...Paradox of Affluence The paradox of affluence states that despite the increase in wealth across the nation peoples overall satisfaction has not increased. Even though money is something almost everyone strives for in their everyday life is that what we really want? We work for a promotion, which, in turn, give us more money and buys us things that we think we need. In David Myers’ book, “The Paradox of Affluence: Spiritual Hunger in an Age of Plenty.” Myer’s makes claims that over the last 40 to 50 years the wealth of American’s has tripled while the overall happiness has stills stayed the same. Even though people are buying more and more to supplement their needs and wants they are still not as happy as they think they would be. Commercials play a drastic role in effecting the mindset of individuals into believing something that may or may not be true. For instance, a happy family in an expensive car, watching a super sized television, or going on expensive trips is happier than the poor individual sitting on the couch watching this commercial. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is different from the paradox of affluence because it states that a person’s basic needs must first be met before they can truly be granted happiness. There is a level of order that needs to be gone through before an individual attains happiness. Starting at the bottom of the list would have to be the most basic of needs as in food. Moving higher up the list, an individual would move between safety and even...
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...America has been through a lot in her history. After the great depression prices started going back up and people started making more money. Baumgardner, and Crothers (2009), explain the paradox of affluence as a study done over the last 40 to 50 years in America about material well-being and psychological well-being (p.99). Is it just a coincidence that more Americans are making more money now but are less happy and tend to have more mental disorders than in the past? The paradox of affluence makes people try and shop for the perfect Christmas present instead of Christmas being about the religion or family traditions. People that are consumed in materials cannot have or provide deep sustaining life meaning (Baumgardner, and Crothers, 2009). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs starts from the bottom and works its way up. Starting with physiological needs, safety needs, love and belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization ending at the top of the pyramid. In my opinion Maslow’s hierarchy of needs doesn’t relate to money but more toward happiness. Baumgardner, and Crothers (2009), state that money cannot buy a person a better personality or a great relationship so it is not a contributor to true happiness (p.108). It is America’s mentality to think that if they have more money they would be able to make their dreams come true. In fact that is false people long for relationships and family. References Baumgardner, S. R. and Crothers, M. K. (2009). Positive psychology...
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...Paradox of Affluence Amy Knipe PSY 220 June 21, 2015 Aubrey Noble Paradox of Affluence Using the information presented in Ch. 6, explain what researchers mean by the paradox of affluence. Explain how the research on happiness and wealth relates to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The term “paradox of affluence” explains the disparity that has developed over the last 40 to 50 years in America between material well-being and psychological well-being (Baumgardener & Crothers, 2009). While the American family is now making more income than ever before, the amount of happiness has not also increased. Leading to ask the question, can money buy happiness? Research on happiness and wealth indicates money does not buy happiness (Baumgardner & Crothers, 2009). The unmet basic needs in life can easily be blamed on lack of wealth and cause depression, stress, anxiety, and unhappiness. Yet if you were to ask anyone what one thing in their lives brings them the most happiness, most would not answer it would be any kind of relation to money or wealth, rather it would be love, family, or health (Baumgardner & Crothers, 2009). When we consider how happiness and wealth relates to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs the lack of wealth can lead to unhappiness when basic needs are not met. One could also wonder if happiness is achieved when all levels of Maslow’s hierarchy are met. One could also wonder if complete happiness can be achieved if just basic needs are met. For...
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...|[pic] |Course Syllabus | | |College of Social Sciences | | |PSY/220 Version 4 | | |Positive Psychology | Copyright © 2012, 2009. 2007 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description How much control does a person have over his or her thoughts, feelings, and behaviors? What does it mean to be “free”? PSY/220 offers students a contemporary and relevant approach to the study of psychology and the opportunity to learn more about themselves in the process. In this course, students evaluate, understand, and build on their psychological strengths and those of others. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies...
