As the world began to shift from an economy reliant on agriculture to one of industrial influence, so too did daily interaction among human beings. Community life that once hailed the virtues of work ethic and intimate interaction slowly gave way to a society corrupted by the destructive nature of self-achievement and individualism. To maintain a way of life that coheres with the principles of old, certain sects of people began to withdraw from the blooming of this new type of society. Such people set up small societies that were generally self-sufficient, and stressed the importance of maintaining close relationships with neighbors as well as family. In such societies today, the most common example is likely the Amish community. A total withdrawal from all technological aspects of society enables them to focus more on religion and social interaction than modern society can allow.

To define these two types of society, sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies (1887/1988) categorized them as two distinct styles of society. He applies the term Gemeinschaft to refer to a community focused on intimate social interaction. He states that everyone in the community knows everyone, and that the members of the society share a sense of shared fate. This type of society keeps itself in line, because if one deviates, the rest of the community will conspire to damage the deviant’s reputation. Although their lives are largely controlled by the opinions of others, they can derive comfort from knowing that they are part of an intimate group.

On the other extreme of the spectrum is Gesellschaft, which refers to the chaotic society of today’s industrial society. Tonnies noted that the industrialization of the 20th century was tearing at the fabric of simple village life. The importance of personal ties, lifelong friendships, and family connections was effectively belittled in the light of short-term relationships, individual accomplishments, and self-interests. Gossip within this type of society is much less effective, because if things turn poorly, short-term relationships could be terminated while new ones began. Formal agencies such as the police and courts replaced the influences of peer pressure and gossip.

The Amish communities of today are beautiful examples of what Tonnies referred to as Gemeinschaft Communities – which he accurately predicted would exist as a result of resistance to industrialization. In these communities, weekly meetings regarding distribution of goods and the common welfare replace today’s courts and other agencies. All decisions are made based on the needs of individuals who you share close relationships with. Thus, each decision is wholly made to better the community on all levels. In typical society, laws must be passed to appeal to the common good of many sects of people – generally favoring the wealthy and those living in modernized areas. These laws are often not relevant to communities like Indian reserves and Amish districts, and thus have no place in society. In this way, the Amish way of life makes perfect sense.

Another reason the Amish separate themselves from the world is because of a literal interpretation of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. They hold that in order to remain loyal to their faith, they must minimize the distractions produced by modern society. In smaller, family centered communities, one can put most of his stock in biblical study and worship than in the job market, social acceptance, and other financial concerns.

The importance of preserving wholesome values of old is held more highly in the eyes of some. A deeper connection to your neighbors and family allows for a well rounded development and a fuller sense of security. As Tönnies states, humans will do whatever is necessary to maintain strong social bonds.

Demographers' defined the baby boom as a birth surgeon in 1946, after the World War II and reached its peak in 1957 and continued until 1964 because of the postwar prosperity. Most people use "generation" as their term but demographers precisely referred it as "cohort" (group of individuals experiencing a certain event within a specified time). This reveals that social changes interconnect with the life of every baby boomer.

There are two groups of baby boomers. The babies born from 1946 to 1955 were called early boomers. Those who were born from 1956 to 1964 were called as late boomers. The last set were born during the first tour of Beatles in America and the first early ones was approximately 18 years that time. They are were noticeable because of their big populations. They crowded junior high, elementary schools, high schools, labor market, and colleges.

Studies show that the impacts brought about by the society where baby boomers grew up contributes a lot in reshaping the society. They never think like their parents. Because the population of these cohorts is unprecedented during the 20th century, their beliefs and behaviors are then predicted to dominate things.

But there is also a great discrepancy in terms of economic status between early and late boomers. Compared to the energetic job market and emerging economy laid beneath the feet of early ones, late boomers needs adjustment on economic shifts. It is due to the rapid growth of service sectors, jobs for middle class became less stable, changing locations of workers, and career market adjustments.

Most are considered economic security as an elusive thing. They are the people who were born after the era of civil rights. Conducted studies even reveals income differences according to ethnicity, race, and birthplace creating ethnic classes. It was because one third of the population are Hispanic, African-American, or Asian besides the black and white Americans. Take for instance, the black boomer's generation are considered inferior than whites, although the generation were rated the best in terms of education.

