Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2000 13:44:44 +0100 From: Mervyn Hartwig <mh-AT-jaspere.demon.co.uk> Subject: Re: BHA: Realism and latent theology /anthropology Hi Jan, Bwanika I too found Bwanika's post very interesting. Bwanika wrote: >My argument as opposed to Nick's libertarian theology (aah), >which was thoroughly practised in Latin America as an undercover of >pseudo socialism, Your politics are showing, Bwanika. On the face of it, they prove my point about political reaction. What both of you overlook in the anti-market homilies you attach to your posts ('Reflection: Desire to Be Rich and Famous ... a Sure Path to Discontent', etc.) is that New Age by and large thoroughly *embraces* the market and success. It is heavily commodified - a user-pays religion for the middle classes - thickly peopled with charlatans and quacks who charge a hefty fee for their services even as they denounce 'materialism'. Wanna be Rich and Famous? - become a New Age guru. You could have 'a massive following, holding a huge swathe of ... India in the palm of [your] hand' (FETW 135-6) and lead us all 'like Moses' to the promised land... (16). True, though, the book denounces 'materialism'... Mervyn Jan Straathof <janstr-AT-chan.nl> writes >Hi Bwanika, > >i really enjoyed your post, you wrote: > >>It is indeed a confusing book, which can't readily be captured with an >>'empiricist ego' with a great void as lack of practice or TIC. I strongly >>believe Bhaskar at last has brought upon the world, a theory "an >>explanatory theory" and indeed liberated Habermasian " life world" and >>Durkheimian "organic solidity". > >yes, this is also my line of thought, roughy sketched i would >say that -at base- the book is trying to initiate a sort of a >buddhist marxist utopianism [with Christ and Krishna as >guiding spirits] > >yours in SRA, >Jan > >---------------------------- >Reflection: > >Desire to Be Rich and Famous Called a Sure Path to Discontent > >by Alfie Kohn > >New York - The adage that money cannot buy happiness may >be familiar, but is easily forgotten in a consumer society. A >much more persistent and seductive message is beamed from >every television screen: Contentment is available for the price >of this car, that computer, a little more getting and spending. > >Over the last few years, however, psychological researchers >have been amassing an impressive body of data suggesting >that satisfaction simply is not for sale. Not only does having >more things prove to be unfulfilling, but also people for whom >affluence is a priority in life tend to experience an unusual >degree of anxiety and depression as well as a lower overall >level of well-being. Likewise, those who would like nothing >more than to be famous or attractive do not fare as well, >psychologically speaking, as those who primarily want to >develop close relationships, become more self-aware or >contribute to the community. > >Earlier research had demonstrated that neither income nor >attractiveness is strongly correlated with a sense of well-being. >But Dr. Richard Ryan, professor of psychology at the University >of Rochester, and Dr. Tim Kasser, a former student who is >now an assistant professor of psychology at Knox College in >Illinois, have discovered that the news is even worse. > >In three sets of studies published in leading psychology journals >since 1993, with a new article this year in Personality and Social >Psychology Bulletin and still more papers on the way, the resear- >chers sketch an increasingly bleak portrait of people who value >``extrinsic goals'' like money, fame and beauty. > >Such people are not only more depressed than others, but also >report more behavioral problems and physical discomfort, as >well as scoring lower on measures of vitality and self-actuali- >zation. While not every study has investigated the full list of >effects, the pattern that emerges from the research project as >a whole is remarkably consistent. > >Ryan and Kasser said their studies provided a look at the "dark >side of the American dream,'' noting that the culture in some >ways seemed to be built on precisely what turned out to be >detrimental to mental health. Americans are encouraged to >try to strike it rich, but,``the more we seek satisfactions in >material goods, the less we find them there,'' Ryan said. >"The satisfaction has a short half-life; it's very fleeting.'' > >Moreover, the detrimental effect of extrinsic goals seems to >hold regardless of age or even level of income: A preoccupation >with money bodes ill regardless of how much money one >already has. The effects also appear not to be limited to any >one culture. Kasser and his associates have now collected data >from subjects in 13 countries, including Germany, Russia and >India. The fact that pursuing wealth is psychologically unhelp- >ful and often destructive, he reports, ``comes through very >strongly in every culture I've looked at.'' > >Affluence, per se, does not necessarily result in an unsatisfying >life. Problems are primarily associated with "living a life where >that's your focus,'' Ryan said. Nevertheless, the negative >psychological picture does seem to be associated with the extent >to which people believe that they are already on the way to >attaining extrinsic goals. > >For example, the paper to be published this year surveyed about >300 youths, some in the United States and some in Russia. In >both countries, lower levels of mental health were found not >only in people who wanted to make a lot of money but also in >those who thought they were likely to succeed at it. > >Another study by the same researchers, not yet accepted for >publication, found that college students who were already >``relatively high in the attainment of appearance, financial >success and popularity'' were nevertheless ``lower in well-being >and self-esteem.'' Those who aspired to affluence also had >more transient relationships, watched more television and >were more likely to use cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs >than were those who placed less emphasis on extrinsic goals. > >Apart from its obvious implications for a culture that thrives >on material gain, this whole line of research raises questions >about the proclivity of some psychologists to analyze the >dynamics of what is often called goal-directed behavior >while, in effect, ignoring the nature of the goal. Likewise, it >challenges homespun advice to``follow one's dream,'' whatever >it may be. > >These data strongly suggest that not all goals or dreams are >created equal. According to the researchers, pursuing goals >that reflect genuine human needs, like wanting to feel connected >to others, turns out to be more psychologically beneficial than >spending one's life trying to impress others or to accumulate >trendy clothes, fancy gizmos and the money to keep buying >them. > >The latter quest may amount to using compensation to try to >compensate for something more meaningful. The empirical >support for this piece of the puzzle comes from a particularly >provocative study that Kasser and Ryan conducted with Dr. >Melvin Zax at the University of Rochester and Dr. Arnold >Sameroff at the University of Michigan. These researchers >discovered that 18-year- olds for whom financial success >was especially important turned out to be disproportionately >likely to have mothers who were not very nurturing. When >parents are "cold and controlling,'' the researchers wrote, >"their children apparently focus on attaining security and >a sense of worth through external sources.'' > >This seems consistent with anecdotal accounts of very wealthy >men who grew up in troubled homes. Such stories are sometimes >cited as evidence that they made the best of a bad thing, turning >out well despite or because of their unhappy childhoods. The >problem with this interpretation, according to the research, is >that they may not have turned out so well after all. They just >turned out wealthy. > >(c)2000 San Francisco Chronicle > > > > > > --- from list bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu --- -- Mervyn Hartwig 13 Spenser Road Herne Hill London SE24 ONS United Kingdom Tel: 020 7 737 2892 Email: mh-AT-jaspere.demon.co.uk --- from list bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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