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...Wealth, Happiness, and the National Economy, Is There A Paradox? Question Does a healthy national economy increase the happiness of the nation’s citizens? Background America is still recovering from the greatest recession sense the Great Depression and many countries around the world are now struggling with bad economies, unemployment, and massive debt. But why are governments so concerned about the economy? Governments care because it is believed that a better national economy leads to a better quality of life for the nation’s citizens. So, governments spend billions of dollars as an attempt to help the nation’s economy grow, which should lead to a better life for the nation’s citizens. This seems like it has good intentions, but many governments borrow the money they use for this spending and that only creates new problems. In the United States, the total debt is greater than its total economic output, and this debt will only hinder future and long term growth. On top of all that, the idea that a better national economy will make the citizens happier overall contradicts the idea that money doesn’t buy happiness. Does this mean that money actually does buy happiness, or does it mean that the economy doesn’t have anything to do with people’s happiness? Some regions are poorer than the United States and yet are happier, an example is Latin America. Other richer countries, like the United States, Japan, and China have had great economic growth over the past few...
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...Happiness can be defined in many ways. Everyone has their own perspective of what happiness is and how to achieve the emotion. Textbook definitions of happiness suggests that happiness is state of well-being and is an intense feeling. To some people happiness is found in material things while another will feel the emotion for simply having good health. Is it possible for an individual’s culture to influence what he or she believes to bring happiness? The answer to this question is what makes the world fascinating and thought-provoking. When one’s specific desire is fulfilled, feelings of happiness flourish. Therefore, happiness is the ultimate goal in life for many people in today’s society because their life revolves around desire. The paradox of affluence can be seen throughout America. People are in despair between the material well-being perception of happiness and the psychological perception of happiness (Baumgardner & Crothers, 2009). That said, everyone’s interpretation of happiness varies. For example; the American culture is bombarded with technology that is continuously progressing and the emphasis on the way to achieve happiness in American culture is misguided. It is important to note that the way happiness is portrayed for example in the United States, the portrait of the perfect family, the perfect job, and no problems everybody looks happy; this would be a stereotype of what happiness looks like. From what I know, we’re happy when we have what we are looking for...
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...includes shortages of all our resources, war and social conflict, limits on personal freedom, overcrowding in large cities and the health and survival of other species. In the last fifty years, there have been a vast number of people and organizations rising up and speaking against this problem, searching for a solution to this detrimental issue. Howmany?.org is just one of many organizations that are empowering people to find the best population size for Earth. They do this through outreach and advocacy programs that are created to add population into conversations and get people thinking. While overpopulation is not the only cause of environmental problems, it is a root cause that people should be aware of. Growth in population, affluence, and technology are jointly responsible for environmental problems concerning overconsumption. We use technology to produce and gather most of our resources. While technology helps make life easier for most of us, it has a big negative impact on the environment by producing waste and sometimes leading to extinction of species. We are in the midst of one of the greatest extinctions of other species in the history of the planet. The last one of this magnitude was over 60 million years ago, when the dinosaurs became extinct. (Howmany?.org) We either...
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...The Misanthrope – Moliere The Masks We Wear Moral character types emerged during the latter stages of Greek literature, specifically in the new comedy of Menander; preceded by the creation of Theophrastus’ stock characters, which were based on observation of everyday life. First introduced to audiences in 1666, Moliere staged The Misanthrope in the upper-class salon of Celimene. Essentially, the salon is a microcosm of the royal court. In between duties at Louis XIV’s court, the elite townspeople gathered to converse, trade compliments, exchange insults, and scrutinize one another. French society was defined by courtly norms, which, amusingly were being refined on a constant basis. The Misanthrope, often referred to as not only a comedy of manners, but a comedy of character, as well, was theater that functioned as a reflection of its spectators in order to enact social change. Moliere based his plays on French farce and commedia dell’arte. Plots of deception interspersed with objective play represented French farce, while commedia dell’arte had set situations, unrehearsed dialogue, and actors in masks representing a specific character type. The combination of the two was perfectly aligned in The Misanthrope as Moliere utilized the stock characters to introduce stylized production and dialogue. By placing the stock characters into a society of his own time with dialogue reflective of his present day circumstances, Moliere created individuality in his characters that allowed...
