Vol. 8, Issue 1, Part B (2026)

This study explored the lived experiences of Filipino adults who have successfully overcome intergenerational poverty and rewritten their family legacies toward stability and upward mobility. Anchored in narrative inquiry, the research examined how personal agency, family dynamics, cultural values, and social support systems interact in breaking persistent cycles of economic hardship transmitted across generations. Ten Filipino adults aged thirty-six to fifty, whose parents and grandparents lived below the poverty line but who are now classified as middle to upper class, participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed through narrative structuring and thematic interpretation guided by Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, particularly the concept of differentiation of the self.
The findings revealed four resonant threads that shaped participants’ journeys, summarized in the RAFT framework (see Figure 1): Resilience, Altruism, Fellowship, and Tenacity. Resilience reflected participants’ capacity to adapt to hardship, reframe adversity, and sustain hope despite repeated challenges. Altruism emerged in their strong sense of responsibility toward family members, motivating sacrifices, perseverance, and the desire to uplift others. Fellowship referred to the significance of supportive relationships, mentorship, community networks, and faith-based connections that provided emotional strength and practical guidance. Tenacity captured participants’ unwavering determination, discipline, and long-term commitment to self-improvement through education, work, entrepreneurship, and strategic life choices.
Together, these four resonant threads illustrate that overcoming intergenerational poverty is not solely an economic transition but a deeply relational and psychological transformation. Participants reconstructed family narratives by shifting from survival-oriented mindsets to growth-oriented perspectives, interrupting patterns of dependency and insecurity while fostering emotional stability, family cohesion, and intergenerational hope.
This study contributes to the limited Philippine-based literature by centering strength-based narratives of success and transformation. The RAFT framework offers a culturally grounded model that can inform family-centered interventions, mental health practice, educational programs, and social policies aimed at supporting sustainable social mobility and psychosocial well-being among Filipino families.