ERIC Number: ED013848
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1965
Pages: 1
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
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EISSN: N/A
THE AMERICAN LOWER CLASSES--A TYPOLOGICAL APPROACH.
MILLER, S.M.
TWO APPROACHES ARE USED IN DEFINING THE "LOWER CLASS." ONE APPROACH DEFINES GROUPS BY CLASS CHARACTERISTICS, THE OTHER BY STATUS CRITERIA. THE TWO APPROACHES, NEVERTHELESS, CAN BE COMBINED. ALTHOUGH THEY SEEM TO MAKE SEPARATE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CATEGORIZATION OF THE POPULATION, CLASS AND STATUS VARIABLES CAN BE WELDED TOGETHER BY DICHOTOMIZING ECONOMIC STATUS AND FAMILIAR STABILITY INTO HIGH AND LOW SECURITY LEVELS. THE LOWER CLASSES MAY THEN BE CHARACTERIZED BY FOUR CELLS. CELL 1, THE MAJORITY, ARE THE STABLE POOR WITH A REGULAR INCOME AND FAMILY STABILITY. CELL 2 ARE THE "STRAINED" WHO ARE ECONOMICALLY SECURE BUT WHOSE FAMILY STRUCTURE IS UNSTABLE. CELL 3 CONTAINS THE "COPERS," THE ECONOMICALLY INSECURE WITH STABLE FAMILIES. CELL 4 ARE THE TYPICALLY LOWER-CLASS GROUP, BOTH ECONOMICALLY AND PERSONALLY UNSTABLE. THE POOR ARE FURTHER DESCRIBED AS "CHRONICS" (HARD CORE), "PRECHRONICS" (HIGH RISKS) AND "SUBCHRONICS" (GREATER COPING ABILITIES). EACH TYPE REQUIRES DIFFERENT STRATEGIES. THE STABLE GROUP MAY BE HELPED BY RAISING THEIR INCOMES AND INCREASING SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS. MOVING SOME OF THE STRAINED GROUP TO AREAS WITH LOW RATES OF DISTURBANCES AND OFFERING ECONOMIC AID AND FAMILY CASEWORK WOULD HELP THEM. THE COPERS NEED ECONOMIC AID, WHEREAS THE UNSTABLE GROUP WOULD BE HELPED IF THERE WERE GREATER EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATION OF THEIR YOUTH AND TO MAKE SPECIALIZED SOCIAL SERVICES AVAILABLE TO THEM. CHANGE WILL COME FROM POLITICAL ACTION BY THE POOR, SPURRED ON BY DESEGREGATION EFFORTS WHICH WILL JOIN ALL MINORITY GROUPS IN A SOCIAL CLASS ISSUE. AVAILABLE IN SHOSTAK, ARTHUR B., ED. NEW PERSPECTIVES ON POVERTY, BY A.B. SHOSTAK AND WILLIAM GOMBERG, ED. ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS N.Y., PRENTICE-HALL INC., P.22-39. (NH)
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