Well-being and consumer culture: A different kind of public health problem?

31Citations
Citations of this article
120Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

The concept of well-being is now of interest to many disciplines; as a consequence, it presents an increasingly complex and contested territory. We suggest that much current thinking about well-being can be summarized in terms of four main discourses: scientific, popular, critical and environmental. Exponents of the scientific discourse argue that subjective well-being is now static or declining in developed countries: a paradox for economists, as incomes have grown considerably. Psychological observations on the loss of subjective well-being have also entered popular awareness, in simplified form, and conceptions of well-being as happiness are now influencing contemporary political debate and policy-making. These views have not escaped criticism. Philosophers understand well-being as part of a flourishing human life, not just happiness. Some social theorists critique the export of specific cultural concepts of well-being as human universals. Others view well-being as a potentially divisive construct that may contribute to maintaining social inequalities. Environmentalists argue that socio-cultural patterns of over-consumption, within the neo-liberal economies of developed societies, present an impending ecological threat to individual, social and global well-being. As the four discourses carry different implications for action, we conclude by considering their varied utility and applicability for health promotion. © The Author (2007). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Author supplied keywords

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Carlisle, S., & Hanlon, P. (2007). Well-being and consumer culture: A different kind of public health problem? In Health Promotion International (Vol. 22, pp. 261–268). https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/dam022

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free