Affluenza is an addiction to a standard of economic growth that can never be achieved. It leads to a range of depressed, unfulfilled feelings that are surrounded by stress and debt (Hamilton & Denniss, 2005). It is a psychological condition that is extremely common in western societies such as Australia and the United States of America. It can be suggested that these rich societies have a collective psychological disorder as affluenza is a condition that acts on a societal level permeating down to the individual. The socio-psychological effects of affluenza include a delusional attitude towards debt, an effluent and overworked society, and a low quality of life.
A major psychological effect of affluenza is the way people view saving and the risks of debt. Affluenza has produced societies which cannot wait to have something and as a result many people owe more than what they can afford to pay. Affluenza causes people to want to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ and often people convince themselves that they are saving money because they are buying items on sale (Hamilton & Denniss, 2005).
Affluenza creates a psychological delusion about debt. Instead of an individual seeing debt as something which causes them to attain fewer things, they see it as something where they attain more. According to the Insolvency and Trustee Service of Australia (2004) in 2003-04 almost 21,000 Australians filed for bankruptcy. Studies also found that eighteen year old men and women have filed for bankruptcy due to not being able to pay phone bills of up to five thousand dollars (Dun and Bradstreet, 2002). Affluenza has caused a society that welcomes debt and it could be argued that in westernized countries young people are encouraged to disown responsibility and live impulsively – money is no object.
Not only though has affluenza created societies with the psychological mind-set that debt and excessive spending is okay, and even attractive, but it has destroyed the link between responsibility and spending. People do not buy what they can afford; they borrow money and buy the lifestyle they are told they should afford and deserve (Brennan, 2004). Psychologically, affluenza causes people to live in a delusion and creates a society of individuals buying things to impress people that they probably do not even like.
A major psychological effect of affluenza is the way people view saving and the risks of debt. Affluenza has produced societies which cannot wait to have something and as a result many people owe more than what they can afford to pay. Affluenza causes people to want to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ and often people convince themselves that they are saving money because they are buying items on sale (Hamilton & Denniss, 2005).
Affluenza creates a psychological delusion about debt. Instead of an individual seeing debt as something which causes them to attain fewer things, they see it as something where they attain more. According to the Insolvency and Trustee Service of Australia (2004) in 2003-04 almost 21,000 Australians filed for bankruptcy. Studies also found that eighteen year old men and women have filed for bankruptcy due to not being able to pay phone bills of up to five thousand dollars (Dun and Bradstreet, 2002). Affluenza has caused a society that welcomes debt and it could be argued that in westernized countries young people are encouraged to disown responsibility and live impulsively – money is no object.
Not only though has affluenza created societies with the psychological mind-set that debt and excessive spending is okay, and even attractive, but it has destroyed the link between responsibility and spending. People do not buy what they can afford; they borrow money and buy the lifestyle they are told they should afford and deserve (Brennan, 2004). Psychologically, affluenza causes people to live in a delusion and creates a society of individuals buying things to impress people that they probably do not even like.
Another one of the primary effects of the ‘affluenza epidemic’ is the creation of an effluent society. Affluenza causes people to want more than what they need. This leads to incredible amounts of wastage. A study done in America (US Department of Agriculture, 2004) found that in 2001 an estimate of forty three billion dollars worth of food was thrown away and wasted. Not only does this have enormous ramifications for the environment, but it creates a society with the psychological mindset that resources are there to be devoured and consumed as wanted (Hamilton & Denniss, 2005).
In a world with limited resources, affluenza creates a limitless appetite for more. Western societies make consuming pathological (De Graaf, Wann & Naylor, 2001) as not only does wealth fail to bring a person any satisfaction, but the effects of affluenza increase as a person’s satisfaction decreases. This causes a downward spiral of wastefulness and discontentment.
According to Honeywell (2004), Australians marketers are no longer meeting peoples needs, they are providing leisure and mood enhancement as people do not buy products often for anything more than the thrill of purchase. This creates massive amounts of unnecessary buying and wastage in society.
Affluenza is also causing societies to increase their work load. In Australia, forty two percent of men work more than forty five hours per week, which is the equivalent of nine hours each day (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2003). Despite the ideal set by affluenza that prosperity brings freedom from work, westernized or prosperous countries are still working very hard, long hours and the demands set on employees in the work place are only increasing (Hamilton & Denniss, 2005).
The work ideal of affluenza is caused by ‘deferred happiness syndrome’ (Hamilton, 2004) which suggests that people continue through difficult situations with the belief that it will pay off over the long term. Often, however, people who endure years of struggling with a future point of accomplishment in mind, neglect other aspects of their well-being. This neglect may ultimately jeopardize that future ideal that had been planned.
Many Australians neglect their spouse and their children with the plan to ‘make up for it’ in the years to come. A national News Poll survey (2004) found that men are more likely to do this than women. Studies have also found that overworked employees are more likely to face various psychological effects on their lifestyles, such as obesity and alcoholism (Dawson, McCulloch & Baker, 2001). The effects of overworking have also been found to include mental illnesses, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, headaches and sleep disorders.
