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3 Cards in this Set
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Paradox of Progress
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Western society has made advancements in transportation, communication, energy, agriculture and medicine but the social problems of today's modern world and personal difficulties are still prevalent and prominent.
examples: Cars, cellphones, dishwashers, photocopiers, and computers all save so much time but even with these time saving devices people feel that they have even less time. - Life choices have grown in several different areas for people. Choices when you go to the supermarket, college is more available, marriage and having children and even how people look (plastic surgery. These abundance of choices also has costs. Having more alternatives often leaves more room for rumination (Barry Schwartz), post decision regret, and anticipated regret.The choice overload ultimately undermines the happiness and contributes to depression. Theme: The technological advances of the past century, impressive though they may be, have not led to perceptible improvement in our collective health and happiness. |
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Causes of the Paradox of Progress
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Erich Fromm: the progress we value so much has scrambled our value systems and undermined our traditional sources of emotional security, such as family, community, and religion.
Alvin Toffler: Attributes our collective alienation and distress to our being overwhelmed by rapidly accelerating cultural change. Robert Kegan: the mental demands of modern life have become so complex, confusing and contradictory that most of us are "in over our heads." Tim Kasser: He speculates that excessive materialism weakens the social ties that bind us, stokes the fires of insecurity and undermines our collective sense of well-being. Micki McGee: Suggests that modern changes in gender roles, diminished job stability and other social trends have fostered an obsession with self improvement that ultimately undermines many individuals sense of security and their satisfaction with their identity. |
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What many theorists agree that...
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the basic challenge of modern life has become the search for meaning , a sense of direction and a personal philosophy.
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