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...Most Americans standing before the Empire State Building do not stare beyond its facade and question the history that has made it one of New York City's most prized landmarks. It is often viewed two-dimensionally, as a vertical line amongst other vertical lines in an impressive skyline. However, the Empire State Building is not so much a building as a capsule encompassing a three-dimensional space loaded with histories. It is necessary to address these histories dynamically, and from multiple historical angles in order to gain a more complete and multi-faceted understanding of the building. To discuss the Empire State Building, this paper will look beyond its presence as a building and question its history on a micro level, as well as the history it produced on a macro level, from the impact it had on the lives of poor laborers, to its impact throughout the entire nation and the rest of the world. This discussion of the Empire State will start at the beginning, and address two characters that were foundational to its creation. The first of these men is John Jacob Raskob, the financial support that was necessary for the building's realization. Raskob chose real estate as a venue in which to invest because it was popularly regarded as safe and secure (Tauranac 98). He was not interested in investing in something that was perceived as glamorous and rather chose the path he imagined to have the least risk. The second man is Alfred E. Smith; he became a spokesperson of sorts to the...
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...PUPILS’ PERCEPTION OF CABLE TELEVISION PROGRAMMES AS DETERMINANT OF READING HABITS AND ATTITUDES IN UNIVERSITY STAFF SCHOOLS IN SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA BY FLORENCE ADEOLA, OMOBA A proposal in the Department of ABADINA MEDIA RESOURCE CENTRE submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY of the UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN TABLE OF CONTENT INTRODUCTION * Background to the study * Statement of the problem * Objective of the study * Research questions and research hypothesis * Significance of the study * Scope of the study * Operational definition of terms REVIEW OF LITERATURE * Theoretical frame work * Empirical orientation * Reading habit * Reading attitude * Television * School libraries RESEARCH METHODOLOGY * Research design * Population and sampling technique * Research instrument * Validation and reliability of instruments * Data collection procedure * Data analysis REFERENCES APPENDIXES CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION John Walson, an appliance storeowner in a small town of Mahanoy, had difficulty selling television sets to local residents because reception in the area was poor. The problem seemed to be the location of the town in a valley and nearly 90 air miles from the Philadelphia television transmitters. Naturally, signals could not pass through mountains and clear reception was virtually impossible except on the ridges outside of town. It...
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...Society & Architectural Design Architecture is defined as the complex or carefully designed structure of an object. In this case architecture can apply to a variety of different examples that are not just buildings, or objects, but as a reflection upon the thoughts and ideas of the time period in history. In this essay I will be discussing the dramatic impact that architecture has had on the major civilizations throughout time by being able to display them in their works, which not only was a clear representation of the time but as well helped mold and solidify the society’s thoughts through expression. By taking examples from ancient to modern times I will examine how the architecture of these eras clearly displays the thoughts and ideas of the culture in which it was built upon and as well the society in which it is placed. As well I will be examining how several major key architects played a dynamic role in these critical showcases that represented their time. I will be taking architectural examples from; the ancient Egyptian time period, the gothic and medieval time period, the renaissance & pre-modern period and the now contemporary period. Each one of these unique periods of time in architectural design were clear representation of the dynamic time period in our history. Here, looking back at these time periods we can see the most incredible works in architectural design that still to this day help us understand the culture at the time. As well I will be...
