Lecture 20: The Dark Side of the American Dream Flashcards
Tim Kasser
- A self-determination theorist who focuses on the impact of growing up in a consumerist society
- A leader in the Simplicity Movement, which emphasizes having a meaningful and purposeful life
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
- Emphasizes meritocracy
- Rooted in the U.S.’s absence of a monarchy
social mobility in the U.S. today
Moving out of a poor or middle-class family in the U.S. now is harder than in Europe
academic attainment of immigrants vs. non-immigrants in Canada
Immigrant kids in Canada have higher academic attainment than non-immigrant kids
Koestner’s experience with the Amish
Koestner used to travel to Lancester, Pennsylvania during summer break as a child and observe the Amish
lifestyle of the Amish
- The Amish live like they are in the 18th century
- Avoidance of modern technology
- Families have 9 kids
core values of the simple life
- Community & family
- Humility
- The religious life
depression in the Amish
The Amish have the lowest rates of depression in the U.S.
controversy regarding education in the Amish
- The Amish didn’t want their kids to go to school because they feared it would make them prideful
- The federal government got involved, so now Amish kids have to go to school until they are 16
- The Amish can run the schools but they have to follow a syllabus set out by the government
George Brown on the 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.”
Kasser on the American Dream
Lower well-being is associated with having extrinsic goals focused on rewards, praise, & competition relatively central to one’s personality in comparison to intrinsic goals that are congruent with inherent growth tendencies.
the starlet
- A reality show where wannabe actresses competed for a role on One Tree Hill
- Most of the contestants display entitlement and superiority
- One girl is more modest, and she’s the one who ends up winning
- Subliminal message about the fleeting nature of beauty and stardom (ex. sleeping in Marilyn Monroe’s bed as a reward)
- The show was highly reviewed because they selected contestants who reassembled popular actresses of the time
examples of external aspirations
- money
- fame
- appealing image
examples of intrinsic aspirations
- close relationships
- community invovlement
- personal growth
aspirations over time
- The focus on extrinsic aspirations appears to be increasing
- In 2024, nearly half of young adults said they were “obsessed” with being rich
aspirational index studies
- Involve asking participants how important it is to them to achieve a life goal in the future
- Assess the relative balance between intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations
how do most people report their aspirations?
Most of us will rate intrinsic aspirations higher
Kasser & Ryan, 1993 Study 1 method
Community adults aged 18-79 completed surveys of aspirations and well-being, which measured 1) self-actualization 2) vitality 3) depression 4) physical symptoms
Kasser & Ryan, 1993 Study 1 findings
Found that people who were more extrinsically focused reported higher depression and lower well-being
Kasser & Ryan, 1993 Study 1 replications
- These findings were replicated in Germany and Korea
- The U.S. focused more on intrinsic motivation but the correlations were similar
2014 Meta-Analysis by Kasser
- 144 studies from all continents except for Africa
- 52% were from north America
- Found a mean effect size of r=.20 of extrinsic aspirations and distress
Mediational Analyses: Prospective Longitudinal Study method
Studied university students over 6 years
Mediational Analyses: Prospective Longitudinal Study findings
Found that aspirations lead to changes in need satisfaction, which leads to changes in autonomous motivation for personal goals, which leads to even higher need satisfaction, and changes in well-being
does mediation of aspirations by need satisfaction apply to everyone?
- This trend applies to most people and can have a significant impact of one’s life
- We all have tendencies to care about appearance and status
- Ex. Koestner’s vulnerability is sneakers
impact of gender and culture on the impact of extrinsic values on well-being
gender and culture do not seem to moderate this impact
distribution of aspirations
Aspirations are normally distributed
what aspirations are best?
The more we are balanced toward intrinsic, the healthier our outcomes will be
moderating factors for intrinsic vs. extrinsic aspirations
- motivation behind aspirations
- attainability
- living your values
example of the importance of the motivation behind aspirations
Making money to send your kids to school doesn’t negatively impact well-being
attainability and aspirations
it doesn’t matter how attainable a goal is; it still impacts well-being
when do you get the biggest payoff from extrinsic aspirations?
if they are aligned with your intrinsic values
Weinstein & Ryan, 2010 Motivation and Prosocial Behaviour study
- Asked participants why they were participating in prosocial behaviour
- Found that if you are doing prosocial things for extrinsic reasons, you will not benefit
aspirations and well-being study method
- 200 young adults were contacted 1 year after graduation
- They assessed aspirations and well-being
- They then followed up at 1 year to assess attainment of aspirations, need satisfaction, and changes in well-being
aspirations and well-being study findings
Found that achieving extrinsic things undercuts well-being
Amish people and mental helath
- Research shows that Amish people may be at an advantage compared to the Starlets
- But, traditional cultures do not necessarily get things right where mental health is concerned
issues in Amish communities
- Parenting practices like spanking
- Childhood marriages
Kasser’s recommendations
- We cannot altogether abandon our interest in money, status, and appearance
- We should instead make sure that our focus on these aspirations is moderate and outweighed by intrinsic aspirations
- We should become aware of societal, social, and personal factors that drive us toward materialistic values
Kasser’s framework
Outlined 2 broad classes of aspirations distinguished on the basis of content:
extrinsic and intrinsic aspirations
extrinsic aspirations
depend on the contingent reaction of others and are typically engaged as a means to an end
intrinsic aspirations
expressive of natural growth tendencies and are likely to satisfy basic psychological needs
