DOCSLIB.ORG

Pleasure and Wealth in a Globalizing Consumer Society

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Pleasure and Wealth in a Globalizing Consumer Society CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Corvinus University of Budapest - Ph.D. dissertations Tamás Kocsis ROOTS PLEASURE AND WEALTH IN A GLOBALIZING CONSUMER SOCIETY Manuscript Budapest, 2002 BUDAPEST UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND TECHNOLOGY Project leader: prof. József Kindler Translated by Krisztina Olasz and Ágnes Hatala © Tamás Kocsis, 2002 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 7 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................................12 CHAPTER 1 ARGUMENTS DENYING THE PROBLEMS OF CONSUMER SOCIETY ......................13 FROM A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE CONSUMER CULTURE DOES NOT POSE A PROBLEM .............................................15 CONSUMER CULTURE DOSE NOT POSE A DANGER TO SOCIETY ............................................................................16 CONSUMER SOCIETY DOES NOT PRESENT A DANGER TO THE ENVIRONMENT ......................................................20 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................................22 CHAPTER 2 THE PROBLEMS OF CONSUMER SOCIETY.....................................................................25 MATERIALISM AND ATTEMPTS TO MEASURE IT ..................................................................................................27 PHENOMENA ACCOMPANYING MATERIALISM .....................................................................................................29 OVERCONSUMPTION AND MISCONSUMPTION .....................................................................................................32 NEEDS AND WANTS ............................................................................................................................................33 THE NATURE OF POSSESSIVENESS .......................................................................................................................35 WHO IS HAPPY ?—THE ROLE OF PERSONAL TRAITS ............................................................................................36 WHO IS HAPPY ?—THE ROLE OF SOCIAL FACTORS ..............................................................................................37 WHO IS HAPPY ?—THE ROLE OF MATERIALIST ATTITUDES .................................................................................38 THE ROLE OF VALUES .........................................................................................................................................39 OUTSIDE CONSUMER SOCIETY ’S BIRTHPLACE ....................................................................................................40 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................................41 CHAPTER 3 VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY ...................................................................................................47 VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY AND CONSUMER SOCIETY ...........................................................................................49 VALUES CENTRAL TO VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY ..................................................................................................50 VOLUNTARY —INVOLUNTARY , SIMPLE —COMPLEX ...........................................................................................52 A DYNAMIC EXAMINATION OF VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY ....................................................................................53 WHO ARE THE VOLUNTARY SIMPLIFIERS ? ..........................................................................................................54 THE FEATURES AND MOTIVES OF VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY BEHAVIOR ...............................................................55 A SURVEY OF FRUGALITY AND ITS FINDINGS ......................................................................................................57 MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY ............................................................................................58 THE TECHNIQUES OF VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY ...................................................................................................59 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................................61 CHAPTER 4 THE PROBLEMS OF VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY ............................................................63 THE HYPOCRISY OF THE ADVOCATES OF SIMPLICITY ..........................................................................................65 THE NAIVETÉ OF VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY .........................................................................................................65 THE PROPENSITY OF VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY TO BE SELFISH.............................................................................66 THE DOUBLE -FACED RELATIONSHIP OF VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH ...............................67 Voluntary simplicity as economic confusion ................................................................................................68 Voluntary simplicity as the engine of economy: past experience .................................................................68 Voluntary simplicity as the engine of economy: present experience ............................................................69 FROM CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION TO CONSPICUOUS NON -CONSUMPTION .......................................................70 THE AUTHOR ’S EXPERIENCES .............................................................................................................................71 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................................73 CHAPTER 5 FROM THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF MATERIALISM TO THE PERSON ROOTED IN COMPLETENESS ............................................................77 THE DEBATE ABOUT CONSUMER SOCIETY ..........................................................................................................79 THE DEBATE ABOUT VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY ....................................................................................................81 THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF MATERIALISM ...............................................................................................................84 THE INDIVIDUAL ROOTED IN COMPLETENESS .....................................................................................................85 THE RESEARCH ITSELF .......................................................................................................................................86 THE QUESTIONNAIRE ..........................................................................................................................................87 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................................89 5 CHAPTER 6 OUR ROOTS IN KÉZDISZÉK AND IN THE İRSÉG .........................................................91 DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH FIELDS .............................................................................................................94 THE RESEARCH FIELDS AS REPRESENTED IN THE OFFICIAL STATISTICS ...............................................................96 DATA COLLECTION .............................................................................................................................................99 THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF THE RESPONDENTS IN KÉZDISZÉK AND IN THE İRSÉG ..........................................100 THE ROOTS OF THE RESPONDENTS , THEIR EMBEDDEDNESS INTO CONSUMER SOCIETY, AND TELEVISION VIEWING HABITS IN KÉZDISZÉK AND IN THE İRSÉG ........................................................................................................102 RELIABILITY OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUP AVERAGES ...............................................................107 EXAMINING THE SAMPLE VIA CLUSTER ANALYSIS ............................................................................................107 EXAMINING THE SAMPLE VIA MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALING ............................................................................110 The map of welfare .....................................................................................................................................111 The map of the roots of the complete person..............................................................................................113 EXPERIENCES WHICH DO NOT APPEAR IN THE QUESTIONNAIRES .......................................................................114 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................................116 CHAPTER 7 OUR PERISHING ROOTS .....................................................................................................119 METHODOLOGICAL COMMENTS .......................................................................................................................123 ROOTS –WEALTH –MEDIA : THE PROBLEM OF CAUSE AND EFFECT .....................................................................125
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Globalization, Post-Materialism and Threefolding
    id43049218 pdfMachine by Broadgun Software - a great PDF writer! - a great PDF creator! - http://www.pdfmachine.com http://www.broadgun.com GLOBALIZATION, POST-MATERIALISM AND THREEFOLDING http://www.cadi.ph/Features/Feature_11_Post_Mat.htm 07/26/2007 GLOBALIZATION, POST-MATERIALISM AND THREEFOLDING[1] By Nicanor Perlas[2] Abstract The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and the Battle of Genoa in July 2001 in Italy captures the present power configuration of the world. Three worldviews are struggling for control over the future of the planet. These three worldviews are characterized and labeled, broadly, as Jihad, McWorld, and Civitas. McWorld is the world of the dominant materialistic modernity that governs the world. Jihad is the fundamentalist response of tradition, not just Islam, to McWorld. The world of Civitas is the world of post-materialism seeking a more spiritual approach, different from McWorld and Jihad, to world challenges. An elite form of globalization associated with McWorld has taken over the planet with disastrous consequences. This elite form of globalization is forcing humanity to ask fundamental questions about the nature and meaning of ’s relationship with it. human existence, about societies and civilizations, and about the nature of nature and humanity The questions of McWorld cannot be answered from the consciousness of McWorld nor Jihad. It requires a post-material consciousness, perspective and action to address the problems spawned by elite globalization today. Fortunately, there is a massive awakening throughout the world today in connection with a more spiritual approach and response to the challenge of McWorld. Ronald Inglehart documents the broad contours of this new awakening.
    [Show full text]
  • The Revealing Case of Cultural Creatives As Transmodern Tourists in Soweto, South Africa
    GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites Year XII, vol. 26, no. 3, 2019, p.993-1005 ISSN 2065-1198, E-ISSN 2065-0817 DOI 10.30892/gtg.26324-412 THE REVEALING CASE OF CULTURAL CREATIVES AS TRANSMODERN TOURISTS IN SOWETO, SOUTH AFRICA Sandile L. MKHIZE * University of Johannesburg, School of Tourism and Hospitality, College of Business and Economics, South Africa, e-mail: [email protected] Milena IVANOVIC University of Johannesburg, School of Tourism and Hospitality, College of Business and Economics, South Africa, e-mail: [email protected] Citation: Mkhize S.L., & Ivanovic M., (2019). THE REVEALING CASE OF CULTURAL CREATIVES AS TRANSMODERN TOURISTS IN SOWETO, SOUTH AFRICA. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 26(3), 993–1005. https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.26324-412 Abstract: This article investigates the phenomenon of transmodern tourism in Soweto as it statistically tests the theoretical assumption that Cultural Creatives are a clearly identifiable group of transmodern tourist in general tourists population. The results of ANOVA confirmed a group difference between Cultural Creatives and general tourists, leading to a major finding that Cultural Creatives presence in Soweto (54.8%) is two-times (26.1%) more than the value predicted by the literature. In addition, Walking around the township is identified as Cultural Creatives’ most authentic experience which further validates the recommendation for development of an innovative range of immersive and authentic experiences in Soweto that conforms to Cultural Creative’s transmodern value system. Keywords: Transmodernism, Cultural Creatives, Authenticity, Transformative experience, Conscious consumers, Soweto * * * * * * INTRODUCTION The world out there is changing at an unprecedented rate.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the Intersection Between Politics
    1 THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN POLITICS, CULTURE, AND SPIRITUALITY: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATION OF PERFORMANCE ART ACTIVISM AND CONTEMPORARY SOCIETAL PROBLEMS A Thesis Presented to The Honors Tutorial College Ohio University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation from the Honors Tutorial College with the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance by Justin M. Middlebrooks June 2012 2 This thesis has been approved by The Honors Tutorial College and the School of Dance Marina Walchli Professor, Dance Thesis advisor Marina Walchli Professor, Dance Honors Tutorial College Director of Studies, Dance Jeremy Webster Dean, Honors Tutorial College 3 Contents Foreword Initial Interactions with Culture, Politics, and Spirituality 4 One An Introduction to the Project 9 Two Perspectives on Contemporary Movements and Sociopolitical Problems 13 Three Performance Art and Activism 31 Four An Emerging Cultural Paradigm Shift 43 Five Summary and Conclusion 66 Glossary 69 Appendix I 71 Appendix II 124 Appendix III DVD Works Cited 143 4 Foreword Initial Interactions with Culture, Politics, and Spirituality Since my early childhood, and throughout my young adult life, I diligently pursued various cultural experiences and forms of artistic expression. My primary interest, for both personal and academic inquiries, is the investigation of various cultural and sub-cultural groups and their experiences. The rituals and performance customs of particular modern and indigenous communities offers an intriguing glimpse into worlds I have yet to travel. I will briefly discuss my previous adventures with international travel, religious and spiritual quests, and my examination of a multitude of artistic and cultural genres like theatre and dance. Both my previous cultural experiences and the performance elements of cross- cultural studies directly influenced my choreography while in the School of Dance at Ohio University.
    [Show full text]
  • Grace Filled Or Grace Felled? Spirituality in the Workplace, Orientalism at Work, and Values As a Model for Engagement V6.0
    Grace Filled or Grace Felled? Spirituality in the Workplace, Orientalism at Work, and Values as a Model for Engagement V6.0 By Wendy Knowles December 18, 2014 1 All have suffered. All are equally full of nonsense. Therefore, in principle, there must be a new and universal politics—a politics of no praise and no blame. By these means, reconciliation must be achieved—cooperatively, in a disposition of mutual tolerance, trust, and respect. The genetic unity of humankind is inherent. That unity is scientifically known to be so. Yet, the “difference-makers” speak and act as if there were some superior humans and inferior humans, superior nationalisms and inferior nationalisms, and so on—as if merely incidental differences were of immense significance. To make much of incidental differences is merely to argue about old stories. Instead of all that, everyone must be exercised anew—toward (and in, and As) Truth in always present-time. – The World Friend, Adi Da, Not-Two Is Peace 2 Grace Filled or Grace Felled? Spirituality in the Workplace, Orientalism at Work, and Values as a Model for Engagement A spiritual disposition at the individual and global level may be good for the planet. ‘Spirituality in the workplace,’ at first glance, offers an impression of the best of both worlds, a practice that is both individually particular and globally conscious. I assert that, in field application, there are inherent challenges in the execution of spirituality in the workplace. The term ‘spiritual’ is unique to religion in that is does not generally connote the dogma and historical problems associated with religion.