It is a fact that the life was accompanied by postwar transformations changing the American society. The ideas about sexuality, gender, and family were altered profoundly. Likewise, parenthood changed, old age and retirement was redefined, and labor forces were transformed. Even in their old age, they seize opportunity to stay involved and active like staying in their work force to meet the responsibilities of supporting their children.

The changes in the society were never brought solely by the stereotype but also the conservative types like Seth Grossman. They expressed themselves through street protests while the conservative use other forms such as leaflets, student newspapers, and forums. Although their actions did not attract the attention of media but they achieved their success when they forced a referendum which resulted in the withdrawal of Duke students from the National Student Association.

Conservative may not be a part of the projected boomer's image but they became a strong force in making their way silently. They are not even in the front page of the newspapers because they still attend their class while others were boycotting. Nevertheless, they have supported conservative politicians like George Wallace in 1968.

One third of the populations of early boomers served during the Vietnam War. Other made a name in different fields throughout history. Joyce Johnson was an African-American who belongs to the stereotype her activist work in her graduate school. When she entered Duke School, she sought for advancement not only for herself but her entire race. She belongs in the Afro-American Society involved in the iconic events in the Duke campus during the 60s. Grossman and Johnson are baby boomers who contributed great change in their society.

Deep understanding about the baby boom generation is very important as they advanced on to their old age. It should be more of demographic curiosities because if demographic bulge move continuously on the system, then economic differences also persists. They once do their best in shaping the society providing significant impacts on the lives of many people besides themselves.

Today, juvenile crime has increased in a tremendous rate and this has lot to do with our society. Kids are more exposed to violence and negativity which restricts from having positive mindset. The positivity of a child can only be developed when parents play an active role.

Parents' participation in preventing delinquent behaviors

It is the parents who have most control over children's behavior. A report shows that families who are enthusiasts in spending more time together can certainly come up with positive outcomes and can even prevent delinquency prevention. A survey conducted by Columbia University has come up with a conclusion that children having their dinner with families' everyday are less likely to get involved into any illegal substances.

Usually, it has been observed that the parents who are not involved in the lives of their kids are bullied and finally it leads them to get involved into gangs and perform violent act. Just by actively participating into lives of their children, parents can easily keep their kids away from getting involved into violent activity.

Role of the society

It has been stated by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that a single focus is not sufficient when it comes to prevention programs. There are many agencies around that emphasizes on holistic and multi-disciplinary approaches.

• A recent study has proved that youth violence can be one of the reasons behind juvenile crimes. Teens that are exposed to violence at a very young age at home or in school can surely be more eager in crime crime. So, it is the duty of every individual who is a part of society should counter youth violence and take initiative to provide a healthy environment.
• You will find a strong connection between crimes and class differences. This difference actually makes the teen experience inferiority complex and they lack a feeling of belongings from society. As a responsible society, it is needed to be much more careful of not pushing teens towards destruction. Appreciate them from time to time and accept the uniqueness rather than pointing out the differences.

Parents' role in prevention

1. Give some time to your kids

Usually, it is observed that teens that get involved into criminal activities are simply because they want to seek attention of the people. So, it is the responsibility of family and parents to get involved in their life. Sit down with your kids and have a fruitful conversation so that they can feel their existence. Giving attention to their desire will definitely not make them feel unwanted.

2. Offering proper guidance

You might find that your kids are physically developing at a faster pace, but is that enough? It is important to find out whether the kids are mentally developed. Maturity along kids can come naturally or some might be in need of proper supervision and guidance. Parents need to understand their kids and look for sign of stress and trouble. So, what you first do is to keep an eye on teen's behavior!

Is juvenile punishment really helpful?

It is usually witnessed that juvenile crimes not only destroy the childhood of the kids, but also create a distance with the family. Some children who are into juvenile crimes and have been found guilty may receive a lighter sentence. Some still lack the understanding the ramification of actions and so suffer from ADHD or any other severe mental conditions that might limit their abilities.

