PSYCHOLOGICAL PORTRAITS OF POVERTY AND PROSPERITY: EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF POVERTY INTENSITY ASCENDENCY MODEL DRAWING EVIDENCE FROM NIGERIA

Olive Adaeze Ezirim
Chinedu B. Ezirim
University of Port Harcourt

ABSTRACT

The main aim of this study is to investigate the perception of poverty and prosperity
conditions in Nigeria, and to find explanations to why perceived hatred for poverty might be more
intense than love for prosperity. Utilizing a survey with structured questionnaire, the results
reveal that most individuals in Nigeria hate poverty so intensely, and equally love and enjoy
riches so intensely. Contrary to the reasoning behind the affluenza and American paradoxes as
well as propositions along the religious sentiments of ‘love’ for poverty, the hatred for poverty is
more intense than the love for riches. Six crucial reasons were identified to explain this observed
phenomenon. The study found evidence that only the bondage, mediocrity, and fear arguments
significantly explain why the intensity of hatred for poverty is greater than the intensity of love for
riches among the study participants. The humility, pride and destiny arguments were not
significant explanatory factors.
Keywords: Psychological portraits, poverty, riches, prosperity, psychology of money, poverty intensity ascendency
hypothesis