Research and critical reflection - Money doesn’t buy you happiness. Essay Example for Free

Research and critical reflection Money doesn’t buy you happiness. Essay Money doesn’t buy you happiness. Everyone has heard the statement before and most studies of happiness and well-being generally agree on it. However, even though money does not buy you happiness it is largely agreed that money can be a means to an end. Hence, money cannot buy you happiness, but it can provide you with financial security and well-being. If you asked a poor person if they were happy most will tell you they are not due to living in poor conditions and having poor health. Their need for safety and security outweighs their need for nice things and possessions. So if money does not buy you happiness what does buy you happiness? What are the factors in life that make you happy? One way to address this question could be looking at ones well-being. As such a deeper interpretation of well-being is necessary. When considering the concept of well-being, there are two major approaches, objective well-being, and subjective well-being. Objective well-being looks at how healthy a person is and the access he has to resources. Subjective well-being on the other hand looks at the overall happiness of a person. In the same breath it is also argued that material well-being, that is the things we buy and want, does not lead to our overall happiness. Hence, money doesn’t buy you happiness. (Williams, 2014). Considering this notion that money does not buy you happiness (Myers Diener, 1995), Kawachi and Kennedy (2002, p.30 -31) sought out to summarise the main ingredients to happiness in one’s life. They noted sex, ethnicity and age scarcely make you happy. Rather it is the relationships and community you have around you that generates levels of happiness. Furthermore, enjoying one’s work and leisure is highly correlated with happiness. On the other hand, one’s wealth and income does not have a straight correlation with happiness. Some poor people are happy, some rich people are unhappy and vice versa. Nonetheless, millions of people across the globe spend large amount of money consuming things they do not need. I myself fall victim to marketing ploys and consume materialistic things that I do not always need, but want because I believe it will make me fit in more in my community, or make me happier. People follow fashionable trends and want all the new toys that come out thinking it will make them happy. This need of people to have nice fancy things has previously been coined the â€Å"new consumerism†. Back in the day, it meant keeping up with others in your community, if your neighbour got a new flash car, you had to go get one. However, with the popularisation of television,  and later on the rise of mass media, â€Å"new consumerism† meant people were now competing all over the globe. Furthermore, as we live in a world of inequality in terms of income and wealth, the gap between what we want and what we have largely depends on our income. Schor (1998), referred to this as â€Å"the aspirational gap†. If one cannot afford something, he can either be â€Å"unhappy† dealing with not having that product/want, or he chooses to take on debt in order to afford it and have it then and there; thus having to work more to cover the debt and the cycle conti nues. So if we look at happiness as the â€Å"difference between what we have and what we want we suddenly become unhappy† (Williams, 2014, p.5). Largely, I agree with the statement the money does not buy you happiness. By society’s standards I am definitely not a rich man but I consider myself to live a moderately happy life; largely due to the fact that I am healthy, I have good friends and a loving family. According to several scholars (Benin Nierstedt, 1985, Inglehart, 1990, Myers, 2000) it is indeed our social relationships that generate the highest levels of happiness. With that said, I still consume certain things, materialistic things, and go to certain places in order to construct my social identity. I want things in order to fit in or get praise from my peers. According to many scholars however this does not lead to my well-being but rather to unhappiness. This draws back to the â€Å"aspirational gap†, if I cannot afford to look a certain way or buy certain things and keep up with the times do I ultimately become unhappy? Personally I would like to say it does not apply to me, but reflecting back to S chor’s (1998) study, it appears to point in that direction. As such, I do agree with the concept more so as a lot of people around me become unhappy when they cannot afford something they want. Or become unhappy because they got themselves into debt due to their unnecessary consumptions. Maslow (1943) devised a theory of motivation which attempted to explain the hierarchical nature of people’s well-being. Firstly it is our basic psychological needs like hunger and thirst that we have to satisfy. Next, it is our needs for security and protection, followed by our need for social bonds and love. The last two steps are ones self-esteem and self-actualisation. This is a very hierarchical view which means once a certain level has been satisfied one seeks to satisfy the next until you reach to the top – self actualisation. This will explain why people become unhappy when they cannot afford  something – reach self-actualisation. Moreover, identities are fluid. I constantly consume new trends, go to new places, and change my habits to fit society’s norms. Social psychology attributes this to people’s nature to conform. One study by Asch (1952, ci ted in Bond Smith, 1996) shows the tendency of people to conform to the majority even when the outcome is clearly wrong. I agree with this as I buy certain clothes and go to certain places because I want to fit in with my surroundings. Zaichkowsky (1994) claims that peoples involvement with a product depends on a person apparent relevance of a product based on his inherent needs and values. Hence my values stem from my surroundings and my need for a product comes from my need to fit in to my surroundings. A lot of the above-mentioned concepts discussed were first investigated after WWII and throughout the 20th century. However, as the world is constantly evolving and changing do these outlooks on happiness and well-being still apply today? Have they gotten any better or worse? Early studies showed an increase in mental disorders and divorces throughout the late 20th century, as well as the increase need of people for bigger and better things. A study by Helliwell, Layard, and Sachs (2012) found that on average rich people are happier than poor people. However, they found that a country’s economic growth does not indicate an increase in the overall happiness of its people. This is simply due to the fact that once people reach a comfortable/secure level of income; further increase of it does not generate higher levels of happiness. Moreover, they found unemployment is highly correlated with low levels of well-being, whilst being employed – and satisfied with your job – was correlated with higher levels of well-being. Finally, they noted in Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, love and belonging come just after basic physiological and safety needs. Clearly, the sources of individual happiness include the set of social interactions through which individuals are interconnected.† (p.70). The aforementioned trends discussed appear to be in line with the current state of New Zealand. Helliwell et. al. (2012) found New Zealand ranked as the 13th happiest country in the world. This was attributed due to a low unemployment rate (6.2%), divorce number down (stats.govt.nz), and ranking high on education as well as freedom. (Helman, 2013). However, when looking at the top 50 richest countries in the world (aneki.com) New Zealand does not even make an appearance. However, it is safe to assume that new  consumerism and the â€Å"aspirational gap† still apply to New Zealand as the countries spending ($2,578 million) is higher than its GDP ($211,678 million). (stats.govt.nz). It certainly appears that money does not buy you happiness. Rather being poor is correlated with low levels of well-being. Money in itself can provide a person with security, but increased income does not appear to have an effect on overall happiness. Looking at Maslow’s theory, a person could have all the money in the world but if they are alone and do not have a loving community of friends and family to share it with they are almost always going to be unhappy. Rather, happiness is determined by a large number of factors with an emphasis on basic needs such as food and water, as well as friendships and belonging to a loving community. Consumption of materialistic objects and the aspiration for more money negatively affects our well-being. References Benin, M.H. and B.C. Nierstedt: 1985, ‘Happiness in single- and dual- earner families: The effects of marital happiness’, job satisfaction and life cycle, Journal of Marriage and the Family 47, pp. 975–984. Bond, R. Smith, P. B. (1996). Culture and conformity: a meta-analysis of studies using asch’s (1952b, 1956) line judgment task. Psychological Bulletin, 119(1), 111–137. Maslow, Abraham H. 1943 A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50: 370-396. Helliwell, J., Layard, R., Sachs, J. (2012). World Happiness Report. Centre for Economic Performance. The Earth Institute Columbia University. Helman, C. (2013). The world’s happiest (And Saddest) countries. http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2013/10/29/the-worlds-happiest-and-saddest-countries-2013/ Inglehart, R.: 1990, Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Society (Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ). Myers, D.G.: 2000, ‘The funds, friends and faith of happy p eople’, American Psychologist 55(1), pp. 56–67. Myers, D. G. Diener, E. (1995). Who is happy? Psychological Science, 6(1), 10–19. Offer, A. (2006). The challenge of affluence: self-control and well-being in the United States. Williams, J. (2014) Consumption and Well-being. Chapter 12. P. 104 – 127. Zaichkowsky, J. L. (1994). The personal involvement inventory: reduction, revision, and application to advertising. Journal of Advertising, 23(4), 59–69.

