1. Theory

2. Notable incident

3. See also

4. References

5. Further reading

6. External links

Theory

In 2007, British psychologist Oliver James asserted that there was a correlation between the increasing occurrence of affluenza and the resulting increase in material inequality: the more unequal a society, the greater the unhappiness of its citizens.^[5] Referring to Vance Packard's thesis The Hidden Persuaders on the manipulative methods used by the advertising industry, James related the stimulation of artificial needs to the rise in affluenza. To highlight the spread of affluenza in societies with varied levels of inequality, James interviewed people in several cities including Sydney, Singapore, Auckland, Moscow, Shanghai, Copenhagen and New York.

In 2008 James wrote that higher rates of mental disorders were the consequence of excessive wealth-seeking in consumerist nations.^[6] In a graph created from multiple data sources, James plotted "Prevalence of any emotional distress" and "Income inequality", attempting to show that English-speaking nations have nearly twice as much emotional distress as mainland Europe and Japan: 21.6 percent vs 11.5 percent.^[7] James defined affluenza as "placing a high value on money, possessions, appearances (physical and social) and fame", which was the rationale behind the increasing mental illness in English-speaking societies. He explained the greater incidence of affluenza as the result of 'selfish capitalism', the market liberal political governance found in English-speaking nations as compared to the less selfish capitalism pursued in mainland Europe. James asserted that societies can remove the negative consumerist effects by pursuing real needs over perceived wants, and by defining themselves as having value independent of their material possessions.

Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss's book, When Too Much is Never Enough, poses the question: "If the economy has been doing so well, why are we not becoming happier?"{{r|HamiltonDenniss2005|p=vii}} They argue that affluenza causes overconsumption, "luxury fever", consumer debt, overwork, waste, and harm to the environment. These pressures lead to "psychological disorders, alienation and distress",{{r|HamiltonDenniss2005|p=179}} causing people to "self-medicate with mood-altering drugs and excessive alcohol consumption".^[8]{{rp|180}}

They note that a number of Australians have reacted by "downshifting"—they decided to "reduce their incomes and place family, friends and contentment above money in determining their life goals". Their critique leads them to identify the need for an "alternative political philosophy", and the book concludes with a "political manifesto for wellbeing".^[9]

Notable incident

In December 2013, State District Judge Jean Boyd sentenced a North Texas teenager, Ethan Couch,^[10] to 10 years' probation for driving under the influence and killing four pedestrians and injuring 11^[11] after his attorneys successfully argued that the teen suffered from affluenza and needed rehabilitation, and not prison. The lawyers had argued that Couch was unable to understand the consequences of his actions because of his financial privilege.^[12] The defendant had been witnessed on surveillance video stealing beer from a store, driving with seven passengers in a Ford F-350 "stolen" from his father, and speeding at {{convert|70|mph}} in a {{convert|40|mph}} zone. Couch was also driving while under the influence of alcohol (with a blood alcohol content of 0.24%, three times the legal limit for an adult in Texas) and the tranquilizer Valium.^[13] At a February 5, 2014, hearing, Eric Boyles—whose wife and daughter were killed in the crash—said, "Had he not had money to have the defense there, to also have the experts testify, and also offer to pay for the treatment, I think the results would have been different."^[14] In April 2016, a judge sentenced Ethan Couch to 720 days in jail after he violated his probation.^[15]

See also

• Brock Turner
• Christian views on poverty and wealth
• Conspicuous consumption
• Diseases of affluence
• Escape from Affluenza
• Ethan Couch
• Lifestyle disease
• O. J. Simpson murder case
• Simple living
• Status Anxiety
• Affluenza (film)

References

Further reading

• The Circle of Simplicity, Cecile Andrews, {{ISBN|0-06-092872-7}}
• The Golden Ghetto: The Psychology of Affluence, Jessie H. O'Neill, {{ISBN|978-0-9678554-0-0}}
• Voluntary Simplicity, Duane Elgin, {{ISBN|0-688-12119-5}}
• Voluntary Simplicity, Daniel Doherty & Amitai Etzioni, {{ISBN|0-7425-2066-8}}
• How Much Is Too Much? Raising Likeable, Responsible, Respectful Children-From Toddler to Teens- In an Age of Overindulgence, Clarke, Jean Illsley, Bredehoft, David & Dawson, Connie, {{ISBN|978-0-7382-1681-2}}

External links

• {{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza |title=Affluenza |author= |date= |website=pbs.org |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}
• [https://archive.is/20121230231507/http://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/anonymous@B718716551/-/p/WOTY/WordOfYearWinners.html Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year Winners: Affluenza]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080117023905/http://www.selfishcapitalist.com/affluenza.html Oliver James website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080510115818/http://www.theaffluenzaproject.com/ The Affluenza Project]
• Affluenza issues in the USA
• Affluenza video
• {{Internet Archive film clip|id=openmind_ep1357|description="The Open Mind - Affluenza (1984)"}}

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