Cultural experiences that reinforce scarcity mindset

From systemic issues to family struggles

A few therapists have gotten together to host a fundraising summit to raise money for Syria and Turkey. I am donating my time to offer a webinar on Boundaries 101 on March 14 at 6pm-6:45pm. All proceeds go to Islamic Relief and Syrian American Medical Society, and I’d love to see you there!

Last week, I shared some of the ways scarcity mindset can manifest in our day-to-day life, and many of you shared that you related to several of these examples. This goes to show how insidious this mindset can be.

Capitalism, and the centering of money and materials, is the root of the scarcity tree (read more on this here) that has grown limbs that extend into different aspects of our lives and behaviors.

“The psychological effects of scarcity can be seen in many areas of life, among lonely people who lack companionship, even among the very busy who lack time. In all these cases, people need to recognize how not having enough of something can make us so maniacally focused on short-term solutions that we lose sight of our priorities. In those moments, it's important to look up, to notice we are inside a tunnel.” — NPR

I want to dive deeper and explore the nuance of a few specific cultural and familial factors that can contribute to our scarcity mindset — including hustle culture, White supremacy, comparison mindset, intergenerational trauma, emotional disengagement, lack of safety, and hyper-individuation.

What cultural factors reinforce scarcity?

We live in a culture that is founded in White Supremacy, and White Supremacy culture consists of damaging characteristics like perfectionism, specific definitions of intelligence, either/or mindset, and urgency. These are common and general reinforcers of scarcity mindset.

If you’re not perfect/the best, you will become obsolete. If you are not demonstrating your intelligence in a very specific way, you won’t be considered smart. If you exhibit behaviors or norms outside of the White Supremacist culture, you are conditioned to believe you are wrong or bad. You must act quickly to ensure success or hold on to your sense of worthiness.