The problem of poverty and scarcity causes many problems in American society and the world in general. Poverty levels appear to be increasing over the years despite efforts by the government to generate polices to better the living conditions. Many people possess bias and beliefs on the causes of poverty, and how it can be eliminated (Schiller, 2008). This paper discusses poverty biases, the possible causes of poverty and assessment of NASW code of ethics.

Background Information

My beliefs on poverty, as indicated on the points below, have been biased on the information I received from my parents and community while growing up. I believed that poor people often related to people who are lazy and do not put a lot of effort in their work. The lower class of people can get rich and affluent if they put more effort in their places of work. I felt that most poor people come from minority groups especially the African Americans and the Hispanic groups. Many black and Hispanic people do not engage in constructive jobs and easily fall into criminal activities that deprive them chances to better their lives. In essence, these groups lack ambition like that of the white people, which causes them to lag behind in economic potential (Caranti, 2010).The disabled people suffer less ability to find better jobs or engage in income generating works. In this way, the disabled mainly remain poor compared to other groups of people. In terms of gender, men in most cases possess good jobs and income as opposed to women. Many people of the Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community remained poor because of engaging in anti-social actions that makes them unacceptable in various areas of the job market. In terms of religion, I believed that many people affiliated with religious groups did not pay attention to wealth accumulation and this made most of them poor. Additionally, I felt some religious groups did not deserve getting employment opportunities because of their code of dressing that conflicted with modern workplaces (Schiller, 2008, p. 63).

These beliefs were shaped by stereotypes towards these groups because of my social economic group. In essence, growing up in an affluent middle-class, the stereotypes were passed down through family members and friends in form of comments and even major discussions. The bias became instilled from childhood and with time it formed part of my beliefs regarding poverty among various groups of people. I got the messages that generally poor people remain in their conditions because they have no ambitions. The poor people want to be poor because they do not work hard like other people to achieve success in life (Caranti, 2010, p. 37).

Current Assessment

Today, I believe poverty occurs because of inequalities in various spheres of life. These individuals in most cases face circumstances that are beyond their comprehension and control. For example, in some instances the poor continue living in deplorable conditions because they lack resources to access good education, work, and ultimately they have less income. In other cases, many people are discriminated against especially those in minority groups like African Americans or people of Muslim religion and, therefore, they suffer in the job market. These groups do not get to access the resources necessary to improve their lifestyle because of bias towards them and they end up being poor. They do not access the required education and income they need to forge ahead and improve their lives (Schiller, 2008, p. 165). In the labor market, the opportunities of employment are not equal and most white possess high paying jobs compared to other members of the society. Additionally, the problem of educational differences causes some people to have better income than others. There are people who have the ability to perform well in education and end up securing the best jobs that attract better wages (Tagler & Cozzarelli, 2013).

I have modified by bias and stereotype on how people end up in poverty. In terms of race, I feel the minority groups like blacks and Hispanics are discriminated against in the job market. Most families headed by females remain poor compared to those with men as the head because men gain more income compared to women. The people of the LGBT community do not get access to better resources in various spheres because the society has not learnt to accept their sexual orientation. The people with disabilities cannot work effectively in modern workstations because of the constant changing roles and techniques in the workplace. In regards to class, some poor people still remain underprivileged because they lack motivation to work and enhance their income. There are religious affiliations that are associated with unacceptable social norms and, therefore, they remain rejected in many domains of life. My biases have caused me to be cautious when dealing with certain groups of people in the society. The information uncovered from this assignment has opened my eyes on causes and biases regarding poverty that I was not aware (Schiller, 2008).

Ethics and Values Assessment

I appreciate the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) because they promote the values of service, integrity, social justice, dignity of every person, competence, as well as respect of human relationship. In essence, social workers encourage social justice as well as social change for all people. They ensure the cohesion of individuals, families, organizations, teams, groups and even communities. They remain sensitive to issues of cultural and ethnic collaboration while striving to eliminate discrimination, poverty, and even oppression in the society. The NASW code of ethics focuses on poverty problems by ensuring that individuals have the power and capacity to deal with their needs (Brill, 2001, p. 225).Through the code of ethics they know how to assist the poor and needy in the society while offering them tools to become self-sufficient. As a social work student, I appreciate the responsibility to help individuals, families and the community at large to deal with issues of poverty as stipulated in the code of ethics (Seider, SRabinowicz & Gillmor, 2011).

I would apply the code of ethics through social justice by enacting policies that advocate for fair distribution of resources and wealth for all individuals. The idea would be to advocate for proper access of information to the poor to enable them get better education, social security, health care, labor rights and public service jobs (Seider, SRabinowicz & Gillmor, 2011, p. 111).Additionally, I would use the code of ethics to enhance acceptance of human differences by campaigning against ethnic discrimination. In most cases, racial injustice cause people to lose out on good opportunities in life and, by encouraging people to embrace unity, it would kill prejudice against other groups. I would ensure that my clients and place of work does not condone race, gender, religion, class, disability, age, and even political discrimination in any way (Brill, 2001, p. 225).

Conclusion

There many bias and stereotypes that exist regarding poverty and the poor in the community. Most people grow up with biased beliefs regarding the poor depending on one’s class, background, religion and gender among others. However, it becomes clear that social inequality and circumstances beyond these people’s control are among the causes of poverty. The NASW code of ethics puts forth a set of values that guide social workers on how to deal with various issues of social justice in the society. The code of ethics provides direction and ways of dealing with poverty to eliminate stereotypes.

Works Cited

Brill, C. K. (2001). Looking at the social work profession through the eye of the NASW code of ethics. Research on Social Work Practice, 11(2), 223-234.

Caranti, L. (2010). The Causes of World Poverty: Reflections on Thomas Pogge’s Analysis. Theoria: A Journal Of Social & Political Theory, 57(125), 36-53. doi:10.3167/th.2010.5712503

Seider, S. C., Rabinowicz, S. A., & Gillmor, S. C. (2011). Changing American College Students’ Conceptions of Poverty Through Community Service Learning. Analyses Of Social Issues & Public Policy, 11(1), 105-126. doi:10.1111/j.1530-2415.2010.01224.x

Schiller, B. (2008). The Economics of Poverty and Discrimination.Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Tagler, M. J., & Cozzarelli, C. (2013). Feelings Toward the Poor and Beliefs About the Causes of Poverty: The Role of Affective-Cognitive Consistency in Help-Giving. Journal Of Psychology, 147(6), 517-539. doi:10.1080/00223980.2012.718721

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