PSYC 4P30 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Consumerism, Materialism, Hedonic Treadmill

• School: Brock University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 4P30
• Professor: Kerri Michalica

Document Summary

Attitudes hardly match behaviour: your e(cid:454)pressed attitudes do(cid:374)(cid:859)t al(cid:449)a(cid:455)s (cid:373)at(cid:272)h (cid:271)eha(cid:448)iours behaviours can include your thinking, the (cid:271)eliefs (cid:455)ou (cid:271)elie(cid:448)e (cid:455)ou ha(cid:448)e do(cid:374)(cid:859)t al(cid:449)a(cid:455)s match your behaviour or thinking. Increased materialism: surged between the 1970s and the 1980s, collegia(cid:374)s (cid:272)o(cid:374)sider it (cid:448)er(cid:455) i(cid:373)porta(cid:374)t that the(cid:455) (cid:271)e(cid:272)o(cid:373)e (cid:862)(cid:448)er(cid:455) (cid:449)ell off fi(cid:374)a(cid:374)(cid:272)iall(cid:455)(cid:863) i(cid:374)stead of (cid:862)de(cid:448)elopi(cid:374)g a (cid:373)ea(cid:374)i(cid:374)gful philosoph(cid:455) i(cid:374) life(cid:863, people are literally thinking they can buy happiness. Wealth on the increase: cars got bigger, houses got bigger, people are more likely to have luxuries (boats), computers, television, dishwasher, satisfaction has not increased (even though wealth has) Thought if there was a correlation they would have increased together. Wealth and well-being: material gains have increased; so has psychological distress (nervous breakdowns) this is since the 1950s. Mental health: depression has increased substantially and it begins earlier (teens) Declining membership in community organizations: do(cid:374)(cid:859)t see people getti(cid:374)g together i(cid:374) (cid:272)o(cid:373)(cid:373)u(cid:374)it(cid:455) setti(cid:374)gs a(cid:374)(cid:455)(cid:373)ore, we seek (cid:272)o(cid:373)(cid:373)u(cid:374)it(cid:455) (cid:271)ut it(cid:859)s (cid:374)ot (cid:374)e(cid:272)essaril(cid:455) prese(cid:374)t.