Behavioural Implications in Impoverishment of The Subaltern Sustainable Livelihood Models

Abstract

There are several causative factors of perpetuation of poverty including economic, social, psychological, political, structural, cultural, environmental and physical. Among these the psychological factors particularly behavioral paradigm focus on social psychological reasons influencing the penetration and perpetuation of poverty. As regards the livelihood models of the poor most of them are not sustainable due to the influence of the behavioral structures and patterns of the poor making them circle around the whirlpool of impoverishment. The subaltern culture force them to stick on to such delimiting behaviours whether it is fatalism, idleness, addiction habits, debts, extravagancy, lack of saving, having no future financial plan and a host of others. It is a conceptual paper to analyse the behavioral implications in the perpetuation of poverty and consequently failure in sustainability of livelihood means. Educational illiteracy, growing unemployment, geographical and climatic hit backs add to the menace.  The paper calls for studies on prevailing structures and the need for social work intervention in terms of public participation towards social enterprises and social innovations to tackle the unsustainable nature of livelihood models of the poor. Extracts of interview with community leaders are added to support the theoretical framework. Social work methods, particularly community organization must focus upon this area to find suitable remedy.