Affluenza

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.

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

Teachers as Leaders

Half of today's lecture was on leadership - a topic I found helpful to hear about as I am training to become a teacher. Here are my insights on the way teachers need to be leaders.
Teachers can lead most effectively through relationship. Students will not respond to authoritarian leadership to the same effectiveness as leadership which values people. It is important for teachers to develop a rapport with the students in their class in order to guide them through their learning.
I think that it is important for teacher to have the traits put forward in the 'Great Person Theory.' They need to be ambitious and energetic, they need contextual knowledge, they need to have a desire to lead students, have honesty and integrity and to be self confident and intelligent.
Teachers cannot be followers (at least in the context of a classroom). They need to have the motivation and vision to inspire and direct students into realms of learning that they have never experienced yet need to conquer.
Many teachers I have experienced lack vision and a drive to get up and inspire people. They have no enthusiasm and little energy for what they do. This makes them very ineffective.
I believe that they most effective teachers are the ones who naturally fill their role as a leader, a leader in learning.

Attitude Change (Essay & Concept Map)

ABSTRACT: In order to accomplish effective attitude change certain elements of the attitude itself must be addressed. An attitude has three components: a mental component, behavioural component and an emotional component. Effective attitude change programs include methods and tools which appeal to these components of the attitude.

Attitude Change

According to psychologists Egley and Chaiken (1993) attitudes are a psychological or internal state made known through viewing an entity with approval or disapproval. Attitudes (Larson, 2007) have a cognitive function, an affective (or emotional) function and a behavioural function. That is, attitudes are learned, they can be affected or driven by feelings and they can be indicators of future actions.
Attitude change programs are programs designed to address and remove harmful attitudes and replace them with beneficial attitudes. Social change programs are programs which address attitudes on a societal level. Some examples include cancer screening, drink driving and anti-smoking campaigns. According to Fazio (1989), attitudes are triggered automatically which suggests that attitude change needs to be dealt with in a strategic manner. The cognitive, affective and behavioural functions of an attitude need to be addressed within attitude change programs in order for them to be a success. This essay aims to provide the theoretical basis and research evidence of three key elements required for attitude change and for success in attitude change programs. These three elements are based on the functions of an attitude and include an appeal to an individual’s reasoning and beliefs, an appeal to an individual’s feelings or emotions, and an appeal to an individual’s current and future actions.

The first element or factor of success required for an attitude change program is an appeal to the individual’s reasoning and belief. Attitudes have a cognitive function and individuals develop attitudes based on their experience, learned values and personal thoughts and ideas. Attitude change programs need to appeal to a person’s thinking. Research completed by Schrader (1999) found that attitudes are less likely to change if the information and message presented to influence the individual’s thinking is too complex or ambiguous. If information is presented in this way the individual will dismiss the ideas as unworkable and inappropriate. It can be suggested then that as attitude change programs appeal to a person’s intellect or thinking concerning a particular attitude, it is required that the information is concise, relevant, meaningful and understandable.
For example, the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (2007) implemented a societal attitude change program called the National Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign. The campaign ran successfully from November 2006 until February 2007. The campaign used media releases including television, printed and radio advertisements. The campaign made the information of the risk of skin cancer meaningful and concise as the main header for the awareness was a real life story of an Australian citizen.
According to Manfredo (1992) information presented in an attitude change campaign must also be an argument that is relevant to the individual. The National Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign achieved relevance to the Australian public as it appealed to the summer climate and encouraged Australians in certain steps that were already a practical part of Australian summer living. These included wearing a hat, protective clothing and sunglasses, seeking shade and wearing water proof, SPF30+ sunscreen and reapplying every two hours.


