Over 600,000 households in the Netherlands are facing financial difficulties due to debt, which often causes feelings of shame and leads to avoiding creditors. This study looked at ways to help a...Show moreOver 600,000 households in the Netherlands are facing financial difficulties due to debt, which often causes feelings of shame and leads to avoiding creditors. This study looked at ways to help a debtor contact their respective creditor. The researchers wanted to see if increasing debtors’ resilience to shame would make them more willing to contact their creditors. Therefore, first of all, was hypothesized that increasing individuals’ sense of power and decreasing feelings of being trapped will result in a higher willingness to contact a creditor compared to the baseline condition. Additionally, there was hypothesized that the combined intervention condition, incorporating both enhanced power and reduced feelings of being trapped, would be more effective than either intervention alone. Finally, age was explored as a potential factor within the relationship between shame resilience and willingness. The researchers tested this by assigning participants (n = 267) randomly to one of four groups: baseline, power, feeling trapped, or a combined intervention. In each condition, participants received a tailored creditor email designed to elicit feelings of increased power, reduced feelings of being trapped, or a combination of both. In contrast, the baseline condition involved a standard creditor email. Subsequently, participants were asked to indicate their willingness to initiate contact with the creditor agency. The results showed that increasing people's sense of power and reducing feelings of being trapped led to a greater willingness to contact creditors compared to the baseline group. However, the combined intervention did not have a greater effect than the separate interventions. Overall, the findings suggest that increasing people's sense of power and reducing feelings of being trapped can enhance their resilience to shame and increase their willingness to contact creditors to address financial issues.Show less
This paper investigated whether perspective-taking instructions could successfully increase help providers’ sensitivity to help-seekers’ need for dependency-oriented help in circumstances of...Show moreThis paper investigated whether perspective-taking instructions could successfully increase help providers’ sensitivity to help-seekers’ need for dependency-oriented help in circumstances of problematic debts. The help currently provided in the Netherlands is often not properly aligned with the problems at hand, with an overemphasis on the benefits of autonomy-oriented help (offering the tools to solve a problem independently) and a lack of understanding for the instrumental value and the necessity of dependency-oriented solutions (providing a full solution. In a sample of N = 374, a scenario-based design was employed to test the effect of perspective-taking and different stages of debt (early, intermediate, late) on the preferred help type offered. Findings revealed an overall preference for autonomy- over dependency-oriented help, and a higher willingness to help in later stage conditions. In line with expectations, a preference for autonomy-oriented help was found during earlier stages, and for dependency-oriented help during later stages. Contrary to expectations, those who engaged in perspective-taking were more likely to offer autonomy-oriented help than dependency-oriented help. Nevertheless, in line with our predictions, those who took perspective did anticipate more stress and worse cognitive functioning in the debtor than those who did not. Together, these findings imply an increase in sensitivity for the help- seekers stress severity and cognitive capacities does not necessarily increase the appraisal of dependency-oriented help as a more appropriate solution. These findings have implications for our understanding of helping preferences and the Dutch debt assistance system, urging for a more stress-sensitive bottom-up approach.Show less
The study aims to investigate whether applying the shame-resilience theory (SRT) could increase debtors’ willingness to contact their creditors (Brown, 2006). Shame is associated with two elements:...Show moreThe study aims to investigate whether applying the shame-resilience theory (SRT) could increase debtors’ willingness to contact their creditors (Brown, 2006). Shame is associated with two elements: powerlessness and being trapped. Feelings of being trapped occur when debtors feel that they have failed to adhere to societal norms due to a lack of alternatives (Frye, 2001). Powerlessness occurs when debtors experience a lack of control. We hypothesized that, by reducing the feelings associated with shame, powerlessness and being trapped, could lead to an increase in the debtors’ willingness to contact (WTC). The data was gathered through an online survey from 182 participants who were divided into four conditions; control, power, trapped and combined. The results provided evidence that reducing the feeling of powerlessness leads to an increase in debtors' willingness to contact. However, reducing the feelings of being trapped or a combined reduction did not produce similar results.Show less
Over half of all households in the UK experienced some type of debt between 2016 to 2018. Being in debt can pose a serious threat to wellbeing. Many of these households are not able to get out of...Show moreOver half of all households in the UK experienced some type of debt between 2016 to 2018. Being in debt can pose a serious threat to wellbeing. Many of these households are not able to get out of debt by themselves. However, many of these households also do not accept the help, often existing of free debt-advice, that is provided to them. Literature from domains such as education suggest that people might not accept help due to their autonomy being limited. This thesis looked into whether this was also the case for the domain of debt. Respondents were asked to fill out a questionnaire, existing of an implicit measure of autonomy and a hypothetical debt letter. After receiving the letter, participants were asked how likely they would be to accept the help (free debt-advice) offered in the debt letter. Surprisingly, many of the participants accepted the help, leading to the rejection of our hypothesis that the need for autonomy could predict help acceptance. The results showed that there was no relationship between the need for autonomy and help acceptance. A possible reason for this finding could be that in the domain of debt, a different barrier against help acceptance, like shame or stigma, is at play.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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The theses explains ways of understanding loans, debt, mutuality, and future perceptions within the uncertainty of the Ghanaian economy and the dynamic social, cultural and economic setting of...Show moreThe theses explains ways of understanding loans, debt, mutuality, and future perceptions within the uncertainty of the Ghanaian economy and the dynamic social, cultural and economic setting of Kintampo, a transitional medium-sized town, and its emerging and proliferating financial landscape. The analysis is based on a three months field trip and includes two case studies on government workers and taxi drivers.Show less
