Tim Kasser\'s the High Price

Tim Kasser's The High Price Of Materialism

The High Price of Materialism by Tim Kasser

In his book The High Price of Materialism Tim Kasser asks what initially seems to be a philosophical, subjective question: what makes people happy? Kasser applies his knowledge of psychological methodology and data-gathering to this age-old query. Based upon his research, Kasser concludes that materialistic values are not simply injurious to the planet and cause vast disparities of wealth and prosperity: they also make individuals who hold such values unhappy.

Kasser is a professor of psychology at Knox College and the associate editor of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. On his website, Kasser links his personal activism as an anti-consumerist advocate to his academic research. Like most professors, he publishes his resume on his personal website, but he also includes links to web resources such as "Measure your own ecological footprint." Kasser writes: "over the years, I have become increasingly involved in activist efforts to help individuals and society move away from materialism and consumerism and towards more intrinsically satisfying pursuits that promote personal well-being, social justice, and ecological sustainability" ("Activism," Kasser Website, 2010).

Kasser's website provides information about the measurement instrument known as the 'Aspiration Index,' which Kasser created, along with his colleague Richard Ryan, to measure human happiness. "The primary focus of much of my research has distinguished between two types of goals. Extrinsic, materialistic goals (e.g., financial success, image, popularity) are those focused on attaining rewards and praise, and are usually means to some other end. Intrinsic goals (e.g., personal growth, affiliation, community feeling) are, in contrast, more focused on pursuits that are supportive of intrinsic need satisfaction" ("Aspiration Index," Kasser Website, 2010).

Creating and deploying this index was a critical part of the research Kasser used to write The High Price of Materialism. The index measures the priority the individual gives to such values as financial success, affiliation (relationships with others), self-acceptance, and community feeling. On a level of 'meta-discourse' Kasser raises the question if it is indeed possible to empirically test what seems to be a highly personal, subjective issue such as human happiness. Kasser states that his research indicates that individuals who prioritize materialism over intangible values in their personal aspirations exhibit more anxiety and depression than individuals who do not. Individuals who ranked material values very high in their personal aspiration indexes ranked lower in levels of self-actualization and higher in anxiety, depression, and a lack of physical vitality.

Kasser used college students as the initial test subjects for his questionnaire. Questions that measured an individual's level of financial aspiration included such statements as "You will be financially successful; You will be your own boss; You will have a job with high social status." Kasser and Ryan then gave a different version of the Aspiration Index to a wider cross-section of eighteen-year-olds, and similarly found that aspiring to financial success and giving lower priority to other values were linked to higher levels of depression, anxiety, and anti-social behavior.

Based upon these results, Kasser posed the question as to what other values advanced by capitalist society were linked low levels of mental and physical health, such as maintaining a strong social image. He tested the links between aspirations to financial success, the need for social esteem, and image-related concerns in his next study. Social image was measured by ranking such statements high as: "Your name will be known by many people; You will be famous; You will be admired by many people." Valuing an 'appealing' appearance involved agreeing with statements about having an attractive image and successfully hiding the effects of aging as important values. In this second round of surveys, extrinsic drivers such as money, fame, and materialism all seemed to be linked as a 'cluster' of aspirations found in persons who also ranked high in anxiety and depression and low in vitality and levels of self-actualization.