RunningHead:DOAMERICANSCONSUMETOOMUCH?

DoAmericansConsumeTooMuch?
LineofInquiryEssay
AudreySchappler
JamesMadisonUniversity

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Abstract
TheresearchquestioninthefollowingLineofInquiryessayisDoAmericansConsumeToo
Much.Ichosethetopicofoverconsumptionandmaterialismbecausetheideaisavery
controversialoneinAmericatoday,anditrelatestothemajorityofthecountry.Somebelieve
onlyinthebenefitsofmaterialobjects,whileothersbelieveinthenegativeeffectsthat
accompanyoverconsumption.Thispapertakesthestancethatoverconsumptionisamajorissue
thatneedstobeaddressed.TheviewpointthroughoutthepaperisthatAmericaistoo
materialistic,blindofitsoverconsumption,andinneedofchangebeforetheissue,withits
accompanyingnegativepsychologicaleffects,becomeapermanentpartofAmericanculture.By
summarizing,comparing,contrasting,andevaluatingthreedifferentsourcesonthistopic,my
argumentiseffectivelyresearchedandsupported.

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DoAmericansConsumeTooMuch?
Americanculturetodayisrevolvedaroundthedesireformoreandmorematerialobjects.
Asacountry,thereisasocialnormpresenttohavethenewestandmostadvancedgadgetsand
goods.IfoneweretolookinthehomeoftheaverageAmericanrightnow,howmanypairsof
shoeswouldhe/sheexpecttosee?Theanswerwouldbeanunnecessaryamount,givingwayto
themodernissueofmaterialismandoverconsumption.Materialismisanidea,usuallyviewed
negatively,thatillustratesmaterialpossessionstakingpriorityinlife,withthebeliefthatthe
goodswillbringhappinessandsatisfaction(Podoshen&Segal,2012,p.189).Asacontroversial
topic,itisresearchedbymanydifferentfieldsofstudysuchaspsychology,economics,and
consumerbehavior(Fellows,2012,p.2).Americanoverconsumptionshouldbeatopicof
significancebecausetodayscultureplacestoomuchimportanceonmaterialpossessions.Ifthis
ideaisnotimprovedupon,individualsandfamilieswillmissoutonwhatshouldtakepriorityin
lifeandasaresult,willineffectivelyutilizetheirtimeandmoney.
In2012,JeffreyPodoshenandBrendaSegalcarriedoutastudytodiscoverthe
characteristicsandeffectsofmaterialism.Soonafter,theypublishedtheirfindingswithajournal
titled,AnExaminationofMaterialism,ConspicuousConsumption,andGenderDifferences.
Throughoutthejournal,materialismisexplainedtoimpairapersonsoverallqualityoflifeand
personalwellbeing.PodoshenandSegalstatethatthisisaresultofmaterialistsplacing
particularlyhigh,unrealisticstandardoflivinggoalsforthemselves(2012,p.189).Theirstudy
consistedofsurveydatafromalargesamplegroupfromfournortheasternstates:
Ohio,
Pennsylvania,NewJerseyandMaryland
.Itillustratedtherelationshipthatasmaterialism
increases,alesserqualityoflifewillparallel(Podoshen&Segal,2012,p.189).Thestudyalso

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revealsthegenderdifferencesthattakeplaceinmaterialism,whatexactlyisbought,whetherit
wasanimpulsepurchase,andthereasoningbehindmakingthepurchase.
AccordingtoMaterialism:ASystemThatEatsUsFromTheInsideOut(2013),
GeorgeMonbiotarguesthatmaterialismislinkedtonegativepsychologicaleffects.Thearticle
includesaseriesofstudiesthatshowhowwellbeingdiminishesaspeoplebecomemore
materialistic.Hediscussestheaccompanyingresultsofeachstudyindetail,furtheringhis
argument.Monbiotbelievesthatmaterialismisnotonlysociallydestructive,butselfdestructive
aswell.Itisassociatedwithanxiety,depression,brokenrelationships,unhappiness,andalackof
empathyandengagementwithothers(Monbiot,2013).Overall,Monbiotwritesthisarticlewith
apurposetoshowthenegativeeffectsofmaterialismandoverconsumptiontoencouragehis
audiencetobemoremindfulofthismodernissue.
In2015,PatrickMorleywroteanarticletitled,HowAmericaBecameEntangledby
Materialism,toshowcaseanegativeresultofmaterialism.Morleysmainclaimisthat
Americanshavegrownanaddictiontoconsumption,andthattheyarecaughtupinthedesirefor
moreandmorematerialgoods(2015).Tofurtherhisargument,Morleybringsinacomparison
ofthestandardoflivingintwodifferenttimeperiods.Morespecifically,heexplainshowthe
standardoflivingismuchhighertodaythanitwasin1950.Inaddition,Morleylooksat
materialismthroughphilosophy.HebelievesAmericanculturehastransitionedfroma
communitybasedone,toonebasedonindividualism.Inturn,hesaysindividualismleadsto
selfcenteredness,whichleadstoselfishness,whichinevitablyresultsinthedesireformore
materialgoods(Morley,2015).

