In Short:

Some individuals see their lives and plans derailed; others engage in more protective strategies. For still others, adversity presents a difficult trade-off between surviving and thriving.

Abstract

This article examines heterogeneity in adverse events and conditions and how low-income African American young adults respond. Although nearly all individuals in the sample report at least one instance of adversity, the nature and frequency of adversity varies, as do the responses. Some individuals see their lives and plans derailed; others engage in more protective strategies. For still others, adversity presents a difficult trade-off between surviving and thriving. We formalize this trade-off as an extension of a basic model of costly human capital investments. The model shows that a rational, fully informed individual facing this brutal trade-off, in an effort to survive the fallout of adversity, may optimally choose not to make high-return investments that promote thriving in the future. Improved policy design would recognize this type of trade-off.

About the author

Stefanie DeLuca

professor, school of government and policy

Stefanie DeLuca studies how experiences in social settings like neighborhoods and schools shape the outcomes of disadvantaged families and young people, and how policy interventions can increase their opportunities.