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| Searching for Happiness in Western Societies |
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Next in Maslow’s hierarchy is our need to gain the respect and recognition of others. In Western Capitalism, the principal manner to earn respect and recognition comes through one’s ability to accumulate wealth; the enlightenment tradition is that wealth is the measure of the success of a man. However, we find that status manifests itself in a relative manner. What is important is the relative difference in wealth between people who compare themselves to each other, rather than the absolute quantity of wealth possessed. The need for self-esteem causes people to engage in a competition with others over wealth. This race for status is never ending, as there will always be people with more money and more ostentatious symbols of wealth to compete against. Also, very soon after being purchased most things that are acquired, like cars, clothing, and gadgets, start to look dated. So for the sake of maintaining appearances many possessions end up being unnecessarily replaced.
As Western societies get wealthier, this race becomes even more demanding. Richard Bronk argues in his book Progress and the Invisible Hand that many status goods are scarce, unlike the material goods needed to meet our basic needs. Thus there are only a limited number of houses in the best locations in town; only a few places where a yacht can be moored on the river; a limited number of seats in the Michelin starred restaurant. As people’s incomes increase they compete for these goods that are limited in supply leading to ever-higher prices for these positional goods. Thus people who want these status goods will need to spend even more wealth, effort and time to maintain their existing level of consumption of these goods. This means that the race for status gets harder and harder as society becomes wealthier.
Alain De Botton argues in his recent book “Status Anxiety” that the race for status will lead to anxiety and depression for many people. Not everyone will become an investment banker, company president or successful entrepreneur. Most people will not be able to afford to change their car every year, or take frequent holidays in the Caribbean. If people participate in this race by borrowing from banks and using credit cards many of them will end up in debt, and made to feel like losers and failures in a society where success is measured by wealth.
The above study of human nature suggests that Western societies are causing people to satisfy their human needs in ways that cause many of them to feel depressed, anxious and unhappy. If this is the case then it may be asked why do people persist in these modes of behaviour, if this makes them unhappy? One possible reason is that people are seldom able to identify the root cause of these feelings. Rather than promote self-examination or assessment, Western societies encourage individuals to engage in activities in which they can drown out or escape from their worries and concerns: the consumption of alcohol, anti-depressants, food, holidays, computer games and so on. Furthermore, because the healthy functioning of Western societies depends upon individuals pursuing wealth and then consuming goods and services with the wealth they acquire, these societies have developed ways to influence people’s behaviour. It is this power of conditioning or control, and the lack of any alternative lifestyle, that makes it difficult for individuals to change modes of behaviour.
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