“The Psychology of Materialism, And Why It’s Making You Unhappy”

Part 1: Pre-reading

Materialism: it is a theory that only existing things are matter; everything “is composed of material, and all phenomena (including consciousness) are the result of material interactions.” (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Materialism affects me a lot in the real life. Whenever I graduate from a school, I must get a certification that proves my learning experience is authentic. I have to carry my money to buy food to feed myself each day. In winter, in case it is too cold, I then need an electric room heater to keep myself warm. In addition to that, other kitchenware, cleaning machine, and entertainment equipment have to be bought in my place if necessary. All that are just some things to keep my life go on.
“Black Friday” originally is the thirteenth day of each month and meanwhile it is also Friday. On that day, a lot of unfortunate things would happen. Afterward, it is often used to describe the worst day of the week no matter the day is the thirteenth of the month or it is Friday or not. Nowadays, it is given a new meaning that the first business day after Thanks Giving Day in America. That day is considered a day marked the formal start of the Christmas shopping period, and is one of the most valued days each year by merchants and also one of the busiest days for them. I join in it or not depends on whether I have something urgent to buy. To buy things on that day would save much money because of the tempting discounts offered by the sellers. However, that day too many people would throng everywhere. To avoid the risk of being trampled, I would prefer to choose other days to do the shopping if things are not needed badly.
Part 2: Comprehension

1. The intended audience is the materialist. The author shows them the harms and negative influences by deeply analyzing six things about the psychology of consumption and presents solutions to freedom from materialism.

2. The author’s purpose for writing this article is to persuade the materialist to wake up from the consumer cultures. In the meantime, she hopes more people is “to change from one of materialism to a more purposeful idea of what it means to live the good life”. (Gregoire)

3. The central claim of the article is excess materialism can take a toll on people.

No, the central claim is not adequately stated. It is stated like that “But in excess, materialism can take a toll on your well-being, relationships and quality of life.” (Gregoire) There are six points described in the article. So the scope of the central idea is narrowed.

4. Below are six reasons that have been provided to support the central claim.

(1). Consumer culture may do harm to individual well-being.

(2). Materialist values are correlated with Type-A behavior.

(3). It is not Money that can bring people happiness.

(4). Materialism could destroy relationships between people.

(5). Consumer cultures may raise narcissistic personalities from people.

(6). Insecurity can be used to capitalize and sell products.

Yes. I am expecting to know more about how the Type-A behavior will affect people.

5. My understanding of materialism is that only existing things are matter, and all phenomena (including consciousness) are the result of material interactions. In this article, the existing things are all kinds of goods that people want to buy. After people buy all things that they desire for, they are supposed to be happy and satisfied. But in this article, the author gives an analysis from the psychological aspect that people have never been satisfied with their unending shopping activities. On the contrary, the author lists out the facts how materialism influences people in their daily life.

6. Below confusing vocabulary word was found. After searching in Cambridge Dictionaries Online, the definitions are as below:

Antidote - definition of a chemical, especially a drug, which limits the effects of a poison. Another definition is a way of preventing or acting against something bad. In this article, it is apparently the second meaning. (Cambridge Dictionaries Online)

7. Meaning: A new American dream will be defined gradually. In the transitional period, materialism will fade little by little from people’s mind and a new standard for success will be established. The new concept will guide people to find the real meaning of life.

Yes, I agree that American Dream is evolving from one of consumerism and materialism to one that places less emphasis on wealth and material success. The consequences of periodic financial crises have made the problems of consumerism and materialism in America more evidently. A change in the economic structure is inescapable. As we can see from this article, writer Matt Walsh already stands out to point out sharply on what the holiday shopping frenzy says about the consumerism and materialism culture.

Part 3: Summarize & Respond

Carolyn Gregoire in her article The Psychology of Materialism, And Why It’s Making You Unhappy states that excess materialism can take a toll on people. She lists six reasons to prove that. It is not the money that can bring people happiness. Consumer culture may do harm to individual well-being. Materialist values are correlated with Type-A behavior. Moreover, materialism could destroy relationships between people and may raise narcissistic personalities from people. Apart from that, she also explains that insecurity can be used to capitalize and sell products. Finally, she also provides a suggested way to overcome the empty or compulsive consumption. To conclude, she believes that more and more Americans are prioritizing on living a fulfilling life.

However, the fact is, consumerism and materialism culture not only exists in America, but also roots in other developing countries, particularly in China. Some people even become slaves of money. They think they can buy whatever they want as long as they gain the wealth and power. As a matter of fact, they are proved to be wrong. Desperately accumulating wealth by unfair means, they lost their mental world and did whatever they could, fraud and corruption, only to meet their demand. Materialism makes people selfish, superficial and empty. America sets a good sample for the world. It is time for people all over the world to promote spiritual construction to evolve and eliminate any elements that might cause social instability.

Works Cited

Gregoire, Carolyn. The Psychology Of Materialism, And Why It's Making You Unhappy. The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/15/psychology-materialism_n_4425982.html>.

Existence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existence>.

Cambridge Dictionaries Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015

<http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-chinese-simplified/antidote>