The Need to Eliminate the Abusive Treatment of Muslim Women Essay

The Need to Eliminate the Abusive Treatment of Muslim Women Thirty thousand men and boys poured into the dilapidated Olympic sports stadium in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. Street hawkers peddle nuts, biscuits and tea to the waiting crowd. The scheduled entertainment? They were there to see a young woman, Sohaila, receive 100 lashes, and to watch two thieves have their hands chopped off. Sohaila had been arrested while walking with a man who was no relation to her, a sufficient crime for her to be found guilty of adultery. Since she was single, it was punishable by flogging or a series of lashes; had she been married, she would have been publicly stoned to death (Goodwin). Goodwin also stated that as Sohaila, completely covered in shroud-like burqa veil, was forced to kneel and then whipped, Taliban 'Cheerleaders' had the stadium ringing with chants of onlookers. Among those present there were only three women: the young Afghan, and two female relatives who accompanied her. Women are treated unfairly all around the world, but in some places, worse than others. In Afghanistan, women are not allowed to do much of anything. They are restricted to their homes and are not allowed to exit without a good reason. Also, they must be fully covered. Women are not even allowed to leave the house if they need medical assistance. It is also illegal for women to show off any part of a their body to anyone other than their husbands. Meetings, even among groups of women, are prohibited in Afghanistan. They are banned from getting an education and from employment. They are treated as their husbands' possessions. (Courcey) Muslim women should have the right to be present in public without hiding their identity. What have women done t... ...tor on staff would not have been allowed to remove her clothes." When women are punished for any contact with a male, the punishment can result in death. Other punishments include lashes and mutilation of the limbs. There is hope for these women, such as Sohaila. People around the world and especially from the United States are on their side. They are not only fighting for these women's rights, but their lives as well. These womens importance will be returned through cooperation, and they will once again be appreciated. Works Cited Courcey, Kevin. "Freethought & Women's Rights." Freedom From Religion Foundation. March 1998. December 5, 2001 <www.ffrf.org/fttoday/march98/courcey.html>. Goodwin, Jan. "Buried Alive: Afghan Women Under the Taliban." Echonyc. February 27, 1998. December 3, 2001 <www.mosaic.echonyc.com/~onissues/su98goodwim.html >.

