Limitations Of Well-Being Analysis

Great Essays
Limitations to Well-being Consequently, there are limitations to Robert Gifford’s concepts about psychological well-being. First, the research informing these needs is likely biased by Eurocentric and individualistic ideologies. Hence, it may not be applicable to collectivist nations. Another limitation is regarding the assumed simplicity and universality of these needs. Each of the variables included in this analysis are subject to different interpretations depending upon culture, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and an abundance of other extraneous factors. These limitations call into question the validity and global scope of this analysis. Nonetheless, Gifford’s concepts about well-being needs serve as a template for navigating the facilitation of well-being in western societies. In addition, Gifford does not consider the possible negative consequences of prioritizing change to accommodate psychological well-being within urban patches. Unfortunately, many of these changes call for significant funding. Oftentimes, well-being needs are associated with luxury and comfort, rather than the necessity to survive and thrive. Therefore, rebuilding a patch can raise the cost of living, which in turn contributes to gentrification. Not to mention, most people living in poverty in the United states are people of color. This indicates that the accommodation of well-beings needs increases the cost of living, which in-turn, contributes to segregation within cities. How can this be prevented? Is it possible to meet psychological well-being needs without raising the cost of living? Case Study: Hilltop/New Tacoma & the Proctor District Hilltop/New Tacoma. Since the late 1980s, the Hilltop district of Tacoma is often associated with gang activity and poverty. The Hilltop Crips arose as a powerful gang in the 80s, and with that, Hilltop’s reputation suffered. The neighborhood became stigmatized as a dangerous ghetto, which detracts from its ability to satisfy psychological well-being needs. Most residents in the neighborhood are people of color, and the average annual household income was $40,527 in 2015 (City Data). Recently, the City of Tacoma has made an effort to “revitalize” the area, by cleaning it up and providing more opportunities for citizens to feel safe, engage in community activities, and enjoy nature in the area. They have even opted to change the name of the district “New Tacoma” rather than “Hilltop”. Consequently, these new developments to facilitate safety, comfort, and social connection may be contributing to a rise in “New Tacoma’s” cost of living. Proctor District. The Proctor district of Tacoma Washington began refining its reputation in the late nineteenth century. Since then, the Proctor district has become well-known for family friendliness, fancy restaurants, proximity to the Puget Sound, and quality retail. The Proctor district does not fall short when it comes to facilitating psychological well-being needs. The streets are lined with plant life, and it is close to an abundance of parks, thus satisfying the need for …show more content…
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the poorest countries around the globe (Aldersey et al., 2016). With a population of 82 million (Worldometers, 2017), families in the DRC face exceptionally low-life expectancies and obstructions to emotional well-being, related to the impoverishment of the patch (Aldersey et al., 2016). The average family income in the DRC is only $400 in U.S. currency (Lee, 2017). With a soaring poverty rate, it is difficult to prioritize psychological well-being. Over the past two years, citizens of the DRC have faced copious amounts of bloodshed and police brutality under the presidency of Joseph Kaliba (HRW, 2017). In the midst of a large-scale human rights movement, it is not likely that the citizens of the DRC feel safe and comfortable living in a hostile political environment. Without the fundamental well-being need of safety, the residents of the DRC do not have the time to address flaws in infrastructure that might negatively impact their psychological …show more content…
This issue is ambiguous and difficult to navigate, because gentrification is often framed as revitalization (Driscoll, 2017). The notion of revitalization is Eurocentric and idealistic. Revitalizers do not consider the rise in cost of living associated with infrastructural improvements, nor do they make an effort to compensate the original residents of the patch for such costs. Failure to recognize such implications can further the issue by removing low-income housing as an option for citizens, forcing residents to relocate to places where they can afford to live. Gentrification has a negative impact on citizens of low socioeconomic status, and due to economic racial disparities, this in turn leads to further segregation of

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Gentrification has been a long topic that has been recently discussed as if effects all across the United States. In the podcast “Mouth to Ear” the Black and Latino communities their were renovations to their community when showed that whites were moving into their community. As a result of this rent increased, the area around them started to become more expensive, and this led to low-income residents moving out because they did not have the money, or was force out. The podcasts gave several examples of low-income residents forced out their homes because they did not have the money the landowners wanted. The podcast gave an example of a women living in Bedford Stuyvesant was forced out of her apartment new building owners bought the building.…

    • 226 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Black On The Block Summary

    • 1841 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Jacklin Jones Urban Society Book Report Fall ‘15 Black on the Block: The Politics of Race and Class in the City History is always changing and repeating itself. According to the Housing Act of 1954, it changed urban “redevelopment” into urban “renewal” and “conservation”. Therefore, this had shifted the focus to areas that is threatened by diseases and enlarged the constructions of the federal government to support beyond residential (Pattillo, 310).…

    • 1841 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    “Gentrification is a trend in urban neighborhoods, which results in increased property values and the displacing of lower-income families and small businesses.” I don’t think gentrification should spread through communities. Both author’s Jeremiah Moss and Ray Oldenburg show good examples why gentrification will hurt communities and not help them. I don’t gentrification is the right thing to do right now for communities because it wouldn’t help all people in the situation. In “ New Yorkers Need to Take Back Their City” by Jeremiah Moss he explains why gentrification wouldn’t help the communities.…

    • 143 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    Gentrification is adding to inequalities and misfortunes within Bay Area communities. Gentrification is the purchasing of deteriorated urban areas and renovating by higher-end and middle class communities. An abundance of high-end communities come into the Bay Area and purchase up the real estate. Incoming middle and higher class take the Bay Area real estate and revitalise it into up-and-coming neighborhoods. The Bay Area residents, who have been living there for decades, are being pushed out of their homes.…

