George Monbiot: "Materialism: a system that eats us from the inside out" by Kermina Wadie

Background Info

kw769_ — 2023-11-12 23:30:26 UTC

Self-care does not mean we must constantly be consumers in the economy as the big companies try to teach us. Not only shops and ads, but social media has contributed to the flaunting of various and plenty of material, teaching that we need to constantly buy more to be happy. If one were to become pulled into this hole, they can develop various problems regarding their self-esteem, stress levels, anxiety, and depression. Pictures like those are posted for the very purpose of showing off and to “incite envy”(Monbiot "Materialism: a system that eats us from the inside out"). One who is beyond this materialistic life will see that images posted on social media to flaunt riches and wealth are sadder than they actually appear. The person in the picture is lost in their designer clothes and materials and is dehumanized by all their possessions. Psychological research supports these ideas. Materialism, defined as “a value system preoccupied with possessions and the social image they project” (Monbiot "Materialism: a system that eats us from the inside out") has become socially and self-destructive. It not only shows the lack of happiness in the person wearing the designer clothes but also sucks the happiness and peace of mind of those who see it. Studies have shown a correlation between the lack of empathy and compassion with materialism. A study mentioned in the journal “Motivation and Emotion”, shows that for people who are too materialistic, their wellbeing diminishes altogether. In one study that took 12 years, a group of 18-year-olds were taken and asked to rank their priority when it comes to their goals such as job, money, status, wealth, self-esteem, and community. After 12 years, they took a diagnostic to identify the mental health problems. In the end, they concluded that those who become materialistic were less happy in their life. Various articles and studies show a correlation between materialism and lack of happiness and well-being. In addition to this, the capitalist economy only identifies us as consumers and therefore their ads and images also influence the addiction many have developed to possession. It has led people to believe this is a form of self-care. The more that you acquire for yourself, the more satisfied and taken care of you will feel. This mindset has led people to forget about their community and how volunteering and helping others is a more beneficial form of self-care. The major problem lies in that we have been trained to believe that as we continue to buy and possess more materials, this will enhance our well-being, but in reality, it does not.

Key Terms

kw769_ — 2023-11-12 23:41:59 UTC

Materialism: seeking the feeling of high satisfaction and physical comfort from acquiring more material possessions
Depression: mental illness where one remains in a constant state of sadness and despair
Anxiety: a feeling of worry, nervousness, and concern about uncertain outcomes
Socially destructive: breaking of social life in a community
Envy: a deep sense of discontent and extreme longing for someone else's possessions
Possessions: everything you own and control
Community: feeling of fellowship with others living in the same area
Selfish: not being considerate of others and only thinking of personal profit and pleasure

Why is this a problem?

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 19:51:51 UTC

The addiction to materials and possessions has led to unhappy lives and various mental health issues. America's economy is using these addictions in their ads and convincing people that taking care of themselves (self-care) is only associated with constantly spending and acquiring more possessions. This leaves people unable to differentiate between the economic self-care and the real self-care. The capitalist economy of the United States tries to convince us that the more you spend on yourself, the more taken care of you'll feel, however, self-care is really about how to act towards ourselves, our family members, and our contribution to the community.

Overarching Argument

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 19:54:50 UTC

Materialism leads to unhappy, depressing lives, due to the wrong display of self-care being defined as acquiring as many possessions for yourself as you can.

Materialism causes downfall of mental health.

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 19:55:55 UTC

Self-care is correlated with volunteering and being connected in communities, not just shopping.

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 19:56:34 UTC

Counter: People only have time to look after themselves and make themselves happier.

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 21:20:21 UTC

Counter: The more you buy and pamper yourself with, the happier you will be.

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 21:24:55 UTC

Materialism is linked with lack of empathy and compassion along with unhappiness.

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 21:25:48 UTC

Self-care does not mean selfishness.

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 21:28:08 UTC

Studies show that people who care more about family and community are doing better mentally.

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 21:35:33 UTC

In a study, psychologists followed a group of Icelanders during the country's economic collapse. Within that group, some turned to regaining what they lost through focusing on possession while the second group responded by turning to family and community life (being more selfless). The second group reported much higher levels of well-being while the second group was significantly lower.

Ads and social media are meant to incite envy, which leads to people always wanting to buy more for themselves.