Disruptive Behavior Essay

In a 4th grade private school classroom and child showed disruptive behavior when approached with authority of an adult telling him to stop doing something that was in appropriate like calling other student’s stupid and fat. When a teacher would tell him please stop he would continue to say rude things but now geared toward the teacher. It would take several minutes to get him to calm down. The disciplinary effect after his disruptive behavior would be indoor suspension and a phone call home. Student’s history at school had been temperamental for the past 2 years and he had been taken out sent to a public school then returned after a 2 grading periods when in 2nd grade. In 3rd grade he had showed the same type of behavior with classmates and teachers. This student was behind a grade and attended class with a relative that was in there respective grade. His disruptive behavior in 3rd grade was slightly manageable after several conferences with the parent. As the student had entered into 4th grade he had received a new teacher but remained with the same students from the previous year and now his relative  was no longer attending the same school. The students entering 4th grade would be attending another school which had put them into a new atmosphere with new teachers. This change did not sit well with this student in particularly who had become disruptive verbally and aggressively with other students and class property. The student at this point was suspended from the school for 3 days. Upon returning the student seemed content until the current teacher had to leave and he received a new teacher. At this point the student was filling out the new teacher and what she would allow and wouldn’t. The student shortly found out what the teacher wouldn’t allow and that was speaking and getting up without raising hand. The teacher was new to the class, but not to the student’s, was known for having a productive class with no disruptive behaviors. The teacher had reintroduced herself to the class on her first day and had given the children the floor about what they had been learning so far. The student’s responded well to her curiosity accept for the student who was known for the misconduct. After the teacher’s first week she decided to reset some rules for the class and allow them to give input on what is allowed and what isn’t. The student with the disruptive behavior did participate in this exercise. She also rearrange the classroom fixed some posters around the room and hung some of the students best work around the room. The teacher put a class pledge on the board that the student would have to recite every morning before class started. As piece of the pledge said, â€Å"I will treat others with the respect that I want for myself and to use kind words to show how Ià ¢â‚¬â„¢m feeling whether I am happy or mad.† The teacher after the second week had seen a major changed in the class and especially in the student with the misbehavior. By the 5th week all the disruption had been gone.

Effect of Vampires on Society - 3098 Words

When you hear the word vampire you probably think of today’s modern charters, from Twilight or True Blood. According to the article â€Å"Blood Ties, The vampire Lover† By Helen T. Bailie, Today’s vampires make up book 53% of today’s book sells. Vampires in today’s image have become creatures of lust, the dream man of teenage girls all over the world. Before pop culture took over vampires in stories, were monsters of horror. Pre-dating today’s pop culture fad, vampires were used to explain things that people didn’t understand, something scary and unknown. So what has caused all theses changes in vampire stories over time? Changing them from feared unknown demons to every teens heartthrob. To find out where the change came from we’ll look at†¦show more content†¦(Keyworth 243). Most deaths did occur because of being around old corpses but generally because of the diseases that they carried. An anonymous monk at Byland Ab bey wrote majority of the stories of vampires. The monks and high relgious leaders of these towns came up with these legends because they believed in vampires, but they also used them to control the people of their town. By doing the right thing during life you could prevent yourself from becoming a vampire in the afterlife. So basically the religious leaders played on the fears of the towns people to keep them in church and keep them in line. One of the more famous stories of this time was of two brothers that fell down dead one day and were buried only to be seen later that night walking through the town. (Keyworth 245). These stories spread and eventually the whole world was on vampire alert. These stories continued well on into the 1900’s eventually dying off slowly as the scientist learned more about humans, the body and how it worked. The first shift in these stories was from the tales of monks to an actual novel written by Bram Stocker. 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