Boo

We stand for love.

© 2024 Boo Enterprises, Inc.

Eris

Eris

1y

INTP

Gemini

Lazy vs discouraged

Where do you draw the line? I've been wondering about ppl who are extremely depressed, homeless, welfare, etc. There are some ppl who say 'oh, they're just lazy' 'they don't WANT to work' etc. Putting aside the tangible issues like resources, I'm talking about people who physically COULD but have chosen(depending on interpretation) to not. Human motivation tends to come from rewards. You get praise, money or satisfaction from something and you want to keep doing it. Ppl will even continue working hard if they feel a reward is possible. If you feel like you're continuously making sacrifices with no real return of any kind, that is going to kill motivation. People tend to stop trying. Welfare is a good example. As far as I know, working more on welfare decreases the amount of welfare given. So you have someone who starts trying to work, probably gets a low level job with a toxic work environment, then they get less of their previous support as a reward. When do you consider a lack of action as 'lazy' vs having 'lost hope' of positive result. Lazy implies a selfish, willful choice that appears arbitrary. Losing hope of positive outcome would make most ppl cease efforts.

6

10

Comment

Psychology Community

The psychology community, chat, and discussion.

JOIN NOW

1.3M SOULS

best
new
Josh

Josh

1y

INFP

Taurus

6
7

I think it's a slippery slope. I would hesitate to draw the line myself there is too much that can't be seen. How many times have you heard post suicide that the person didn't seem depressed. Having had some close friends who have struggled with it in the past they have masks that they slip into just as easily as a clothes. They hide it so they don't have to answer all the questions that come along with it. I used to think I had suffered through it in my youth until I met people who struggled to get out of the bed in the morning. I can't imagine a sadness that powerful. To me calling them lazy is just another attack, and the concept of kicking someone when they're down is appalling. I would rather allow them to "work the system" than accuse them of laziness. It's impossible to know the extent of what they're going through. So short answer long I am erring on the side of caution.

9

0

Reply

Sh

Sh

1y

INTP

Sagittarius

Starting from scratch with no safety net as an adult is incredibly hard, now more than ever. I don't think anyone without friends or family is lazy if they struggle to be successful. Many people take things like their first car, college tuition, and deposit on an apartment for granted because their parents pay for them. People who don't have that springboard to rely on are going to have a hard time trying to succeed.

8

0

Reply

Kelly

Kelly

1y

ENFP

Yes, there have been numerous studies that show nearly all welfare programs drop off at the same income level. So someone can go from not working to working a 40 hour minimum wage job and be making essentially the same money. There's strong evidence that if you cut out benefits more slowly, and have different programs cut off at different times, so that when people work more they bring more money home, it increases employment significantly. Also, about half of people on welfare are illiterate or functionally illiterate, and most were born and educated in the US. They were failed by society before they became an adult. How can we expect people to get good jobs when we never taught them how to read?

4

0

Reply

Long

Long

1y

ISFJ

Virgo

There’s physically able to, and there is qualified. Someone might have all the right physical parts, but they are lacking in other areas that makes a productive employee. If they are not willing to work on these areas, they will not be able to keep a job. You will not be able to break out of the lazy cycle if you are only focused on what you can gain out of it.

1

0

Reply

Jim

Jim

1y

INTP

Sagittarius

5
4

The line is defined by opportunities with realistic expectations of the minimum life expects from us. Consider the story/joke of a man dying from hunger. A friend says "we found rice for you!" The dying man asks "is it cooked?" Friend answers "no". Dying man: " then continue with my funeral!". Truth is, the lazy will end up accepting the rice. The discouraged won't. With all said, it's a very complex topic and the line can't be drawn in a global matter for all in the same way

1

0

Reply

Mark

Mark

1y

INTJ

Pisces

Depends on the reasons

0

0

Reply

Meet New People

10,000,000+ DOWNLOADS

JOIN NOW