Affluenza has caused societies to increasingly discourage rest and recuperation. Affluenza demands individuals work hard, with the illusion that there is something good in the future, despite living the out-of-balance, workaholic lifestyle.
It can also be suggested that affluenza causes a societal decrease in quality of life. Despite large improvements in the economy of westernized countries people are actually declining in their purpose and fulfillment in life. A consumer driven society influences people to think that an increase in wealth will provide an increase in contentment. The western public is constantly bombarded with advertisements selling ‘must have’ products. It tells consumers that more ‘stuff’ will mean guaranteed success and happiness. However, psychological problems occur because the happiness and success that marketers and commercials promise has been proven to be shallow and unachievable.
Research by Kaser (2002) argues that when individuals, or an entire nation, make progress economically, the most that they experience is a superficial high. He also found that these materialistic values actually work against the development of intimate relationships and interpersonal connections, two pivotal aspects of high quality of life and psychological well being.
Affluenza (Hamilton & Denniss, 2005) has also been found to cause a decrease in quality of life as it has augmented drug dependence, obesity, loneliness, anxiety and compulsive behaviours. It causes severe confusion of what it takes to make life and living worthwhile (Schor, 1998).
Even though the decades between World War II and the 1990s saw the greatest amount of economic growth in America (Seligman, 1990), depression in the United States increased ten times and the World Health Organisation and World Bank (Murray & Lopez, 1996) suggest that by 2020 it will be the world’s second most prevalent disease. Affluenza is damaging the psychological well-being of western societies and defusing quality of life on a nation wide scale.
In conclusion, Affluenza is a condition in which an individual lives in delusion of attainable and undefined levels of achievement. People run themselves into debt and frustration simply to maintain a lifestyle that they cannot be content with. They lose resourcefulness and common sense with spending. Affluenza creates a psychological mind-set that convinces a person that they are free from responsibility and accountability and creates a wasteful attitude at a societal level. Affluenza causes people to work hard and neglect important aspects of their physical and psychological well-being under the motivation of perceived future happiness. It creates a myriad of psychological problems through stress, depression, anxiety and other disorders. Affluenza is a psychological mindset which works at a societal level. It demands that individuals strive after and live for an unreachable level of success, and it comes at the compromise of their quality of life.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics, (2003). Labour Force Australia. Australian Bureau of Statistics,
Canberra.
Brennan, P. (2004). Exports a chink in Howard’s economic armour. Sydney Morning Herald.
Dawson, D., McCulloch, K., & Baker, A. (2001). Extended Working Hours in Australia.
Department of Industrial Relations, Centre of Sleep Research, University of South
Australia, Adelaide.
De Graaf, J., Wann, D., & Naylor, T. (2001). Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic. Berret-
Koehler Publishers, San Francisco.
Dun and Bradstreet, (2002). D&B expands call centre capacity with Datacom to meet growth in
debt business. www.dnb.com/about/media/press/>
Hamilton, C. (2004). Carpe Diem? The Deferred Happiness Syndrome. The Australia Instituate,
Canberra.
Hamilton, C., & Denniss, R. (2005). Affluenza: When Too Much is Never Enough. Allan &
Unwin, Crows Nest.
Honeywell, R. (2004). Consumption Therapy. Sydney Morning Herald.
Insolvency and Trustee Service of Australia (2004). Annual Report. Insolvency and Trustee
Service of Australia, Canberra
Kaser, T. (2002). The High Price of Materialism. MIT Press, Cambridge. 59, 72
Murray, C., & Lopez, A. (1996). The Burden of Global Disease: Summary. WHO & World
Bank, Geneva.
Schor, J. (1998). The Overspent American. Harper Collins, New York.
Seligman, M. (1990). Why is there so much depression today? The waxing of the individual and
the waning of the commons. Contemporary Psychological Approaches to Depression. Plenum Press, New York.
US Department of Agriculture (2004). A Citizens Guide to Food Recovery. US Department of
Agriculture, www.usda.gov/news/pubs/gleaning/two.htm
In a world with limited resources, affluenza creates a limitless appetite for more. Western societies make consuming pathological (De Graaf, Wann & Naylor, 2001) as not only does wealth fail to bring a person any satisfaction, but the effects of affluenza increase as a person’s satisfaction decreases. This causes a downward spiral of wastefulness and discontentment.
According to Honeywell (2004), Australians marketers are no longer meeting peoples needs, they are providing leisure and mood enhancement as people do not buy products often for anything more than the thrill of purchase. This creates massive amounts of unnecessary buying and wastage in society.
Affluenza is also causing societies to increase their work load. In Australia, forty two percent of men work more than forty five hours per week, which is the equivalent of nine hours each day (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2003). Despite the ideal set by affluenza that prosperity brings freedom from work, westernized or prosperous countries are still working very hard, long hours and the demands set on employees in the work place are only increasing (Hamilton & Denniss, 2005).
