Everyday explanations for personal debt: a network approach

Personal debt is a growing problem in modern Britain. There are increasing numbers of people with bad debts, leading to increasing bankruptcy and house repossession. As personal debt is frequently discussed, analysed and explained in both the mass media and everyday conversations, questions arise concerning the nature of people's beliefs, understandings and explanations of debt. Two studies are reported which examine social knowledge of debt amongst ordinary people. People's beliefs about the ways in which the causes of debt operate together as a psychosocial system are examined using network analysis. Implications for beliefs about societal and personal causes of debt, for judgements of social and individual control and responsibility, and for attributional approaches to complex belief systems are discussed.