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 23:47:17 UTC

Psychological research has shown that materialism affects both rich and poor but it leads to social and self-destruction. It destroys the peace of mind of people and leads them to constantly be envious and always want more for themselves. The media has painted this as "self-care". The media along with the economy teaches us, that when we see something we want we buy it for ourselves in order to satisfy that strong desire. The cycle is continuous as people constantly buy and possess but are never satisfied. This is not self-care.

Self-care is not correlated with materialism because materialism goes together with loneliness.

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 23:51:09 UTC

In a research study, 2,500 people were studied for six years. The results showed a two-way relationship between materialism and loneliness as materialism fosters social isolation and isolation fosters materialism. When people focus too much on themselves, they become attached to possessions and cut themselves off from seeing other people.

Plan for further research

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 23:52:24 UTC

Reflection

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 23:52:54 UTC

Overall, my research has shown that there are many angles to look at regarding the topic of misunderstanding self-care. There is a significant amount of articles that cover the topic. I have learned that self-care is affected by many different aspects such as politics, economy, and society and so I want to mention these topics in my essay but always relate it back to how it affects the individual. I want to mention how it negatively affects the individual in order to further prove the misunderstanding around it. There also seem to be a lot of counterarguments but I believe I will be able to refute it. I noticed that many of the counterarguments may be very relative such as people don't have time and people don't want to/too lazy but I believe in order to refute arguments like that, I need to refer back to the studies that show the benefits of volunteering, for example. I need to find more studies and statistics that go along with the topic in order to further prove my point. I want to talk about how it could mean something different to individuals but in the end, their meaning of self-care reflects how materialistic they may be. I think it is going to be very important for me to mention that there is a line between buying what you need for yourself and buying too much to attempt to satisfy yourself. I want to keep in mind that I don't want to sound like I am discouraging self-care but rather I want to emphasize that self-care is important but the economy and society have corrupted it and now made it toxic for people. This also makes it important for me to discuss whether there is one correct definition of self-care for everyone and how people could find the proper ways to take care of themselves.

Sub-questions

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 23:53:23 UTC

Is modern self-care preventing us from living longer? Is volunteering linked to longevity?

Does the economy encourage selfishness?

What are the benefits of looking toward the community for self-care?

How do politics and the economy change the way people understand self-care?

How does present-day self care hurt communities?

Sources

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 23:53:43 UTC

Milla. “Toxic Self-Care: It’s Benefitting Capitalism, Not You.” OUT of SORTS, 14 Dec. 2021, medium.com/out-of-sorts/toxic-self-care-its-benefitting-capitalism-not-you-5f61d01639de. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
“Self-Love Is Making Us Lonely.” Time, 15 Apr. 2023, time.com/6271915/self-love-loneliness/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
Shoenthal, Amy. “Is Self-Care Preventing Us from Solving the Loneliness Epidemic?” Forbes, www.forbes.com/sites/amyshoenthal/2023/05/23/is-self-care-preventing-us-from-solving-the-loneliness-epidemic/?sh=1a12784a37bd. Accessed 16 Nov. 2023.
Szalavitz, Maia. “Helping Others Helps You to Live Longer.” Time, 23 Aug. 2013, healthland.time.com/2013/08/23/helping-others-helps-you-to-live-longer/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.

People who actually have all these materials and possessions are not doing as great as they seem.

kw769_ — 2023-11-15 23:59:18 UTC

When people post pictures with all the brand names and designer brands, they intend to incite envy. They look good but in reality, they are filled with desperation, according to the article. The person in the picture is actually lost in their designer clothes and, dehumanized by their possessions. They are lonely, depending on material temporary happiness.

Materialism leads to anxiety, isolation, and broken relationships.

kw769_ — 2023-11-16 00:03:16 UTC

In a study done on a group of 18-year-olds (12-year study). They were first asked to rank the importance of different goals such as money, jobs, status, belonging, etc. They were then given a diagnostic test to determine mental health problems. The results of the study showed that from 18-30, the more materialistic people are susceptible to disorders. The less materialistic are happier.

The economy facilitates these materialistic obsessions.

kw769_ — 2023-11-16 00:09:24 UTC

The US economy is based on perpetual growth on the company/brand's own terms. Regardless of the damage it may leave, such as mental illness, broken relationships, and unpayable debts the companies only have the one goal of profiting the most from people. The economy makes it so that as long as businesses are flourishing, the outcomes it has on people are not important.