Why we shouldn’t push a positive mindset on those in poverty

Being poor will change how you think about the world. A common belief is that people can control the outcome of their lives by simply changing their mindset. However, despite many public organisations over the decades attempting to help people overcome adversity by getting them to believe in themselves, such efforts have been largely unsuccessful. Jennifer Sheehy-Skeffington, a professor of Social Psychology at LSE, explains why we should challenge our current assumptions about free-floating mindsets and explores the unspoken psychological impacts of poverty.