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Allthreesourcesdiscussed,analyzeandsupportanotionforamaterialisticculture
change.However,thejournalwrittenbyPodoshenandSegalandthearticlewrittenbyMonbiot
supportthenotion,morespecifically,byexploringthenegativepsychologicaleffectsof
materialismandoverconsumption.PodoshenandSegalfoundthatindividualswhoare[more
materialistic]experiencegreaterinternalconflictanddiminishedpersonalwellbeing(2012,p.
189).Incorrespondence,Monbiotdiscoveredthatmaterialismisassociatedwithanxiety,
depression,andbrokenrelationships(2013).Boththearticleandthejournal,analyzestudies
thatrevealtheideathatmaterialismislinkedtonegativepsychologicalrepercussionsinones
life.
Ineacharticleandjournalsummarizedabove,materialismandconsumptionisgivena
negativeconnotation.Eachsourcediscussesthetopicinawaythatillustratestheauthors
believinginaneedforachangeinourmaterialisticculture.Asthefirstexample,Podoshenand
Segalwrite,Materialisticssetabnormallyhigh,andoftenunrealistic,standardoflivinggoals
forthemselves.
Thisresultsinmoredissatisfactionwiththeiract
ualstandardofliving,which
translatestodissatisfactionwithlifeingeneral(2012,p.190).Thesecondsourcesays,Thisis
thedreadfulmistakewearemaking:allowingourselvestobelievethathavingmoremoneyand
morestuffenhancesourwellbeing...Worldlyambition,materialaspiration,perpetualgrowth:
theseareaformulaformassunhappiness(Monbiot,2013).Inthelastarticle,Morleystatesthat

Materialismisbuyingthingswedon'tneedwithmoneywedon'thavetoimpresspeoplewe
don'tlike(2015).Eachoneofthesearticlesperceivesmaterialismandoverconsumptionasan
evilinAmericatoday.Theywerewrittentodeclaretheprobleminourcountry,andstartthe
neededageofchangeandimprovementconsideringmaterialgoods.

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Onthetopicsofpointofviewandtoneofvoice,PodoshenandSegalsjournalexhibitsa
muchmoreformalvoiceusingthirdpersonpointofview,thanMonbiotsarticleusing
firstpersonpointofview.Comparingthetwostatements,Manyeconomieshavefound
themselvesinprecarioussituationsbecauseofoverspendingandoverconsumption(Podoshen&
Segal,2012,p.18
9),andIfyouhavefourRolexeswhileanotherhasfive,youareaRolexshort
ofcontentment(Monbiot,2013),areadercandetectthetwodifferentfeels.Thesecond
statementfromMonbiotsarticlesoundslikeheisspeakingdirectlytothereaderbyusingthe
termyou.Thereisaconnectionmadebetweentheauthorandreaderjustbytheusageof
firstpersonpointofview.However,theformalityinthejournalcarriescredibilitydifferentlyby
thetoneofprofessionalismused.
Asanadditionalpointofdisagreement,thereisadifferingobjectivitylevelbetween
Morleysarticleandtheothertwosources.ThearticlewrittenbyMorleyisinsomesections
religiouslytoned,whilethejournalwrittenbyPodoshenandSegalandtheotherarticlewritten
byMonbiot,remainfreeofreligiousassociations.DespitethefactthatthemajorityofMorleys
articleremainsfreeofreligion,theenddiscussestheideathat
theconstantdesireformoreand
morethingshasledtoasyncretismbetweenmaterialismandChristianity(Morley,2015).The
statementalonedecreasestheaudiencesize,andmaychangetherelevancetosome.Becausethe
othertwosourcesremainobjectivewithoutanyreligiousreference,theybecomemuchmore
relevanttoalargersampleofpeople,whichaidsinitscredibility.
ThejournalwrittenbyPodoshenandSegalcarriesbothvaluablestrengthsandsome
weaknesses.Asastrength,eachclaimiswellsupportedbythecrediblestudythatwascarried
out.Thejournalremainsobjective,unbiased,andprofessionalthroughoutwithitsgreatuseof

