The Psychological Niche of Children of Poverty or Affluence Through Auto-Photography

Abstract

If environment is a major factor in setting limits to the range of potential behavior, then the pervasive and perennial condition of poverty may be expected to be reflected in the potential behaviors as well as in the values and self-concepts of children. The self-socialenvironmental orientations (the psychological niche) of children in poverty and children of affluence in Mexico City were obtained through the content analysis of twelve photographs taken by each of 29 twelvethirteen year old children in response to the question "Who are you?" Here the interaction of the child and the environment is viewed from the child's side.