Day for day, we are faced with advertisement telling us what we need in order to be happy. And even if you are already content with your life there is always a way to achieve even more happiness. “Think big” as IMAX says; “Nothing is impossible” according to Adidas; “Live better” with Walmart; “Just do it” for Nike; Visit Disneyland, “the happiest place on earth”; Buy “beauty, power and soul” in an Aston Martin; “Live” with IKEA and “open happiness” with Coca Cola.
You require material goods for everything these days: Rolex and Porsche for success, an Apple or Samsung smartphone for friendship and further communication etc. And whenever there is a new model or edition of a product with improved features it must improve your satisfaction, as well, right?
Nonetheless, the people in the big industrial nations who can afford to buy so many goods are not necessarily happier. According to the “Happy Planet Index”, which measures the human well-being, the USA is for instance as unhappy as the majority of African States. In Europe there are only three countries achieving the third lowest index, Ukraine, Romania and Moldova. All the other states are even below that rate. Therefore, the happiest countries are mainly South Americans.
It can be argued if this index is reliable, if the methods are appropriate or whether happiness can be measured in the first place. But looking at other studies as well, the researchers seem to generally agree that the people’s happiness is not necessarily related to the level of consumption and the economic wealth.
At a glance
- Applies the Skidelskys’ theory of needs alongside Maslow’s hierarchy
- Distinguishes conspicuous consumption from the snob effect
- 13 sources in the bibliography
Contents
1. Consumerism, Happiness and Sustainability
2. Needs and Limits to Consumption
3. Conspicuous Consumption and Product Replacement
4. Consumption and Conscious Living
Objectives and Themes
This essay asks how much consumption is enough and seeks criteria for distinguishing reasonable consumption from excess. It considers both the quantity and the quality of consumption, drawing on theories of needs, sustainability and equitable distribution.
- Consumerism, advertising and happiness
- Ecological sustainability and the distribution of resources
- The Skidelskys’ theory of needs and Maslow’s hierarchy
- Consumption in relation to health, security, personality and leisure
- Conspicuous consumption, prestige and the snob effect
- Product replacement and conscious consumption
Excerpt from the Book
Consumerism: How much is enough?
According to the definition of consumerism the following main part of the outlining is based on the theory of needs. It must be mentioned that it is in many cases subjective to judge about how much is enough and often limits cannot be set generally and are rather individual; they might vary from case to case. Therefore, there will be a general statement about the limit and then some cases will be exemplified with sub‐limits of the main limit. The cases are chosen by their importance which can concern their frequency in our every‐day life or relate to the size of investment they represent.
The limits and especially the sub‐limits are often defined by what the people might generally agree to in order to achieve a general and relatively objective point of view. Sometimes the general opinion is divided. In that case the limit will be described as “arguable”.
Due to the limited scope of the essay some ideas and arguments will be discussed less than others.
The first general statement is: Any consumption for the satisfaction of an unreasonable need is “too much”. As “unreasonable” is considered anything which goes beyond the natural needs. These natural needs can be seen as a main guideline for the idea of ratios and are defined in the following:
In general, the theory of needs created by the Skidelskys will be used since it has a broader meaning than Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and also includes it, which will be exemplified.
According to the Skidelskys natural needs have the following features: They are universal. So everyone has them; they are final and not a need required for the satisfaction of another need; Moreover, needs are sui generis and cannot be replaced; they are also indispensable, which is an arguable trait in many cases.
In general, any need which does not correspond to these requirements can be seen as superfluous or cannot be defined as a need mainly because it might be included in one of Skidelskys’ needs.
Section Summaries
Consumerism, Happiness and Sustainability: The essay introduces the relationship between advertising, material consumption and happiness, and considers environmental limits and equitable distribution.
Needs and Limits to Consumption: The author uses the Skidelskys’ theory of needs, with reference to Maslow, to develop criteria for considering when consumption becomes excessive. Examples include health, security, personality and leisure.
Conspicuous Consumption and Product Replacement: The discussion distinguishes consumption for prestige from the snob effect and examines purchases of newer or additional products.
Consumption and Conscious Living: The essay brings its proposed limits together and discusses consumer awareness, education and approaches to more conscious lifestyles.
Keywords
consumerism, consumption limits, happiness, sustainability, resource distribution, natural needs, Skidelskys, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, conspicuous consumption, snob effect, social prestige, product replacement, conscious consumption
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the essay about?
It examines how to determine when consumption becomes excessive and considers its relationship to needs, happiness and sustainability.
What are its central themes?
Its themes include natural needs, ecological limits, equitable distribution, social prestige and the replacement of consumer goods.
What is the main question?
The essay asks how much consumption is enough and proposes criteria for identifying consumption that may be excessive.
What method does the author use?
The author develops an argument using theories and models of needs, then applies proposed limits to illustrative cases. The work is an essay rather than a report of an original survey or experiment.
What does the main discussion cover?
It considers needs such as health, security and leisure, then examines conspicuous consumption, the snob effect and purchases of additional or newer products.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include consumerism, natural needs, sustainability, conspicuous consumption, social prestige and product replacement.
How are the Skidelskys’ ideas used?
Their theory of natural needs provides a framework for discussing limits to consumption, with comparisons to categories in Maslow’s hierarchy.
How does the essay distinguish conspicuous consumption from the snob effect?
It describes conspicuous consumption as buying goods because of their higher price, while the snob effect concerns buying products because others do not buy them.
Why does the essay discuss newer products?
It considers whether purchasing a newer model or an additional product is necessary for satisfying a need, using examples such as smartphones and cars.
- Quote paper
- Paula Müller (Author), 2014, Consumerism. How much is enough?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/450797
