Children And Materialism

"Materialism is the only form of distraction from true bliss." As Doug Horton explains by stating this, materialism is a common obstacle that many people must overcome in order to achieve happiness in life. Many Americans now believe that in order to achieve happiness and fulfill their goals, it is necessary to obtain wealth and certain material goods. For example, in Juliet Schor's book, Born To Buy, it states that "...more than half (of kids) agree that when you grow up, the more money you have, the happier you are..." Also, many children have unknowingly, judged their self-worth by whether they have the cool, new toy in stores. As an effect, parents find themselves working more hours in order to make the money that is needed to buy these unnecessary items. This leads to less time for healthy relationships between parent and child. In addition, during their free time, children are constantly exposing themselves to a large mass of advertisements that attempt to persuade them that their product is exactly what they need. Therefore, young adults that succumb to materialism are more likely to suffer from insecurity, poor relationships, and overexposure to the media.

"...When sustenance and survival are threatened, people search for material resources to help them feel safe and secure." For example, security is a very important factor in a bird's life, and they will do what ever it takes in order to provide security for their young. For example, "...birds will use any available material that they can carry away to build their nest - leaves, sticks, mosses, lichens, feathers..." and some go even as far as building a shelter that may hold the young of up to 100 female birds. These feelings of insecurity are shared among children of the world as well. Children who suffer from low self-esteem are convinced that they could never do any good in the world. As a result, they turn to the commercial good of companies all over the world.

Family is an essential part of every child's life and if the child is being neglected, then it is a possibility that he will search in other places for security. If the family is unable to provide the child with a feeling of safety, his wishes and desires might be turned towards materialistic values. In one study, Geoff Williams found that "...materialistic teenagers perceived their parents as relatively unlikely to listen to their perspectives, acknowledge their feelings, or provide them with choices." Thus, poor parenting can cause children to desire materialistic goods in order to have a false sense of security and happiness in their life.

Socioeconomic status is another key factor in a child's feeling of insecurity. Data concerning materialism is has proven time and time again that poverty creates situations in which families worry about having everything they need to survive, and in a desperate attempt to accomplish this, a large number of them gradually take on materialistic goals. When having to think about whether the family will be able to survive as a child, it is no wonder that these experiences have a lasting effect on children that live in poverty. In the book, The High Price of Materialism, Tim Kasser gathered information about the occupations and salaries of teenagers' parents and crime rates in certain neighborhoods. The results proved that teenagers that valued materialism were more likely to come from poorer backgrounds, than teenagers who valued self-acceptance. These results are an effect of social environments that cause children to feel unsafe, and these insecure feelings can cause children to turn to materialistic pursuits that are suggested by society.

Our psychological health partly depends on whether we feel close and connected with our peers, and on whether we can give and receive love, care, and moral support.