    • 1279 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gentrification Case

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages

    After all, it is a natural and organic process where those of higher-income move in to low-income neighborhoods. The private institutions, city and local governments themselves encourage this process for they benefit through the profits and tax revenues. Therefore, gentrification is not necessarily a bad thing. It uplifts and beautifies poverty-stricken neighborhoods through the flow of capital from the new high-income residents. Despite these positives, gentrification also fosters negative impacts like loss of diversity, historical landmarks and affordable…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gentrification is occurring right before our eyes. The government is rebuilding neighborhoods and as they rebuild them the cost of living in area is increasing. Although, rebuilding communities may seem like a great idea the increase cost of living is driving families out of their neighborhoods and forcing them to leave. Many families have nowhere to go and sometimes end up in the shelter system. Working in a shelter I get to experience firsthand what these families go through.…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gentrification is seen by most of the public as the buying and renovating of houses, stores and buildings in deteriorated urban neighborhoods by wealthier individuals which increases property values and displaces low-income families. If we look at the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition we see it is defined as the process by which an urban area is rendered middle-class (“gentrifi’cation, n”). Gentrification is more than a renovation to an area or neighborhood, it is a controversial topic of class and race. The term was first used by urban geographer Ruth Glass in the 1960’s to describe the phenomenon of the upper middle-class buying property in London’s East End. She meant it as a negative term using the word gentry, or ruling class, to show her concern for the displaced…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A UN report from the DRC stated that “through control of the military or other security forces, western companies use intimidation, threats, or they carry out selected acts of violence” (UN) in order to keep the human labor profits maximized. The acts of violence results in a vicious cycle of mineral extraction that drives national and international competition, promotes the exploitation of the Congolese natives, diminishes the DRC’s resources, and further drives more competition (Murhula, 13). The technology demands in western societies are ever growing, and this further increases the more human labor that is needed in order to meet the western societies’ needs. Although the western industrial societies are huge, the wealth of the western technology industries doesn’t benefit the Congolese miners for their back-breaking, perilous and poorly paid work because of the western industrial societies’ want for massive economic earnings(CNN). The western industrial societies, along with many of the western consumers, knowingly and unknowingly, have accommodated this practice since the early colonialism days, and they will both further create human labor including children in order to achieve the maximal economic gain until international…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Gentrification has been a big topic throughout the years. Gentrification is when the high and middle class population come into a poor neighborhoods and reclaim them. During this process an abundance of homes are rebuilt and the poorer class are being replace. Gentrification has extremely negative effects on inner city communities that are generally populated by African Americans. These communities suffer from the effects of gentrification for years by losing their homes and businesses to a higher class of people.…

    • 1960 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    To What Extent Is Gentrification Detrimental to Ethnic and Indigenous Groups? Gentrification has been used to renovate and improve localities so that it assimilates or conforms to middle-class modernization. Gentrification can be held accountable for increased investments, economic expansion, increased attraction of business and lower crime rates. Gentrification can also lead to population migration. This renewal and rebuilding is followed by an influx of affluent people into deteriorating areas that subsequently displaces poorer residents.…

    • 1473 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In todays world, there are more and more instances of gentrification happening. Gentrification is movement of people with low income housing out of neighborhoods to make the movement of the more wealthy come in. This allows the rich to create skyscrapers, businesses and government run operations such as research facilities and hospitals. The neighborhoods tend to get more physically improved by means of less crime. Many of the former residents get displaced and have troubles finding another place to live.…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The pressure builds up as wealthier people start moving in replacing those who left or will leave. Furthermore, when housing and renting prices rise, those who are unable to afford it will be forced to plan an alternative way to save their homes. In Saki Knafo’s article, “Is Gentrification a Human Rights Violation?,” he expresses his concern, “what happens to those people who can’t afford to stay in these “revitalized” neighborhoods? ,” (Knafo 12). Often, these low-income residents who can’t manage to pay will either struggle to compensate for the payments until they face eviction or eventually be forced to move out instantly.…

    • 1065 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    Six studies done in Africa (Zimbabwe, Lesotho), Asia, (Indonesia and Pakistan) and Latin America (Brazil and Chile) showed a direct correlation between poverty and mental health problems (World Health Organization). Poor people are at more likely to suffer from depression due to the hardships they face because of their poverty and their lack of adequate care (Cruz). Paulo Rossi Menezes (Poor Mental Health), who is a professor of medicine at the University of Sao Paulo, expresses that the two are closely linked: “There is a clear relationship between standard of living and common mental disorders.” This ties poverty into the issue more directly as the research shows that those in impoverished countries are more likely to develop a mental illness that often goes untreated (Mental Health in Developing Countries). So to solve the issues of mental health, poverty needs to be seriously addressed as well.…

    • 1768 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gentrification is usually blamed for the displacement of lower class residents occurs. As Neil Smith states in his book The New Urban Frontier, “infects working class communities, displaces poor households, and converts whole neighborhoods into bourgeois enclaves.” Neil Smith was a geographer who had similar perspectives to Karl Marx. He believes with the addition of new and wealthy classes, the old classes will be forced out to create more neighborhood of the wealthy classes. Lower-income residents become more isolated from their neighborhood.…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The money and mind both matters for healthy living and they are interrelated in many aspects. Millions of people spend the night without food, shelter, necessary clothing’s and health care due lack of adequate money. For centuries, people living in poverty, have the poorest overall health (Krieger et al., 1993) (Adler et al., 1994). It is not only related to physical health but also mental health (Belle, 1990) (Kuruvilla and Jacob, 2007) due to poorer coping styles, ongoing negative life-events, more exposure to stress and weaker social support (Turner and Lloyd, 1999).…

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays