Unequal Childhoods and the Class Structure - Essay Example

Unequal Childhoods and the structure Introduction The social structure in today’s society does allow children to grow in different background. The world has become hostile thus people have turned to be materialistic as one of their defense mechanism. This explains the unequal childhoods currently experienced. Materialism can be related to a person having a character of possessiveness, envy and lacks generosity people strives to possess worldly things like cars, money, mansions, beautiful family and other materialistic things life gets more comfortable, but little do they know that those who think that they have everything struggle for peace (Andersen and Taylor 56). The structures are defined with the success in life. Success in life is now defined by the quantity and quality of extrinsic possession. The pursuit of money, wealth and other material possessions are being perceived as determinants of pleasure and meaning in life. People have turned to technology to make life easier, but the same people have developed an addiction for it, which is making life more complicated. Culture has also played a role in materialism because people have placed great emphasis on economic accomplishment rather than contentment. Individuals aspire to meet their financial goals and get materialistic assets to gain a social recognition. Diligence has been exclusively associated with economic success. This has made self-identity defines with possessions; such norms have placed excessive value monetary success and material possessions. People have become materialistic thus viewing wealth acquisition as the centre of life, and crucial success, which is vital for their happiness. Financial individuals view success as the most valued life goal as if there are not other goals a person can pursue (Lareau 65). When materialism has a strong value in a society it implicates the people’s desires, the decisions they make and their social behavior. People are losing faith in the social and traditional norms but they want to prove that they are still sensible to the human existence. Every person is interested in accumulating more wealth than the other accumulates which has now become survival for the fittest when it comes to wealth accumulation. This has caused the gap between the rich and the poor to widen since the rich are becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer. Wealth competition has resulted in hostile situations. Every person has a dream to reach a certain status in life, which they believe is achievable through a concerted effort. Urbanization has also caused materialism because there are social changes and integrated social norms (Gollnick and Chinn 89). External orientation acts, as a prime element to materialism in which positive self regard and self-acceptance is dependent on possessions, money, power and image. Materialistic people evaluate themselves and others by their money, wealth and possessions. Such people live their lives by continuous judgment, which may make their lives inflexible and unsatisfactory. Their energy and efforts are directed in acquiring terminal acquisitions. Materialism can be related to attempts that materialists make in avoiding unfavorable impressions as opposed to attempts of creating positive, strong image and self-presentation. Materialists are unwilling to be appearing weak or vulnerable to others, instead they want to be seen as strong and socially attractive. Parents and peers can be influential to their children and hence develop in them this materialistic personality. Peers and parents are the socializing agents that an adolescent is mostly associated with. Consumption attitudes, monetary goals and ambitious motives are transmitted to this adolescent (Fussey 78). The fact that these adolescents view their parents as their source of emotional support and their well being psychologically increases their dependence in parents. Adolescents from a less privileged background may have an increased perception on material goods. Financial achievements and the perceptions that parents feed adolescents like more money brings happiness make them materialistic. When an adolescent grows up with a wealth mindset relating happiness with something else becomes hard. There is a rising level of materialism among the adolescent and hence they are growing as a materialistic generation. From the family setup, adolescents can acquire a materialistic setting in the communication styles and other styles that promote conformity to others. The other aspect that increases materialism to adolescents is comparing themselves with other peers. When young people adopt materialistic values, they affect the choices that they make throughout their lives. This works against interpersonal relationships since they develop selfishness, which cannot relate with happiness and the well-being of an individual. Young people should formulate their new identity and should learn self-acceptance thus stopping the comparison that they do with friends and other media figures. Materialists have a tendency of wanting to manage the impressions they make on others, which are not clear. They aim at self-presentation in the way they look to others. This may ruin a relationship because it brings about a boastful character. Materialism overreliance has gained a social approval as a base for self worth, this has made individual vulnerable to some factors like instability. When people become materialistic, they become self-centered and selfish towards others. What only interests them is self-gain and this can even bring violence or even hostility. Materialism can bring about a vice of lacking generosity. Horney viewed neurosis in a different way from other theorists, as more continuous with normal life. Neurosis refers to how people cope by gaining control over interpersonal issues that happen in their lives. By so doing this people attempt to make life more bearable. We try to gain material thing in our day-to-day living, some of us seem to be doing all right while the neurotic sink fast. We are all interested in numerous neurotic needs like need for approval, need for power among others, but these needs can be unrealistic. These needs have also been distorted by the difficulties we face in life. The growth of children into adults depends on the mindset of the society. Conclusion People strive in every way to see that their neurotic needs are met in the present or future, failure to this the person experiences great anxiety. This factor leads that person to being materialistic because of the nature of that need to minimize the anxiety. To attain a social approval people tend to place great value in monetary wealth and other material objects. Horney outlined that people have a need for prestige or social recognition. This need is materialistic since recognition has to do with material possessions. Through different unequal childhood development, children grow up embracing different goals and ambitions. Lack of self-worth, lack of decision-making and anxiety can be some of the neurotics that can result in materialism. Works Cited Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. Sociology: understanding a diverse society. Florence, New Jersey: Cengage Learning, 2007. Print. Fussey, Pete. New Labour and New Surveillance: Theoretical and Political Ramifications of CCTV Implementation in the UK. Surveillance and Society CCTV Special Edition. 2004. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. . Gollnick, Donna M., and Philip C. Chinn. Multicultural education in a pluralistic society. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall, 2009. Print. Lareau, Annette. Unequal Childhoods. California: University of California Press, 2003. Print. Read More