Attitudes have an affective or emotional function. That is, they can be affected and changed according to an individual’s feelings. Often attitude change programs attempt to create a message that will engage a viewer or listener’s emotions. According to Schiffman and Kanuk (1997) an individual allows their attitude towards a particular product or issue to be influenced by socially significant persons or towards causes with which they have amiable feelings. For example, a person may have a passive attitude toward recycling until it is linked with a desirable cause such as saving wildlife. Societal and attitude change programs often use celebrities or experts to endorse their message. This attempts to induce feelings of trust or enthusiasm of a new attitude. Some attitude change programs use an opposite method and induce feelings of fear or insecurity to change an individual or a societal attitude through scare tactics.
An example of an attitude change program that uses scare tactics is the anti-smoking, National Tobacco Campaign implemented by the Commonwealth of Australia (1997). The campaign uses warnings and graphic images on the labels of cigarette packets and commercials on television to attempt to alter the dismissive and avoidant attitudes of smokers to the potential harm they are exposing themselves to by smoking. The cigarette packet labels and television commercials show a range of images of potential cancers and other health risks that are caused by smoking.
Research was done by Roskos-Ewoldson (2004) on the effectiveness of scare tactics in attitude modification programs. The research used an attitude accessibility framework to assess the attitudes towards breast cancer screening and self-breast exams. The research found that high-efficacy messages that told the individual that they could be empowered to do something worthwhile about the problem resulted in a change in attitude. This made the individual more receptive to undergo breast screening and doing self-breast examinations at home. The research found that the use of fear-inducing messages actually decreased the likelihood of a change in attitude, resulting in passivity towards screening and breast exams. It should be taken into account, however, that receptiveness may change according to the group or society as well as the issue that the program is addressing. Either way, the research and theory proposed show, that in order for successful attitude change to take place, a program must address the emotional element that helps to form and adjust attitudes.

Finally, attitudes have a behavioural function. Attitudes affect an individual’s actions and choices. Research done by Downing, Judd and Brauer (1992) suggests that the more one outwardly expresses an attitude the more it will increase in its strength. It can be suggested then that successful attitude change programs address the behavioural function of an attitude and allow the individual to practise the behaviour associated with the newly learned attitude.
The Commonwealth of Australia (2007) has implemented the Healthy Active Australia campaign. This campaign not only changes the attitude of an individual or group but gives them practical steps to implement and express their decisive attitude towards a healthy, active lifestyle. The campaign offers practical advice on healthy eating, overcoming obesity, physical activity and active living for children, teenagers, parents, adults and senior citizens. The campaign has also established government supported activities such as the Around Australia in 40 Days Walking Challenge, the Healthy Active Ambassador Program, a National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, a new Healthy Weight website, the Active After-School Communities program and the Active School Curriculum. A number of resources are also available to allow individuals and groups to put into practise a pro-health attitude. These resources include guidelines and recommendations for various population groups, on physical activity and healthy eating, physical activity guidelines for adults and for children aged five to twelve and twelve to eighteen, as well as various dietary guidelines for different age groups.
According to the theory of reasoned behaviour discussed by Gass and Seiter (2003) a person’s behaviour, is influenced by the person’s intentions of behaviour which are shaped by the individual’s attitude. If an attitude change program aims to be fully successful in addressing the behaviour function of an attitude, first of all it must equip the individual to change their thinking and attitude towards an attitude object. The second step is to equip them to change their intentions of behaviour and then to equip them to form new habits and behaviour to suit the changed attitude. In the example given of the Healthy Active Australian campaign the program offers Australians a chance to not only change their view and attitude toward a healthy lifestyle, but it gives them a variety of resources to implement the necessary behaviour to express the changed attitude.


In conclusion, attitude change is aeffected by three elements. It is affected by the cognitive function of an attitude, the affective function of an attitude, and the behavioural function of an attitude. Successful attitude change programs and campaigns should address these three aspects of attitude and attitude change.
Attitude change programs need to appeal to a person’s thinking and reasoning. They must also present information that is concise and practical as well as appeal to a person’s current knowledge and experience. Attitude change programs or campaigns are required to have relevant information in order to be successful and effective.
Successful attitude change programs should also address the emotional function of the attitude, whether it is through scare tactics or through inducing feelings of confidence and empowerment within the individual. It is important that attitude change initiatives engage the individual in a context that they find meaningful and worthwhile.
Attitude change programs or campaigns also need to equip an individual to effectuate their changed attitude in order to strengthen it. They must provide resources and support so that individuals or groups can effectively express the behaviours associated with their new attitude.
Overall, these three components must be implemented together in order for attitude change to take place and for an effective and successful program to be completed.