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...Journal of Economic Perspectives—Volume 29, Number 3—Summer 2015—Pages 3–30 Why Are There Still So Many Jobs? The History and Future of Workplace Automation† David H. Autor T here have been periodic warnings in the last two centuries that automation and new technology were going to wipe out large numbers of middle class jobs. The best-known early example is the Luddite movement of the early 19th century, in which a group of English textile artisans protested the automation of textile production by seeking to destroy some of the machines. A lesser-known but more recent example is the concern over “The Automation Jobless,” as they were called in the title of a TIME magazine story of February 24, 1961: The number of jobs lost to more efficient machines is only part of the problem. What worries many job experts more is that automation may prevent the economy from creating enough new jobs. . . . Throughout industry, the trend has been to bigger production with a smaller work force. . . . Many of the losses in factory jobs have been countered by an increase in the service industries or in office jobs. But automation is beginning to move in and eliminate office jobs too. . . . In the past, new industries hired far more people than those they put out of business. But this is not true of many of today’s new industries. . . . Today’s new industries have comparatively few jobs for the unskilled or semiskilled, just the class of workers whose jobs are being eliminated...
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...Page 1 – ASIA PACIFIC 2012 Copyright © ESOMAR 2012 “SO MANY DIFFERENT SUNS” HOW SUCCESSFUL BRANDS HIT THE CONFLUX OF AFFORDABILITY AND ASPIRATION Shobha Prasad • Sangeeta Gupta INTRODUCTION All of us are familiar with the current industry focus on emerging markets. It is also no surprise that the larger consuming population in these markets lies not at the top end, but towards the middle and lower ends of the income pyramid. This is also where marketers struggle the most – how should the offer be constructed to ensure it is affordable yet desirable? The proposed Theory of Multiple Aspiration & Poverty Lines (MAPL) represented a new and stratified approach to understanding affluence, poverty and aspiration. This has many implications on brand positioning and portfolio strategies for creation of winning brands or “suns”. Objective The objective of this paper was to take this thinking forward through an exploration as follows: Broadly, what are the implications of the Multiple Aspiration & Poverty Lines (MAPL) theory for brand positioning, communication and portfolio management? What drives brand success in the Indian context? What strategies have these brands used to achieve success- to what degree are these brands wedded to symbols of aspiration /belongingness in each social class? How did the brands that were not so successful in the Indian market falter on making the right connections on these dimensions? Approach We identified product categories through which...
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...small classic of English literature, was visiting the abbey himself, on a twenty-five-mile walk with a friend, but failed to see that this might qualify him for the detested designation. As for the behavior that occasioned his horror, it seems pretty mild by today's standards--the people he later execrated were "postured among the ruins in an attitude of admiration, one of them of course discoursing learnedly to his gaping companion and pointing out objects of interest with his stick." It was the stick, apparently, that did it. "If there is one thing more hateful than another," the curate fulminated into his journal that night, "it is being told what to admire and having objects pointed out to one with a stick." Later that summer, the paradox sharpens almost unbearably, as Kilvert turns incontrovertibly into a tourist--he goes on holiday to Land's End in Cornwall, the westernmost tip of England--yet the excoriation grows more intense. Tourists are "beasts" and "rabble"; they are loud, rude and insolent, "grinning like dogs." A good kicking, he surmises, might make them...
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...Contemplating Realities and Paradoxes in the Global War on Terror John B. Alexander, Ph.D. Introduction The approach of this monograph is to examine paradoxes encountered in the Global War on Terror (GWOT). The intent is to spark debate on disputatious issues. Clearly, many of the existing situations appear intractable given the emotional investment that has been made by the public, and exacerbated by political manipulation of elected officials. Also unavoidable are the fiscal constraints that are becoming increasingly binding. Examined in Section One are problematic premises related to the four fundamental approaches to countering terrorism; increased security, eliminating the terrorists, attacking the support infrastructure, and altering conditions that breed discontent. Despite trite, albeit politically popular, commentary proposing those methods, execution of those concepts is extremely difficult, often controversial, and sometimes counterproductive. Section Two of this monograph addresses several other policy decisions that generate problems that are difficult to resolve, but directly impact the forces involved. Among those topics are; roles of contractors, individual loyalties versus national interests, alliances of convenience, foreign response to our policy on preemption of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), the consequences of our stated objective of spreading democracy, the impact of U.S. presence in the Gulf region, and quandary associated with defining...
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