    [Show full text]
  • Annotated Bibliography
    ELECTION 2008: Lipstick on the Pig, Annotated Bibliography Annotated Bibliography1 Anti‐Americanism, Blowback, Why the Rest Hates the West .......................................................... 92 Betrayal of the Public Trust .............................................................................................................. 93 Biomimicry, Green Chemistry, Ecological Economics, Natural Capitalism ....................................... 98 Blessed Unrest, Dignity, Dissent, & the Tao of Democracy .............................................................. 99 Capitalism, Globalization, Peak Oil, & “Free” Trade Run Amok ..................................................... 100 Collective Intelligence, Power of Us, We Are One, & Wealth of We .............................................. 102 Culture of Catastrophe, Cheating, Conflict, & Conspiracy .............................................................. 104 Deception, Facts, Fog, History (Lost), Knowledge, Learning, & Lies ............................................... 104 Democracy in Decline ..................................................................................................................... 107 Emerging and Evolving Threats & Challenges ................................................................................ 110 Failed States, Poverty, Wrongful Leadership, and the Sorrows of Empire .................................... 114 Future of Life, State of the Future, Plan B 3.0 ...............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • "The Third Sector: for What and for Whom?" Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland July 5-8, 2000 ISTR Fourth International Conference
    "The Third Sector: For What and For Whom?" Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland July 5-8, 2000 ISTR Fourth International Conference CIVILIZING SOCIETY: THE UNFOLDING CULTURAL STRUGGLE by David C. Korten The Positive Futures Network & The People-Centered Development Forum Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness, nothing will change for the better. and the catastrophe toward which this world is headed, whether it be ecological, social, demographic or a general breakdown of civilization, will be unavoidable. -- B Václav Havel On November 30, 1999 some 70,000 union members, people of faith, environmentalists, youth, indigenous peoples, peace and human rights activists, feminists, and others took to the streets in Seattle Washington to express their opposition to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Some called it The Battle of Seattle or The Protest of the Century. Some simply called it Seattle '99. Courageously standing their ground in the face of the rubber bullets, tear gas, and pepper spray of violent po lice battalions run amok, the protesters played a major role in bringing the WTO negotiations to a stand still. They also focused world attention on two powerful divergent social forces contesting humanity's future course. One is the force of corporate globalization being advanced by an alliance between the world's largest mega- corporations and most powerful governments. The defining project of this alliance is to integrate the world's national economies into a single borderless global economy that frees the world's largest corporations to move goods and money as they will without governmental intervention. In the eyes of the corporate libertarians, whose primary focus is on financial indicators, this integration is creatin g the financial resources necessary to end poverty and save the environment, while at the same time increasing human freedom by eliminating repressive governments and spreading democracy throughout the world.
    [Show full text]
  • The New Political Compass © Paul H
    The New Political Compass Version 7.5.5* The New Progressives are In-Front, Deep Green, and Beyond Left vs. Right By Paul H. Ray, Ph.D. Integral Partnerships LLC The New Political Compass In Front On Big, Emerging Issues: Cultural Creatives, New Progressives (Calling All New Social Movements!) Wisdom Culture Paradigm Est. 45% of Voters Longing for the Old Ways 36% Cultural Conservatives Radical & Religious Right Southern Politics Paradigm 20% Est. 21% of Voters 12% Alienated 19% Standing Pat on the Left Modernist Liberals Conventional Left Politics 14% Big Government Paradigm Est. 15% of Voters Profits Over Planet and People Business Conservatives Economic Growth/Globalization Big Business Paradigm Est. 19% of Voters *This is a condensed and non-technical edit of Version 7.3, of April, 2002, adding a strategic analysis of the situations of both political parties, and supporting strategic surveys. It is missing most statistical tables and graphs of Version 7.3, but has more practical conclusions and an FAQ. For more detailed evidence, download version 7.3 from www.culturalcreatives.org © Paul H. Ray, 2003 [email protected] Table of Contents page Executive Summary............................................................................................................. 3 Action Points for Action People ............................................................................................ 4 Beyond the Demographics: A New Subculture in America............................................. 7 Beyond Left vs. Right: The New
    [Show full text]
  • Transmodernist Movement in Japan