References

Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (2007). The National Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign. www.skincancer.gov.au

Commonwealth of Australia (1997). The National Tobacco Campaign. Quit Now www.quitnow.info.au

Commonwealth of Australia (2005). Healthy Active Australia. Healthy Active Australia, www.healthyactive.gov.au

Downing, J. W., Judd, C. M., & Brauer, M. (1992). Effects of repeated expressions on attitude extremity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 17-29

Egley, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The Psychology of Attitudes. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York.

Fazio, R. H. (1989). On the power and functionality of attitudes: The role of attitude accessibility. In Pratkanis, A. R., Breckler, S. J., & Greenwald, A. G., Attitude Structure and Function. Hillsdale, Erlbaum.

Gass, R. H., & Seiter, J. S., (2003). Persuasion, Social Influence and Compliance Gaining. Pearson Education, United States of America. 2

Larson, C. U. (2007). Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility. Thomson Wadsworth, California.

Manfredo, M. J. (1992). Influencing Human Behaviour: Theory and Applications in Recreation, Tourism, and Natural Resources Management. Sagamore Publishing, Illinois.

Roskos-Ewoldson, D. R. (2004). Fear appeal messages affect accessibility of attitudes toward the threat and adaptive behaviours. Communication Monographs. 49-69

Schiffman, L., & Kanuk L., (1997). Consumer Behaviour. Prentice Hall, New Jersey.

The Blue Eye/Brown Eye Workshop

I found the blue eye/brown eye DVD very interesting in today's tutorial. I think it is an effective method of opening people's eyes to the discrimination that is shown to certain ethnic or social groups in our society.
However, I think there is potential with this scenario to also increase anger and prejudice between races.
In today's lecture Prof. Mac talked about the 'Optimal Conditions for Contact' Hypotheses. The hypothesis is based upon the fact that racism and prejudice occurs when groups are ignorant of one another. The blue eye/brown eye workshop allows two groups to have contact with each other but I was not so sure that it actually used the 'Optimal Conditions for Contact.'
The 'Optimal Conditions for Contact' hypothesis states that the optimal conditions for contact are a) for people to be of equal status, b) it is a positive experience and c) out group members are perceived as typical.
I'm not so sure that the blue eye/brown eye workshop had these conditions because a) the two groups were not of equal status, b) there were may negative experiences (e.g. Terry) and c) the out groups members were not necessarily perceived as typical.

Just some thoughts that I had. I may be wrong... I do believe that this exercises does make people aware of the dangers that are created through prejudices.

Attitudes & Prejudice

I have been working on my essay due in week 8 and found what I have done so far very much related to the lecture and tutorials today on prejudice.
I have chosen the 'attitude change' question for my essay and I think that attitudes have a strong link with prejudices. In my essay preparation I found that attitudes are influenced by three psychological factors: the ABC triad. So I felt very reassured when in this morning's lecture Prof. Mac pointed out that prejudices are also influenced by the ABC triad.
I was also happy to see, through today's lecture and tutorial, the applications that the topic of prejudice (and attitudes) has to teaching and the classroom. I think that a lot of a person's prejudices and attitudes are influenced by a cognitive factor. This means that a major contributions to a person's attitudes and prejudices are what they have learned.
This point puts a rather large responsibility on teachers and they must ask the question of what and how are they teaching their students to think socially? And what kind of attitudes are they fostering in their students towards the differences of others? Negative attitudes turn into negative prejudices which are a major part of bullying in schools. An excellent Australian Web Site for dealing with racism in schools is the Racism, no way site: www.racismnoway.com.au

Initial Thoughts...

After the first tutorial (and two lectures now) I am beginning to see a very wide application of the area of social psychology. The social self permeates and effects all aspects of our lives. Now, you might be thinking that I'm stating the obvious and I would agree with you.

As an education student doing this unit I am very interested to see the many links that will occur between social psychology and education. I look forward to the ways that this unit will assist my development as a teacher in becoming one who understands more thoroughly the ins and outs of the many different types of relationship that occur in the school setting.
I am looking forward to being able to apply what I learn on professional experience in schools, while I'm a student teacher as well as when I graduate...