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I think there is a great deal to that. Take the phenomenon of status consumption: my wife and I bought a new Accord a few months ago (our first brand new car), and mysteriously there has been a rash of new car buying among our neighbors. It was spooky, since we live modestly, and in a middling neighborhood, so I have rarely seen any such "keeping up with the Joneses" behavior. Now, why would anyone spend money so readily just out of competitiveness? Understand, I am prepared to sympathize with some concern with one's reputation, and therefore with spending to make a decent appearance in the world, I am talking about that more gnawing, compulsive worry that people have of being "shown up". As far as I can tell, it is because they are not sure what is expected, and therefore they are continually afraid that they are coming up short, that they will be caught out, that everyone is secretly laughing at them behind their back. It is particularly bad among teenagers, because they are so ignorant, and have to deal with so many novel situations. It is supposed to get better as we get older, and learn the ropes. But in a cosmic sense, we are always at a disadvantage, not knowing certainly what is expected of us, and if we are coming up short..... |
