OBSTACLES TO HEALTHY SELF-DEVELOPMENT IN CONSUMER CAPITALIST CULTURES

16.30 – 17.30
PROF. TIM KASSER
professor and chair of psychology (Knox College)

Contemporary humans’ attempts to create their identities and to meet their psychological needs often unfold within cultures organized around consumer capitalism. As such, people are often encouraged to take on materialistic values and goals that prioritize the accumulation of wealth and possessions, the creation of a consumer-based image, and the attainment of popularity and status. Psychological research shows, however, that to the extent individuals focus on such values and goals, they also report having lower personal well-being, treating other people in objectifying ways, and engaging in more ecologically-degrading behaviors. In this talk, I will review this research literature on materialism and then discuss how shifting towards “intrinsic” values can promote healthier self-development, higher quality social relationships, and greater ecological sustainability.