L20 - A Dark Side of the American Dream: Aspirations, Values, & Well-Being Flashcards
Tim Kasser
check lecture
What is the American Dream?
the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative
Urban Dictionary offers 2 definitions:
- To sue someone for something icnredibly stupid and live off the money
- to otherwise make a lot of money for not a lot of effort, and spend the rest of your life being rich and getting plastic surgery
Summer vacations and the Amish
description of Amish society
core values of “The Simple Life”
- community & family
- humility
- the religious life
controversy regarding education
On the cultural origins of depression
“Depression holds a pivotal position in understanding what is wrong with society. While sadness, unhappiness, and grief are inevitable, this is not true of depression… Its origins are closely linked to the quality of core social roles”
- George Brown, 2002
Kasser’s Exploration of the values underlying the American Dream
(Kasser & Ryan, 1993)
Lower well-being is associated with having extrinsic goals focused on rewards, praise, and competition relatively central to one’s personality in comparison to intrinsic goals that are congruent with inherent growth tendencies
Clips from “The Starlet”
“subliminal message about the fleeting nature of beauty & stardom”
Kasser’s framework (2002)
2 broad classes of aspirations distinguished on basis of content
- extrinstic aspirations depend on contingent reaction of others and are typically engaged in as a means to an end
- intrinsic aspirations are expressive of natrual growth tendencies and are likely to satsify basic psychological needs
Distinguishing types of aspirations
Intrinsic
- close relationships
- community involvement
- personal growth
Extrinsic
- money (rewards?)
- fame (competition?)
- appealing image (praise?)
Nearly half of young adults say they are “obsessed” with being rich, and financial consequences may ensue
- Fox News Headline, Jan 24, 2024
Financial experts described how social media, among other factors, has contributed to feelings of discontentment among some young adults
Give an example of Aspirations Index
Instructions: The following questions ask you about the future. Respond to each question by indicating how important it is to you that you achieve the goal in the future
- Life Goals
– To have deep, enduring relationships
– To help others improve their lives
– To grow and to learn new things
– To be a wealthy person
– To be admired by many people
– To achieve the look I’ve been after
Wealth, Image, Popularity/Fame/Status
Note that importance and likelihood of attainment are both rated
Describe Kasser and Ryan’s first study (1993)
Community adults aged 18-79 completed surveys of aspirations and well-being
- self-actualization
- vitality
- depression
- physical symptoms
Regression Results
- IMPORTANCE OF ASPIRATIONS
– Intrinsic: self-actualization (.40), vitality (.46), depression (-.35), physical symptoms (-.35)
– Extrinsic: self-actualization (-.52), vitality (-.60), depression (.29), physical symptoms (.46)
Kasser and Ryan used interview ratings of well-being
Mean aspirations among German and Americans
Germany:
- Intrinsic: 4.12
- Extrinsic: 2.53
US
- Intrinsic: 4.55
- Extrinsic: 3.18
Aspirations and Well-Being among Germans
RELATIVE INTRINSIC FOCUS
- self-actualization: .35
- Anxiety -.25
- Depression: -.11
- Physical Symptoms: -.17
Total well-being: .26
Aspirations and Well-Being among Koreans
RELATIVE INTRINSIC FOCUS
- Self-actualization: .36
- Anxiety: -.11
- Phyiscal Symptoms: -.18
Total Well-Being: .20
2014 Meta-Analysis by Kasser
144 studies from all continents except Antarctica
- 52% from N. America
Mean effect size of extrinsic aspirations with distress, r = .20
Key question
But does this really apply to most people and is it something that can have a significant impact on one’s life?
Examples that combine concern about attractiveness and popularity
Moderating factors
motivation behind aspirations
attainability
living your values
gender and culture do not seem to moderate impact of extrinsic values on well-being
Weinstein and Ryan 2010: Motivation and Prosocial Behaviour
3 conditions:
- controlled help
- no help
- autonomous help
2 types of Ps
- helper
- recipient
3 dependent variables
- positive affect
- Vitality
- Self-esteem
results
- helpers experienced greater self-esteem when offering autonomous help
– highest bar in the graph by far
Does it matter whether you achieve your aspirations?
Niemic, Ryan & Deci, 2009
200 young adults contacted 1 year after graduation
assessed aspirations, well-being
follow-up at 1 year to assess attainment of aspirations, need satisfaction, and changes in well-being
Expressing aspirations in behaviour
Sheldon & Krieger, 2014
Walking the talk: value importance, value enactment, and well-being
- there was a significant behaviour/important gap, such that Ps “walked” (acted on values) less than they “talked” (endorsed those values)
- this was especially true for intrinsic values
– the intrinsic ideals of personal growth, community, and connection often recieve only lip service - Value enactment predicted well-being better than value importance
What did Brown say about traditional cultures and what does Kasser recommend?
2002
Caution: “Traditional cultures do not necessarily get things right where mental health is concerned”
parenting practices: spanking among Amish
childhood marriages
Kasser’s recommendations
- we cannot altogether abandon an interest in money, status, and appearance - these things do have currency in modern life (example of anti-conformity)
- we should instead make sure that our focus on these aspirations is moderate and outweighed by intrinsic aspirations (relative balance is key)
- we should become aware of societal, social, and personal factors that drive us toward materialistic values - discuss FB