So, kids may be in need of proper medications to heel their conditions and improve psychological health. Therefore, it has become vital for parents to be more concerned about their kids and think on well-being. Brain injury has been witnessed which has become a serious issue and it ultimately interferes with natural development.

A research conducted in 2003 showed that the brain injuries among youngsters are quite high compared to the general population. But, brain injury is not secluded to rehabilitation programs within youth justice system. Rather, it can be a major reason behind purchasing any criminal activity.

“It is not love that should be depicted as blind, but self – love.” – Voltaire

The subject of ‘Narcissism’ has intrigued us for many decades, but social scientists now claim that it has become a “modern epidemic”. The term ‘Narcissism’ originated more than 2000 years ago when Ovid wrote the ‘Legend of Narcissus’, which tells the story of a beautiful Greek hunter, Narcissus, who, one day, sees his reflection in a pool of water and falls in love with it. He becomes obsessed with his own beauty and is unable to leave his reflected image until he dies. The concept of Narcissism was first introduced by the famous psychoanalyst, Dr. Sigmund Freud’s essay ‘On Narcissism’. He popularized this new concept through his work on the ‘ego’ and its relation to the outside world. Narcissism can be defined as the pursuit of gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one’s own attributes. The ‘American Psychiatry Association’ has classified this as ‘Narcissistic Personality Disorder’ (NPD).

Narcissism lies on a continuum from healthy to pathological. Healthy narcissism is part of normal human functioning. It represents required self – love and confidence based on real achievements and the ability to overcome setbacks. But, narcissism becomes a problem when one becomes excessively preoccupied with the self and seeks complete admiration and attention, with complete disregard for others’ feelings. Lack of satisfaction of this need leads to substance abuse and major depressive disorders. In adolescents, this causes ‘Substance Dependency Disorder’ (SDD) – they display overt narcissistic and prosocial behaviours, which show a connection between self – centeredness and addiction. These substances include sedatives like alcohol, psychedelics and hallucinogens like marijuana and LSD, stimulants like cocaine, narcotics like opium, heroin, and morphine, and anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax.

“Narcissists unconsciously deny an unstated and intolerably poor self – image through inflation. They turn themselves into glittering figures of immense grandeur, surrounded by psychologically impenetrable walls. The goal of this self – deception is to be impervious to greatly feared external criticism, and to their own rolling sea of doubts.” This is how Elan Golomb describes NPD, in her book ‘Trapped in the Mirror’. The narcissists fail to achieve intimacy with anyone as they view other people like items in a vending machine, and uses them to serve their own needs, never being able to acknowledge that others might have their own feelings too.

Narcissism is filled with irony and paradox, whether as a character trait or as a clinical disease. Emily Levine says, “I thought Narcissism was about self – love till someone told me there is a flip – side to it… it is unrequited self – love.” It must be remembered that, Narcissus weeps to find out that his image does not return his love. This indicates that, a loving engagement with the self does not, and cannot, come from putting on lofty airs, acting with self – satisfied arrogance or being obsessed with assorted fantasies of ideal brilliance or beauty. Healthy, non – egotistical self – love arises from an unconditional acceptance of the self, without having to declare superiority over others. Deep down, the narcissists know, albeit unconsciously, that they are not really what they project. In fact, one of their central defenses is to endlessly project onto others the very flaws and fears that they are unable or unwilling, to allow into awareness. They are critical of others’ shortcomings, but completely blind to their own – their self – love must be seen as an illusion, a spectacular triumph of self – deception. They can only love their false, idealized self – a mirage that cannot possibly return the fantasy – laden love. Their flawed self, hidden beneath their outward bravado, remains locked up and placed in permanent exile. And, to continuously safeguard themselves from a reality that so frequently contradicts their grandiose assumptions and pretensions, they are forced to employ a massive defense stratagem, with extraordinary rigidity.

Although very few of us are actually diagnosed with NPD, almost all of us are guilty of sharing certain narcissistic tendencies. So, Todd Solondz says, “Narcissism and self – deception are survival mechanisms without which many of us might just jump off the bridge.” For true narcissists, the defenses are absolutely necessary to compensate their ego deficits and reduce feelings of shame. Without them, they might result in a state of suicidal depression; for, narcissists do not really like themselves – the more they boast and demean others, they are more likely to cover up for their deeper, largely hidden feelings of inferiority and lack of love. Blinded by their idealized self – image, they try to project themselves as gifted, exceptional and unique – that in turn makes them egotistical and arrogant. According to TS Eliot, “… half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don’t mean to do harm but the harm [that they cause] does not interest them. Or they do not see it or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves.” This shows a distinction between narcissists who are malevolent, and those who simply lack concern of how their behaviour might adversely affect others. It is yet another way of gaining attention to their supreme self – absorption, which makes it impossible for them to identify with others’ feelings.

Kurt Cobain says, “I don’t care what you think, unless it is about me.” This shows the narcissist’s indifference to the outer world unless it specifically relates to them. They are completely incapable of a genuine interest in others’ matters unless they are needed for the former’s assertion of superiority. Narcissists are also great con – artists; after all, they always succeed in deceiving themselves. It becomes particularly painful when they suffer from memory loss, when, they lose out parts of the person they love the most. In general, a narcissist “devours people, consumes their output, and casts the empty, wreathing shells aside”, says Sam Vaknin. Hate is a complement of fear, and the narcissists like being feared – it provides them with an intoxicating sensation of omnipotence. The difference between Narcissism and self – love is a matter of depth. Narcissus falls in love not with the self, but with an image or reflection of the self, with the persona, the mask. Narcissists see themselves through the eyes of others, changes their lifestyle and behaviour and expression of feelings, according to others’ admiration. Narcissism is voluntary blindness, an agreement not to look beneath the surface. Yet, Oscar Wilde says, “To love oneself is the beginning of a life – long romance” – this notion of self – love leans towards the pathological and the auto – erotic as well.

Prof. Jean Twenge differentiates narcissism from the idea of self – esteem. One high in self – esteem, values individual achievements, but they also value their relationships and caring for others. Contrarily, narcissists miss out on valuing and caring their relationships, as they lack empathy. Prof. Twenge and Keith Campbell, a specialist on Narcissism, joined hands to investigate whether people born in more recent generations score higher against Narcissism measures, than in previous generations. The tool they used to assess their subjects is the ‘Narcissistic Personality Inventory’ (NPI), created in 1988. It is the most widely used measure of Narcissism in social – psychological research, where a 40 item forced – choice version is the one most commonly employed.I Following Freud’s and Kohurt’s theories, individuals would be diagnosed clinically as patients of NPD, if they fulfil the following criteria:

A. Grandiose sense of self – importance or uniqueness

B. Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

C. Exhibitionism

D. Cold indifference of marked feelings of rage, inferiority, shame, humiliation or emptiness in response to criticism, indifference of others or defeat

E. At least, two of the following characteristic disturbances in inter – personal relationships:

I. Entitlement – expectation of special favour without assuming reciprocal responsibilities

II. Inter – personal exploits

III. Relationships that characteristically alternate between the two extremes of overidealisation and devaluation

IV. Lack of empathy

F. Vulnerability to shame, rather than guilt

G. Denial of remorse or gratitude

In this regard, reference can be made to Hotchkiss’s ‘Seven deadly Sins of Narcissism’, which include shamelessness, magical thinking, arrogance, envy, entitlement, exploitation, bad boundaries.

The ‘narcissistic dilemma’ is seen when, being criticized, the narcissists show themselves pitifully incapable of retaining any emotional poise or receptivity. But, these disturbed individuals also display an abnormally developed capacity to criticize others. Their dilemma is that the rigidity of their defenses, their inability ever to let their guard down, even among their closest people, guarantees that they will never get what they most need, which unfortunately, they are themselves oblivious to. People are never born narcissist, it is powerful environmental influences that make them so. Being neglected and ignored, or constantly disparaged or berated by parents in childhood, they form unrealistically high standards of behaviour. Unable to meet up to their parents’ unreasonable, perfectionist expectations, they create an imaginary “ideal self” that could receive the parental acceptance, even adulation, which they yearn for. The main elements of narcissism are narcissistic supply, narcissistic rage and narcissistic injury, and narcissistic abuse. Narcissism can be of various types, and its causes are not yet well – known. Inherited genetic defects are thought to be responsible in some cases, along with environmental factors –

