Py 163 - Wealth, Poverty & Risk Factors

PY163: Summer 2011

WEEK 4 ESSAY - Due midnight Sunday 7/3/11

Wealth, poverty & risk factors

In chapter 2 of your textbook, we considered the influence of socioeconomic status on development. What we learned is growing up in chronic poverty places a child at high risk for maladjustment but we also learned that growing up affluent brings with it the potential for maladjustment as well. Whether you are rich, poor, or in between all children's development can take a negative turn given the presence of negative risk factors and a lack of protective factors at any level of the social ecology - family, peers, neighborhood, schools, etc.

HERE IS THE TOPIC:

A great deal has been written about negative outcomes for low income children. Do some research about the development of wealthy children and use your observations from the video Middle School Confessions. What are some of the most prominent negative outcomes we see in America's affluent early adolescents? What factors are associated with those negative outcomes? How different or similar are these problems to the ones we see in low income youth?

NOTE: since sexual orientation is the topic of Week #5 essay, please do not discuss the section of Middle School Confessions that focuses on gay & lesbian youth for this week's essay concerning social class.

HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO BEFORE YOU WRITE THE ESSAY:

(1) read the textbook assigned chapters (and other sections related to SES)

(2) watch the videos: Seasons of Life video for middle childhood (#3) & adolescence (#5), Middle School Confessions

(2) do additional library/internet research

OTHER THINGS YOU MUST DO:

(1) check tbelow for full instructions about writing & submitting essays.

(2) be sure that you use your textbook and some additional library or internet resources (respected professional sources only) when you write this paper to formulate your thoughts about how social class affects a person's achievement. Be sure to USE APPROPRIATE PSYCHOLOGICAL TERMINIOLOGY. This is a course in psychology and you are expected to talk and write like one.

(3) be sure that you use CITATIONS to reference the ideas and facts that you get from your sources. DO NOT "cut and paste" material from a source - that is plagiarism! You are supposed to rephrase what you read in your own words.

(4) Your essay (5-6 paragraphs) must be emailed to me in a Word document (single spaced) attachment through the Blackboard MESSAGE system before: midnight Sunday July 3, 2011

INSTRUCTIONS FOR WEEKLY ESSAYS

You are to do FIVE out of the SIX essays; anyone wishing to replace a low grade can do all 6 and I will take the best 5 grades when determining your essay grade for the course. No late essays will be accepted unless you have discussed an important need for an extension with me.

The essays are open book (you are expected to use your textbook & the course videos) and library