    A FUTURE TO PINE FOR 懐かしい未来: TRANSMODERNIST MOVEMENT IN JAPAN STEVEN ATTWOOD THESIS SUBMITTED FOR MASTERS OF PHILOSOPHY IN ASIAN STUDIES SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE OCTOBER 2014 Acknowledgements My journey towards completing this thesis has been filled with many great highs and lows, and it has been made possible thanks to the support of many people. I would like thank the Asian Studies department of the University of Adelaide, especially to my supervisors Dr. Shoko Yoneyama and Dr. Gerry Groot for their consultations and time. Without them this would have never been possible. Thank you to my family and friends, especially to my wife Alana, for all the love and support and for the additional time reading over my thesis. In addition, I would like to thank Sam Lymn for the services of reviewing my thesis where possible. Once again, thank you to everyone would ever gave support or assisted in the creation of this work. i Abstract The natural and nuclear disaster of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants of TEPCO and its continuing aftermath reflected the emotions and frustrations of Chernobyl. The incident reignited the debate on nuclear power and critical engagement with modern society. More than ever, critical discussions and seeking alternative solutions is as important. The thesis explores one such alternative to modernity called transmodernism, a theoretical concept that was formulated by Enrique Dussel and expanded in various directions from contemporary writers. Dussel's concept is the defining idea of his engagement with modernity and its relationship to the Other. The thesis will focus on one such contemporary interpretation of transmodernism.
    [Show full text]
  • Reimagining-Politics.Pdf
    DOI:10.6531/JFS.2017.21(3).TOC Journal of Futures Studies Volume 21 Number 3 March 2017 1 Reimagining Politics After the Election of Trump: Introduction by the Editor José Ramos 3 The City, the Country, and the New Politics of Place Andrew Curry 17 Reconceiving the Self and the Other: Possibilities Beyond the Seduction of Popularist and Authoritarian Polarities Michael McAllum 27 Trump: The Beginning or the End? Sohail Inayatullah 37 Trumped: The Unsurprising Election of Donald Trump and our Unequal Opportunity--and Lack of Plausible Visions--for New Governance Design Jim Dator 43 Donald Trump and the Birth of a Planetary Culture José Ramos 53 A Post-Hoc Causal-Layered Analysis of American Trumpism Tim Dolan 61 Re-dynamising Local Economies in the Age of Trumpism Michel Bauwens and Vasilis Niaros 67 The Rule of the Jester King Victor MacGill 77 Theses on Trump: Personal reflections in the form of 10 axioms Michel Bauwens 79 The Trump Scenarios Michael Marien 83 Concluding Reflections Kristin Alford and Sohail Inayatullah DOI:10.6531/JFS.2017.21(3).E1 Symposium .1 Reimagining Politics after the Election of Trump: Introduction by the Editor José Ramos Journal of Future Studies Australia It was a future many did not want to believe was even possible. A second rate real estate billionaire with a slew of mediocre business ventures, turned bawdy reality TV star, turned political agent - openly racist, sexist and authoritarian – it couldn’t be. As he mocked his political opponents (Jeb Bush as “low energy” etc.) like a schoolyard bully, the farcical nature of the gaffes (free press coverage?) told us that he would destroy his own chances through careless and inflammatory comments and actions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Value of Slow for Sustainable Futures Adela FOFIU Babeş–Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania [email protected]
    ACTA UNIV. SAPIENTIAE, SOCIAL ANALYSIS, 5, 1 (2015) 63–79 Perceptions of Time in the Sustainability Movement: The Value of Slow for Sustainable Futures Adela FOFIU Babeş–Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania [email protected] Abstract. The value of slow in the fast society can easily be associated with downshifting and voluntary simplicity – lifestyles that value more spiritual and emotional well-being rather than material accumulation. The literature on these topics is extensive, from religious studies of asceticism and humble simplicity, to the sociology of consumption. Nevertheless, a new approach to the value of time in living simply is needed in our more recent context of the 2008 crisis. After the Occupy movement of 2011 has been criticized for not being able to offer solutions to the problems they were challenging, the social movement for sustainability has become more and more visible. This movement is actively creating systemic alternatives, testing new social and economic models, redefining their relationship to money and material goods, imagining and sometimes enacting possible futures that go beyond the tensions of the crisis. In this article, I explore how members of the sustainability movement in Europe perceive time and how they interpret, feel, or imagine the value of slow. As I use the unstructured interview starting from a single question, the narratives that the respondents elaborate are complex and diverse, yet they recount a dual value of time: on the one hand, time can only be defined as slow or fast when it is related to external objects; on the other hand, time can be experienced as pressure or as expansion, depending on where the respondent perceives their locus of control.
