Affluenza Research Paper

Affluenza is something that can be categorized as a “rich person’s disease”. I believe that Americans suffer from affluenza more than consumers in other countries because Americans are a lot more privileged. In the U.S. it can be easy to get addicted to wealth and always want the next new thing. The “symptoms” that come from this bad disease can be shopping fever, chronic stress, hyper-commercialism, material girls and boys, a rash of bankruptcies, fractured families, social scars, and resource exhaustion. The reasons for this overconsumption are that people have a possession obsession, are in search of meaning, are unhappy feeling low in status or self-worth, and think they need more than they actually do and the best of the best. Another thing that results …show more content…
There are a couple solutions to consumers’ problem with affluenza. One thing they could do is to make sure their basic physical needs are taken care of and beyond that to be rich in personal relationships, experiences, and finding a deeper purpose in their life. If only they could realize that acquiring more stuff does not mean acquiring happiness/satisfaction and that the nature of success is not everything. Another solution to the consumer’s problem is to actually think through every decision that is being made before spending money on it and spend one day to a month doing so. Here are some questions you can ask yourself before impulse buying. Do you need it? Can you afford it? Do you have something similar already? How long will it last? Can you maintain it’s condition? What are all the costs not just the up-front ones? How much work will it take to pay it off? Are the resources that go into it renewable? Answering these questions before purchasing something that might not be worth it and add to your true happiness can help you make smart life and shopping