"A fish out of water": The middle-class experience of over-indebtedness and the role of adult education.

As a Money Adviser with the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), I noticed a new cohort of clientele seeking the advice of MABS. Traditionally the MABS client base was confined to those from disadvantaged backgrounds but this new cohort are educated and middle-class. They present to the service in states of high anxiety and bewilderment, akin to a ‘fish out of water’. This study documents the previously undocumented experience of these over-indebted, educated, middle-class MABS clients. It asked why, despite their education, these clients did not have the capacity to manage their crisis alone. It found they were incapacitated by the extent of their crisis which goes deeper than income reduction and material poverty alone. It found the dispositions of their middle-class habitus and a lack of critical reflection limited their capacity to imaging alternatives to deal with their circumstances. The research recommends that a critical pedagogy should underpin all MABS education policy with a view to facilitating transformative learning for clients. It is hoped this will give clients a sense of control over their situation and possibly lead to social activism for a more equal society.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

National University of Ireland Maynooth

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Holton, Josephine

Language dc:language

en