The High Price of Materialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The High Price of Materialism - Essay Example Using results from several psychological and scientific studies on materialistic persons, Kasser argues that materialistic persons experience abnormal levels of unhappiness, anxiety, low self-esteem, and relationship problems. Kasser blames mostly the media and advertising industry for influencing individuals’ psychology into believing that pursuit of material goals will fulfill their necessity for sanctuary, self-esteem, community partaking and personal freedom. The main assumption especially that rendered to young people and teens is that, even though every person has needs to satisfy, a successful attainment of such needs results in higher quality of life. To Kasser, materialism is an inefficient means of attaining personal needs, since the act of buying and consuming products only brings about a feeling of goodness, and which lasts for a while leaving only a feeling of discontentment. As Kasser puts it â€Å"materialism†¦.more of eating junk food†¦ it fills you up for a while; but doesn’t really meet your body’s need for nutrients in the right balance; so you feel like eating more and end up fat and unhealthy† (Kasser, 2003, p 24). Hence, materialism turns out to be a vicious unfulfilling circle. Notably, they value wealth and popularity as their intrinsic objective, forgetting that these two are not founded on self-growth but are instead based on the self as epitomized by others. Furthermore, he asserts that the current strong projection of materialism is based on capitalism and cultural fracture, since the extensive projection of materialism by the media, advertising, and the economy and pushes a common theme of individuals expressing themselves by following other people interests instead of having ownership of individual behaviors (Kasser, 2003). In effect, materialism is not about having a sense of self-direction or being free but being controlled by needs. Impact of Materialism Kasser is right to assert that materi alism interferes with authentic self-expression and intimate relationships (2003). This is more so because most people especially teens and young working class people judge each other value and success based on what they own or possess. In particular, a person is judged on the type of sport car he or she drives, latest smartphone or up to date fashion, instead of acumen, kindness and community contributions. It is about having more or better than what others have instead of having enough that can comfortably satisfy personal needs. My observation is that individuals who are already unhappy and suffering from poor psychological health turn into materialism as a means of meeting their psychological needs. Materialism has not influenced my life entirely but some of my friends and family members have, especially in the sense that they concentrate more on acquiring expensive items not because they necessarily need them but because they want to be part of the affluent. Such individuals ha ve this strong tendency to envy what other people possess as they lack self-esteem or are not able to express themselves in relationships. They normally exhibit a strong sense of displeasure when other people possess items they personally desire. This is despite the fact that most normally goes through difficulties in trying to attain financial stability and social acceptance (Kasser, 2003).

IDiscusson board reply Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

IDiscusson board reply - Coursework Example Many organizations driven by quality would implement a pay-for-performance system that will improve employees’ performance. They will set mechanisms to gather, analyze and interpret unbiased data of all employees through annual or semi-annual performance appraisals linked directly to an individual. This will remove biases and challenge employees to work harder since the industrious ones get appreciated through rewards such as promotion (NIV, Mathew 25.21). Linking employees’ performance to rewards will give the administration the best program to design salaries and wages. It will also help in performance, monitoring and evaluation, which will translate into quality production, profitability, low turnover and organizational discipline (Rehman, & Ali, 2013). However, such scenarios may not occur in organizations where management is bossy. Such management always has conflicts with employees resulting in a general decrease in production capacity despite high salaries. Healthier lifestyles will save organizations costs related to medical expenditure and production. The organizations are also developing employee wellness programs such as regular medical examinations focused on preventing health issues before they develop and increasing employee insurance premiums. Huang, S., & Lai, W. (2014). A study of the effect of incentive system on job performance- locus of control as a moderator. Journal of International Management Studies, 9(1), 89-98. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1517530191?accountid=45049 Rehman, R., & Ali, M. A. (2013). Is pay for performance the best incentive for employees? Journal of Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Sciences, 4(6), 512-514. Retrieved from