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Presenting a Positive Alternative to Strivings for Material Success and the Thin Ideal: Understanding the Effects of Extrinsic Relative to Intrinsic Goal Pursuits
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BibTeX
@MISC{Vansteenkiste_presentinga,
author = {Maarten Vansteenkiste and Bart Soenens and Bart Duriez},
title = {Presenting a Positive Alternative to Strivings for Material Success and the Thin Ideal: Understanding the Effects of Extrinsic Relative to Intrinsic Goal Pursuits},
year = {}
}
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Abstract
Contemporary consumer culture offers a seemingly promising pathway to developing a satisfying and happy life. In numerous advertisements, we are told that the pursuit of a good life can be equated with a ‘‘goods life’’ (Kasser, 2002) or with the attainment of a ‘‘perfect body’ ’ (Dittmar, 2007). The mass media suggests that if we manage to garner the posses-sions that are presented to us on TV and in glossy magazines and if we are able to reach the idealized body images that role models exemplify, we are more likely to be satisfied with ourselves and with our lives in general. In bringing this message, the mass media creates a dream world in which wealth and the attainment of good looks are glorified as indicators of hap-piness and success (Kasser, Cohn, Kanner, & Ryan, 2007). In line with the exponential growth of consumer culture over the past decades, psychologists have become increasingly interested in examining whether the promise of the ‘‘American Dream’ ’ (Kasser & Ryan, 1993) holds some truth or whether it represents a myth in which people might even get entrapped (Dittmar, 2007). The purpose of this chapter is to frame this discussion about consumerism and the good life within a well-grounded motivational theory, that is, Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2000) and the qualitative distinction this theory makes between intrinsic goals (e.g., self-development, commu-nity contribution) and extrinsic goals (e.g., financial success, status). In doing so, we will not only focus on the implications of pursuing extrinsic goals, but, following the positive psychology perspective (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), we also consider a positive alternative, that is, the pursuit of intrinsic goals. Furthermore, we move beyond the personal and social well-being correlates of people’s goal pursuits (see Kasser, 2002, for
Keyphrases
positive alternative material success extrinsic relative thin ideal intrinsic goal pursuit good life mass medium extrinsic goal intrinsic goal ryan deci numerous advertisement perfect body glossy magazine happy life exponential growth positive psychology perspective past decade well-grounded motivational theory social well-being correlate deci ryan role model good look kasser ryan idealized body image contemporary consumer culture consumer culture dream world qualitative distinction promising pathway commu-nity contribution financial success self-determination theory american dream people goal pursuit seligman csikszentmihalyi
