First off, the wealthy are those that people would assume go through the least amount of stress but that is not always the case. Their lives can be filled with as many burdens as anyone else's.
- Occupation - people of higher socioeconomic status tend to bring their work home with them. This can cause stress around the clock because they could be worrying about whether or not people are running their business correctly and adequately, whether their stocks are going up or down, whether Johnson is doing better than you and will replace you, or worrying about your next business move. There are limitless possibilities that one could be stressed about over work, those are just some examples that I feel would bother a person of higher SES status.
- Family - just because a family has a lot of money does not mean that there is a lot of love within the household. Family problems are a huge issue that many do not like to mention because people feel like it is too personal to bring up to others. Some people of higher SES status worry so much about their careers and impressing others that they sometimes forget about the people that they share a home with. Losing the social capital that is your family could have huge psychological consequences behind the matter. The following are links to a couple readings that help support my previous statements:
- Neighborhoods - doesn't living in a nice big house in a secluded area sound nice? It may to some, but not so much to others. Living in a secluded area limits social interactions with others in your neighborhood. Especially now a days where some wealthy families have fenced off homes and their closest neighbors are miles away. Again, this limits one's social network and social support from others. Times especially get lonely when their significant other is always working so they can pay the large energy bills, gardeners that keep the lawn and tress well kept, cleaning people to maintain the inside of the house, and other expenses. This loneliness can cause psychological stress on everyone in the family.
I just briefly touched upon some stressors that wealthier people could possible go through. I am sure there are many more but that would be a little excessive to just list them all out. So now it is time to look at the other side of things and talk about the opposite spectrum of the SES gradient.
- Occupation - people on the lower side of the SES gradient are there for many reasons, but one of those reasons is because of their income levels. They do not receive the salaries that allow them to have/lead luxurious lives. Most of them do not even have the opportunities to live comfortably. A lot of occupations that these people have are low wage, long hours, low demand, low control jobs that can be very stressful for an individual. Low demand jobs are where people have to do things not many others would want to and low control means that they do not have much say about what they have to do. They either do the job and keep the job or don't have get fired, they do not really have many freedoms over any aspects of their jobs. These types of jobs are terrible for a person's mind and body. Psychologically, people with those jobs have to put up with a lot of crap and keep smiles on their faces for employers or customers so they are suppressing anger or feelings that are bubbling up. This raises cortisol levels in the brain which has awful affects to one's body. The following link goes more in depth about the psychological effects to one's well-being dealing with low-wage jobs:
- Family - I am sure that every parent would agree with me when I say that children can be a blessing one day and a demon child the next. I personally do not have any children, but I am sure that they can be over-whelming and handfuls at times. Well, along with most things, raising a family while being part of the lower SES gradient is not very easy. Parents are usually away for most of the day, working and just trying to put food on the table for their families. They do not have the money to hire nannies or babysitters ever time they have to work. So their children usually have to stay with other relatives, friends, day cares, or even at home by themselves sometimes. While they are away, parents could be worrying about what their children are learning from the other children or what kind of trouble they could be getting in. There are countless things that I know my parents worry about when I am not at home, so I can only imagine what other parents worry about when their children are not with them. They could be learning horrible habits from children like: smoking, drinking, other drug usage, stealing, vandalizing, and many other illegal activities.
- Neighborhoods - I believe that neighborhoods are a very important aspect in peoples' lives that can easily be overlooked and unmentioned. Living in a poor neighborhood is an inequality within itself and could have numerous amounts of variables that can add stress to peoples' lives. Physically, a lot of older houses were made with lead based paint which can have negative effects on health. Pollution and other environmental hazards could create lots of stress and health defects as well. Exercise is a great stress reliever for lots of people but those living in poor neighborhoods usually do not have the option to go to safe places to exercise. Sometimes just going outside for them can be unsafe, which could lead to less outdoor activity and more unhealthy life decisions. Acecss to healthier foods can also be a problem for people living in poorer nighborhoods because they are usually surrounded with fast food restaurants or gas stations. Places where they can get a quick bite to eat for a cheap price rather than going to a grocery store and buying groceries. Even if they wanted to buy fresh produce, they would have to travel further because grocery stores are not very common in these types of neighborhoods or if there was one, the produce in it would not be as fresh or organic or healthy as say a Whole Foods, SunFlower Market, or any other farmer's market produce. The link that I have attached below talks about the effects poor neighborhoods have on people:
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