Materialism is bigger than a phase, a lifestyle; it is an enduring mindset.
It refers to simply focusing on material possessions; however, its practice to an extremity can not only lead to clouded judgement, such as measuring love in terms of material things, but can drift a mind from intellectual and spiritual concepts, and deteriorate one’s character. It is also a doctrine which erupted from the west, that success is equivalent to money or material possessions.
Even in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the interior monologue led by Philip Pirrip, explicitly known as Pip, delineates how Pip becomes bewitched by Estella’s beauty and Miss Havisham’s luxury. When the circumstances are analyzed, Pip, being an adolescent, is attracted to lavish lifestyles, and this eventually leads to profound damage to his self-esteem. This indicates that Charles had been able to determine the age bracket in which one is most vulnerable to developing the mindset of materialism.
Psychological studies find that there are two things that determine how materialistic teens are. The first is, intentionally or unintentionally, adults, including parents, peers and celebrities, socialize and model this concept. When the environment is such, teenagers are likely to follow and care more about wealth and luxury. Media outlets and social media are particularly major culprits of this circumstance.
The second is the degree to which the needs of teens are being fulfilled. When we feel insecure and unsatisfied, or not whole, due to poverty or mental and emotional needs like safety, competence, autonomy, we try to quench the real problems with a flimsy plan to achieve happiness, say, by striving for money and fancy items. It is a terrible coping strategy used to alleviate feelings of self-doubt or bolster a poor self-image. At best, it provides short-term relief; in the long-run it is likely to deepen feelings of insecurity. Ironically, teenagers with poor economic background tend to be more materialistic than those with wealthy backgrounds. It is strongly believed that less nurturing and cold parents have more materialistic off springs. Children raised during periods of broader societal instability as well as disconnection, are more likely to espouse materialistic values, particularly, if it was experienced either during mid-childhood and early adolescence.
The most despicable aspect is that teenagers are eager to sacrifice their spiritual and/or humanistic values if they think it leads to material success. Clinical psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula has been among one of the many experts who have expressed concern for how our culture rewards narcissism. Researchers at Queen's University Belfast have found that narcissists are more likely to obtain material success. This is alarming, considering that narcissists lack empathy, seek power and validation, and are selfish and manipulative. By rewarding narcissism, societies are rewarding materialism and bad behaviour. As far back as 1806, in his poem, ‘The World is too much with us; late and soon’, William Wordsworth warned against the phenomenon of “getting and spending”. More than Artificial Intelligence, Netflix, YouTube, Apple, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Ermenegildo Zegna have taken over this planet.
Teenagers’ values are becoming transient; they are nonchalant towards work, more than anything, according to surveys. Entitlement issues are at another high; teens live in an illusory world which will fail to handle reality and disappointment in the near future. Ultimately, this type of mentality may lead to poor financial decisions and debt and an underlying dissatisfaction with their life. Materialism fosters social isolation; people are actually less happy and suffer more from depression, alcoholism and increased crime than fifty years ago.
Practices like encouraging gratitude and idealism, having dinner with the family, being supportive, avoiding the social status game, modeling simplicity and exposing teens to the worse-off or less fortunate, can help curb the wave of materialism.
This image license shall soon expire, kids. So, collect memories, not things- like some wise, old man behind a typewriter once said.
Sources:
Goldberg, M.E., and Gorn, G.J., Perrachio, L.A., Bamossy, G., "Understanding Materialism among Youth", Journal of Consumer Psychology 13 (2003).
Kasser, T., The High Price of Materialism (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press,2002).
Rose, P. and Dejesus, S.P., "A Model of Motivated Cognition to Account for the Link between Self-Monitoring and Materialism", Psychology & Marketing 24, no. 2 (2007)
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The World is too much with us; late and soon by William Wordsworth
Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University and author of the book 'Generation Me'.