CONSUMERISM VERSUS THE CULTURE OF EXISTENTIAL INTELLIGENCE

The present study aims to investigate the possible difficulties that human beings (especially young people) face in finding the existential meaning in consumer society. It tries to outline answers to the following questions: Does consumerism feed the crisis of meaning in contemporary society? Do con...

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Main Author: Elena NEDELCU
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nicolae Titulescu University Publishing House 2021-05-01
Series:Challenges of the Knowledge Society
Subjects:
Online Access:http://cks.univnt.ro/download/cks_2021_articles%252F6_administrative_and_political_sciences%252FCKS_2021_ADMINISTRATIVE_AND_POLITICAL_SCIENCES_004.pdf
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author Elena NEDELCU
author_facet Elena NEDELCU
author_sort Elena NEDELCU
collection DOAJ
description The present study aims to investigate the possible difficulties that human beings (especially young people) face in finding the existential meaning in consumer society. It tries to outline answers to the following questions: Does consumerism feed the crisis of meaning in contemporary society? Do consumerist ideologies and lifestyles meet the fundamental needs of the human being or do they rather induce false needs? Doesn't it propose false clues in search of meaning, in search of happiness? Maintaining the illusion that by purchasing goods, services, experiences (as many and as expensive as possible) we gain self-esteem and respect for others, consumerism can induce a dangerous sense of self-sufficiency, self-satisfaction. After the job, or even before it, the feverish, compulsive rush for shopping has become the main concern of hyperconsumerists. Under these conditions, do they still have time and energy to search for self, otherness, the purpose of life? Isn't consumerism a real obstacle in cultivating existential (spiritual) intelligence? If consumerism through (pseudo) values, the behaviors it cultivates, supports and maintains the existential crisis, then what is to be done, how can we get out of the impasse? Could the increase of the preoccupation of the society, of the socialization factors, of each individual for the development of his own existential / spiritual intelligence be a solution?
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spelling doaj-art-f96cff5cd5b94e5ca112a82e8be40eb82025-08-20T02:51:20ZengNicolae Titulescu University Publishing HouseChallenges of the Knowledge Society2068-77962021-05-01141972977CONSUMERISM VERSUS THE CULTURE OF EXISTENTIAL INTELLIGENCE Elena NEDELCU0Professor, PhD, Faculty of International Relations and Administration, „Nicolae Titulescu” University of Bucharest (e-mail: doina.nedelcu@yahoo.com)The present study aims to investigate the possible difficulties that human beings (especially young people) face in finding the existential meaning in consumer society. It tries to outline answers to the following questions: Does consumerism feed the crisis of meaning in contemporary society? Do consumerist ideologies and lifestyles meet the fundamental needs of the human being or do they rather induce false needs? Doesn't it propose false clues in search of meaning, in search of happiness? Maintaining the illusion that by purchasing goods, services, experiences (as many and as expensive as possible) we gain self-esteem and respect for others, consumerism can induce a dangerous sense of self-sufficiency, self-satisfaction. After the job, or even before it, the feverish, compulsive rush for shopping has become the main concern of hyperconsumerists. Under these conditions, do they still have time and energy to search for self, otherness, the purpose of life? Isn't consumerism a real obstacle in cultivating existential (spiritual) intelligence? If consumerism through (pseudo) values, the behaviors it cultivates, supports and maintains the existential crisis, then what is to be done, how can we get out of the impasse? Could the increase of the preoccupation of the society, of the socialization factors, of each individual for the development of his own existential / spiritual intelligence be a solution?http://cks.univnt.ro/download/cks_2021_articles%252F6_administrative_and_political_sciences%252FCKS_2021_ADMINISTRATIVE_AND_POLITICAL_SCIENCES_004.pdfconsumerismexistential meaningcrisis of meaningexistential intelligence
spellingShingle Elena NEDELCU
CONSUMERISM VERSUS THE CULTURE OF EXISTENTIAL INTELLIGENCE
Challenges of the Knowledge Society
consumerism
existential meaning
crisis of meaning
existential intelligence
title CONSUMERISM VERSUS THE CULTURE OF EXISTENTIAL INTELLIGENCE
title_full CONSUMERISM VERSUS THE CULTURE OF EXISTENTIAL INTELLIGENCE
title_fullStr CONSUMERISM VERSUS THE CULTURE OF EXISTENTIAL INTELLIGENCE
title_full_unstemmed CONSUMERISM VERSUS THE CULTURE OF EXISTENTIAL INTELLIGENCE
title_short CONSUMERISM VERSUS THE CULTURE OF EXISTENTIAL INTELLIGENCE
title_sort consumerism versus the culture of existential intelligence
topic consumerism
existential meaning
crisis of meaning
existential intelligence
url http://cks.univnt.ro/download/cks_2021_articles%252F6_administrative_and_political_sciences%252FCKS_2021_ADMINISTRATIVE_AND_POLITICAL_SCIENCES_004.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT elenanedelcu consumerismversusthecultureofexistentialintelligence