaping our attitudes toward each other and the distribution of resources is likely to prove especially difficult. Changing the paradigm toward one based on fact and reality moves us closer to effectively addressing and alleviating poverty.