The work ideal of affluenza is caused by ‘deferred happiness syndrome’ (Hamilton, 2004) which suggests that people continue through difficult situations with the belief that it will pay off over the long term. Often, however, people who endure years of struggling with a future point of accomplishment in mind, neglect other aspects of their well-being. This neglect may ultimately jeopardize that future ideal that had been planned.
Many Australians neglect their spouse and their children with the plan to ‘make up for it’ in the years to come. A national News Poll survey (2004) found that men are more likely to do this than women. Studies have also found that overworked employees are more likely to face various psychological effects on their lifestyles, such as obesity and alcoholism (Dawson, McCulloch & Baker, 2001). The effects of overworking have also been found to include mental illnesses, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, headaches and sleep disorders.
Affluenza has caused societies to increasingly discourage rest and recuperation. Affluenza demands individuals work hard, with the illusion that there is something good in the future, despite living the out-of-balance, workaholic lifestyle.
It can also be suggested that affluenza causes a societal decrease in quality of life. Despite large improvements in the economy of westernized countries people are actually declining in their purpose and fulfillment in life. A consumer driven society influences people to think that an increase in wealth will provide an increase in contentment. The western public is constantly bombarded with advertisements selling ‘must have’ products. It tells consumers that more ‘stuff’ will mean guaranteed success and happiness. However, psychological problems occur because the happiness and success that marketers and commercials promise has been proven to be shallow and unachievable.
Research by Kaser (2002) argues that when individuals, or an entire nation, make progress economically, the most that they experience is a superficial high. He also found that these materialistic values actually work against the development of intimate relationships and interpersonal connections, two pivotal aspects of high quality of life and psychological well being.
Affluenza (Hamilton & Denniss, 2005) has also been found to cause a decrease in quality of life as it has augmented drug dependence, obesity, loneliness, anxiety and compulsive behaviours. It causes severe confusion of what it takes to make life and living worthwhile (Schor, 1998).
Even though the decades between World War II and the 1990s saw the greatest amount of economic growth in America (Seligman, 1990), depression in the United States increased ten times and the World Health Organisation and World Bank (Murray & Lopez, 1996) suggest that by 2020 it will be the world’s second most prevalent disease. Affluenza is damaging the psychological well-being of western societies and defusing quality of life on a nation wide scale.
In conclusion, Affluenza is a condition in which an individual lives in delusion of attainable and undefined levels of achievement. People run themselves into debt and frustration simply to maintain a lifestyle that they cannot be content with. They lose resourcefulness and common sense with spending. Affluenza creates a psychological mind-set that convinces a person that they are free from responsibility and accountability and creates a wasteful attitude at a societal level. Affluenza causes people to work hard and neglect important aspects of their physical and psychological well-being under the motivation of perceived future happiness. It creates a myriad of psychological problems through stress, depression, anxiety and other disorders. Affluenza is a psychological mindset which works at a societal level. It demands that individuals strive after and live for an unreachable level of success, and it comes at the compromise of their quality of life.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics, (2003). Labour Force Australia. Australian Bureau of Statistics,
Canberra.
Brennan, P. (2004). Exports a chink in Howard’s economic armour. Sydney Morning Herald.
Dawson, D., McCulloch, K., & Baker, A. (2001). Extended Working Hours in Australia.
Department of Industrial Relations, Centre of Sleep Research, University of South
Australia, Adelaide.
De Graaf, J., Wann, D., & Naylor, T. (2001). Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic. Berret-
Koehler Publishers, San Francisco.
Dun and Bradstreet, (2002). D&B expands call centre capacity with Datacom to meet growth in
debt business. www.dnb.com/about/media/press/>
Hamilton, C. (2004). Carpe Diem? The Deferred Happiness Syndrome. The Australia Instituate,
Canberra.
Hamilton, C., & Denniss, R. (2005). Affluenza: When Too Much is Never Enough. Allan &
Unwin, Crows Nest.
Honeywell, R. (2004). Consumption Therapy. Sydney Morning Herald.
Insolvency and Trustee Service of Australia (2004). Annual Report. Insolvency and Trustee
Service of Australia, Canberra
Kaser, T. (2002). The High Price of Materialism. MIT Press, Cambridge. 59, 72
Murray, C., & Lopez, A. (1996). The Burden of Global Disease: Summary. WHO & World
Bank, Geneva.
Schor, J. (1998). The Overspent American. Harper Collins, New York.
Seligman, M. (1990). Why is there so much depression today? The waxing of the individual and
the waning of the commons. Contemporary Psychological Approaches to Depression. Plenum Press, New York.
US Department of Agriculture (2004). A Citizens Guide to Food Recovery. US Department of
Agriculture, www.usda.gov/news/pubs/gleaning/two.htm
