Illustrating the psychological similarities of peoples in juxtaposition to the influence of social determinants, especially that of poverty, this book is designed to convey to those who work among the rural poor what it feels like to be shaped by want and/or discrimination. While emphasis is on the migrant worker, consideration is given to major American minority groups. Divided into 7 sections which are organized around the theme of boundaries, the material deals with: the author and her personal interest in and experience with rural poverty; the historical perspective of social determinants that have shaped the lives of the rural poor (forces that shaped the territorial boundaries of the rural poor); the influence of culture and the way it is reflected in some parts of rural America (the meaning of cultural boundaries); the everyday living experiences of farm migrant workers (the meaning of experiential boundaries); the experiences related to work (isolation and the boundary of a migrant's occupation); the implications of rural poor life styles as relative to social services (the role of social services within the territorial boundaries of rural poverty); and the future as it relates to the maximum use of human resources, especially rural resources. (JC)