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solidevidence.Inaddition,theevidenceiscorrectlycitedbythemanyrelevantreferencesused.
Specifically,thispieceofwritingusedoverfiftydifferentresourcesinthetimebetweencarrying
outthestudyingandpublishingthejournal(Podoshen&Segal,2012,p.197198).The
referencesaidinthecredibilityofthejournalitself,astheinformationiswellknowntobeing
reliable.However,afewofthereferencesaredatedbefore2012.Credibilitywise,thesespecific
referenceswouldbeknownaseitherirrelevantoroutdatedintheacademicworld.Despitethe
useofsomeofthosetimelyunrelevantresources,thejournalpublishedin2012byPodoshenand
Segalstillisextremelycredibleandvaluabletomyresearch.
GeorgeMonbiotsarticlecarriesaswellworthwhilestrengthsandafewweaknesses.The
authorexaminesmanydifferentrelevantstudiesthatallcorrelatetosupportandillustratehis
claims.OneofthestudieshereferstoisapaperpublishedintheJournalofConsumerResearch.
Thestudytracked2,500peopleforsixyears,revealingadirectrelationshipbetweenmaterialism
andloneliness(Monbiot,2013).Thecredibilityofthisstudyandtheplaceofpublishmentgreatly
increasesthecredibilityofthearticle.AnotherstrengthofMonbiotspieceistheclarityofhis
argument,whichaidsinlesseningthepossibilityofmisinterpretation.Asanexample,he
commentsonthebeliefthatmorestuffwillincreasetheirwellbeingbydirectlystating,Thisis
thedreadfulmistakewearemaking(Monbiot,2013).Areadercanconfidentlytakeawaythe
meaningofMonbiotsintentionalwords.Ontheotherhand,thearticleispublished
commercially.Thiscanpotentiallyalterthecredibilitybecausethepublisherhasnotbeenproven
scholarly,andneitherhasthearticleasitispublishedintheMoneyOpinionsection.What
comeswiththeopinionpieceisalessformalwritingstyle.Althoughthewritingstylemakesthe
articlesimpletoreadforabroaderaudience,itdiminishestheprofessionalismandscholarlyfeel.

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Overall,thesourcestillremainscredibleastheinformationiswellsupportedbymanyreliable
studiesandstatistics.
PatrickMorleysarticleisanotherusefulsourceinresearchingmaterialism.Itiswritten
formallyandprofessionally,whichaidsinitspersuasionoftheargument.Healsoexpresseshis
opiniondirectly.Itiseasyforareadertoknowexactlywhattheauthorbelievesandmeansto
illustrate.Inaddition,Morleyiseffectiveinshowingwh
erehisinformationcomesfrom,buthe
lacksreferencetotimeinhisownresearch.Asstatedinhisarticle,Today,wecaninstantly
gratifyourdesiresforanevergrowinglitanyofproducts,whichaccordingtoMadison
Avenuesymbolizeprogressandchange(Morley,2015).Hereferencesthesourceoftheidea,
MadisonAvenue,buthedoesnotspecifyadatethatwoulddeciphertherelevanceoftime.
Morleysownarticleistimelyrelevant,butareadercannotbecertainoftherelevanceofsome
ofthesourcesheused.Anotherweaknessofthissourceisthereligiousassociation.Morley
reduceshisaudiencedrasticallybyaddingareferencetoChristianityattheendofthearticle.
Nonreligiousreadersmayportraythearticleasunreliablebecauseithasanundertoneof
differingreligiousbeliefs.Althoughthissourcehasaspectsthatweakenthecredibilityofthe
specificexamples,reliabilityandeffectivenesscanstillbefoundbythemajorideasdiscussed.
Thethreesourcesdiscussedabovewereofgreataidtomyresearchandenhancedmy
overallargument.Iwasabletoexpandmyviewpointbylearningjusthowmuchour
standardoflivinghasincreasedoverjustafewdecades,andtheseverityofthenegative
psychologicaleffectsassociatedwithmaterialismandoverconsumption.Beforeresearch,my
viewpointwasthatmaterialismisanegativepartofoursocietythatneedstobeimprovedupon.
Afterresearch,myviewpointwasonlyenhanced,madericher,andmorereliable.However,the

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benefitsofconsumptionneedtoberesearchedmoretobeabletofullyunderstandtheissue,and
givethemostwellroundedargumentpossible.Regardless,IcurrentlybelievethatAmericais
toomaterialisticandblindoftheoverconsumptionissuepresentinoursocietytoday.The
problemneedstoberesolved,oratleastbroughttotheattentionofAmericansbeforeitbecomes
apermanentpartofourcountryandculture.

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References
Fellows,K.J.(2012).Materialismandpsychologicalwellbeing:Ametaanalyticstudy.
BYU
ScholarsArchive
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http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4863&context=etd
Monbiot,G.(2013).Materialism:Asystemthateatsusfromtheinsideout.
TheGuardian
.
Retrievedfrom
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/09/materialismsystemeatsusfro
minsideout
Morley,P.(2015).HowAmericabecameentangledbymaterialism.
CharismaMagazine
.
Retrievedfrom
http://www.charismamag.com/life/men/16655materialismcomeswithadarkside
Segal,B.,&Podoshen,J.S.(2012).Anexaminationofmaterialism,conspicuousconsumption
andgenderdifferences.
InternationalJournalofConsumerStudies,

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