Precariousness as a time horizon: How poverty and social insecurity shape individuals’ time perspectives

Abstract

Time perspective, as defined by Lewin (Time perspective and morale. In: Watson G (ed) Civilian morale. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, pp 48–70, 1942a, Time perspective and morale. In: Lewin GW (ed) Resolving social conflicts. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, pp 103–124, 1942b) is deeply rooted in the social contexts individuals live in. When facing poverty, social exclusion or socioeconomic insecurity, people are prone to psychologically leave out the future, and to restrain their time perspective to present or past. Drawing from the Lewin’s field theory, this chapter reviews research findings on the influence of socioeconomic status on time perspective, and present original findings showing that time perspective acts as an intervening factor in the relation between socioeconomic status and a wide range of behavioral or psychological consequences. The shrinking of the temporal dimension of the psychological field when facing danger and uncertainty is an avenue for a better understanding of how people deal with crisis situations and the risk society. We claim for a better consideration of psychological time in policy making and collective action against poverty.