Summary Of Tim Kasser The High Price Of Materialism
High Price of Materialism
Tim Kasser mentions, “…people who strongly value the pursuit of wealth and possessions report lower psychological well-being than those who are less concerned with such aims.” (365) By using an extensive amount of Logos, Ethos, an Repetition in his article “The High Price of Materialism”, Tim Kasser supports his argument that material items do not guarantee happiness.
Through use of ethos, Kasser conveys his idea that materialism leads to a less healthy lifestyle. From the beginning it is known that he is a professor of psychology and a prize-winning teacher at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois (365). Given the professors status at the school and publically, he is known to carry out his own studies on matters …show more content…
In order for the experiments to be carried out, Kasser had to develop a biographical questionnaire of sorts that covered questions of all topics. The survey became known as the aspiration index. When the questionnaire was drafted he wanted to cover all of the bases and not leave out any important factors that could possibly relate. Questions about disorders such as depression and anxiety were key players in the surveys. The frequency of the incidents was the primary concern though. Aside from the disorders it focused greatly on finding out the goals of the participant. Goals ranged from self-actualization, acceptance, and sense of community (366). Each question was meant to cover a key factor. All of these questions were designed to find out just how valuable financial success was to the individual in question. The results of the experiment were rather surprising. “Those who considered financial success a relatively central value reported significantly lower levels of self actualization and vitality, as well as significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety.” (Kasser 367) Essentially the results supported the premise that materialism is an unhealthy
Tim Kasser mentions, “…people who strongly value the pursuit of wealth and possessions report lower psychological well-being than those who are less concerned with such aims.” (365) By using an extensive amount of Logos, Ethos, an Repetition in his article “The High Price of Materialism”, Tim Kasser supports his argument that material items do not guarantee happiness.
Through use of ethos, Kasser conveys his idea that materialism leads to a less healthy lifestyle. From the beginning it is known that he is a professor of psychology and a prize-winning teacher at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois (365). Given the professors status at the school and publically, he is known to carry out his own studies on matters …show more content…
In order for the experiments to be carried out, Kasser had to develop a biographical questionnaire of sorts that covered questions of all topics. The survey became known as the aspiration index. When the questionnaire was drafted he wanted to cover all of the bases and not leave out any important factors that could possibly relate. Questions about disorders such as depression and anxiety were key players in the surveys. The frequency of the incidents was the primary concern though. Aside from the disorders it focused greatly on finding out the goals of the participant. Goals ranged from self-actualization, acceptance, and sense of community (366). Each question was meant to cover a key factor. All of these questions were designed to find out just how valuable financial success was to the individual in question. The results of the experiment were rather surprising. “Those who considered financial success a relatively central value reported significantly lower levels of self actualization and vitality, as well as significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety.” (Kasser 367) Essentially the results supported the premise that materialism is an unhealthy