    [Show full text]
  • Holism the Science of the Future ©
    ENRICO CHELI HOLISM THE SCIENCE OF THE FUTURE © Foreword by Ervin Laszlo This paper is an excerpt from the book by Enrico Cheli Olismo la scienza del futuro, Xenia publishing, Milano, Italy, 2010. It has been translated from italian into english by the author and is protected by copyright ©. SUMMARY 1 FOREWORD by Ervin Laszlo Introduction PART ONE – HOLISM AND REDUCTIONISM IN SCIENCE I – Origins and limitations of the predominant paradigm 1. Fragmentation, mechanicism and reductionism in science, 2. Epistemological limitations of reductionism, 3. Ethical limitations of the predominant paradigm, II. The emergence of a holistic vision of reality 1. Short history of contemporary holism, 2. From the object to relations and from energy to information, III – The systemic-cybernetic model 1. Foreword, 2. From linear causality to circularity, 3. Totality, interdependence and organisation, 4. Relations between systems and embedding: the «Matryoshka » model, 5. Equifinality, 6. Openness and uncooperativeness in systems and between systems, 7. Cybernetics, or regulation and self-regulation of systems, 8. Stationary state, agitation, self-reorganisation, 8.1 The homeostatic function, 8.2 Prevention and therapy in the systemic perspective, 8.3 The evolutive function, 9. The systemic-cybernetic approach in the human and social sciences, 10. Conclusions IV – Towards integration between reductionism and holism? 1. The reservations of the scientific community towards the holistic paradigm, 2. towards a meta-model integrating holism and reductionism, PART TWO – HOLISM AND REDUCTIONISM IN CULTURE AND IN THE MIND V – Mindsets 1. Disorientation and reorientation, 2. New science, a new mind, new culture, 3. Cultural Creatives and the emerging holistic paradigm, 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Osu1301062941.Pdf (427.77
    Media Preference and Risk Assessment: Mortality Salience and Mediating Effects of Worldview Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Gregory Boyd Richey, B.A. Graduate Program in Communication The Ohio State University 2011 Thesis Committee: Gerald Kosicki, Advisor Michael McCluskey Copyrighted by Gregory Boyd Richey 2011 Abstract This study examined the effects of mortality salience on the opinions and preferences of people with different religious or philosophical worldviews. Specifically, participants completed a religious fundamentalist scale, a post-materialist index, and a cultural creativity index. Each participant was then randomly asked to think about the concept of death or a control topic. Finally, participants were asked to provide their opinions on a number of topics regarding prayer efficacy, media preference, and risk assessment. This study found supporting evidence that reminders of one’s mortality tend to exaggerate any distrust of modern medicine held by religious fundamentalists, even if those reminders are not related to the medical issue at hand. It also provided some evidence that similar concerns held by post-materialists may be generally exaggerated under similar conditions. In addition, it was hypothesized that participants would consider potentially risky driving behaviors to be less dangerous when mortality was salient. This study found supporting evidence that religious fundamentalists were less concerned about the risks of driving with multiple passengers when mortality was salient. If assessments of other, riskier behaviors (such as texting while driving) mirror these results, mortality salience ii and religious perspective must be considered when attempting to discourage such behavior.
    [Show full text]