A psychology related question: beggar vs. student under pressure?

Question

Many times I read about students in India and South Korea committing suicide due to pressure of exams. But when you look at a beggar or a cripple on the streets they fight to survive even if they have to reduce themselves to the most primitive form of existence. The same can be seen in the poorest nations in Africa where basic sanitation and clean water are hard to come by. By contrast, many of these students come from middle class families which relatively ample access to basic necessities. How is it that pressure to perform well academically can outweigh those of day to day basic survival?

Update:

sorry meant to say " with relatively ample..."

tthesmilekid · Answer

This is such an interesting question! I believe that this is because the people in Africa or the beggars on the street almost have a reward mechanism. They feel thankful for the smallest of things such as a meal or some money and when they receive this, it keeps them going. The kids who commit suicide over exams I believe do this because they realize that they are completing this exam only to complete another one the year after and the year after. They will encounter the stress of this exam over and over again so they most likely think, what is the point? This coupled with the stress of college, a job, what they're parents will think, overwhelms them until a good grade simply feels like a pathway to yet another exam instead of a reward. I have found that people seem to function best with a positive goal in life or something to look forward to/be proud of and happy about. I hope this answers your question. This is simply my opinion and I hope it helped!

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A psychology related question: beggar vs. student under pressure?

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