1. Childhood abuse or neglect

2. Excessive parental pampering

3. Unrealistic expectation from parents

4. Sexual promiscuity

5. Cultural influences

A study shows the changes in levels of Narcissism over the past few decades, among the college – going students, i.e. the youth; it is seen rampant in the society of USA today, because these youths are the future leaders, and Narcissism is very harmful to the society as a whole and can cause failure in academic and other endeavours. Twenge and Campbell conducted a survey in American institutions from 1979 – 2006 and found an upward shift in scores on the NPI, meaning that, now the average college student embraces narcissistic tendencies more than their counterparts, two decades ago. The rise in Narcissism in the American population might be because now, from a young age, Americans are taught that they are very special and unique, that in turn increases their self – esteem. Extroversion and assertion are the key factors of Narcissism. It is also due to the large emphasis on materialism and wealth, with a focus on individual’s pleasure and success, in the current American society.

Today, Narcissism has gripped the entire world, as indicated by the rapid change in society that occurred during the industrial and post – industrial times. The past few decades have witnessed a societal shift from a commitment to the collective to a focus on the individual or self. Here comes in the ‘self – esteem movement’ which became the key to success in life. The parents tried to “confer” self – esteem upon their children rather than allowing them to achieve it through hard work. The rise of individualism and the decline in social norms that accompanied the modernization of society, led to a shift from the concept of what is best for the others and family to what is best for “me”. The commercial world with total focus on wealth and fame, created an “empty self, shorn of social meaning”. Today, the generation of young adults – the ‘Generation Y’ – also known as the ‘Millenials’ and ‘Generation Me’, comprising of individuals born between 1975 – 1995, are condemned for being narcissistic, selfish, self – entitled, and having unrealistic expectations from life.

The rise in technology and the advancement of immensely popular social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, MySpace, YouTube have changed the way we now spend our leisure time and communicate with others. Internet addiction is a new area of study in mental health and many researchers show that addiction to Facebook, Twitter is strongly linked to narcissistic behaviour and low self – esteem. The notion that the current generation is increasingly becoming narcissistic, as a product of the “like effect” (a theory where the number of ‘likes’ on social media produce greater self – esteem) has been widely debated. This effect creates negative self – esteem contrary to egotism due to modern youths constantly comparing the quantity of ‘likes’ or the quality of a picture to that of another. The ego can never be satisfied with increasing number of ‘likes’. Also, the total control over one’s perception of social media allows modern youth to see an unrealistic, distorted image that they will compare themselves to. Thus, regular posting of ‘selfies’ on social media promotes Narcissism, that is actually a cry of ego – satisfaction. Social networking sites are believed to be outlets for narcissistic expression, and Gen Y, aged between 17 – 21 years, are particularly vulnerable to its negative effects. Lucy Clyde says, “If you are a narcissist, you are looking for a positive reflection of yourself, the world is your mirror and you are constantly looking for affirmation. For this reason, you’re probably curating your own life very heavily on social media.”

Named ‘Word of the Year’ in 2013 by the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “selfie” has become very common among all teens and young adults, in today’s technological era. A “selfie” is defined as “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken by a smartphone or a webcam, and shared via social media”. For Gen Y, taking selfies and posting them on social media has become inevitable parts of daily living, promoting Narcissism. Millenials, aged 18 – 33 years, are hyper – connected with little awareness or concern for the others. “Generation Me”, today, is a victim of the ‘Selfie Syndrome’ – they post, tag and comment on self – portraits, believing that others are interested in their daily activities, and they want to tell others what they are doing. Selfies symbolize that shamelessly flaunting your Narcissism is trendy; if you put an inspirational quote under your selfie, no one can see your Narcissism. A selfie a day keeps insecurities away – “constantly taking selfies will not make you prettier; may you someday find someone to love you as much as your selfies indicate you love yourself.” Today, the confidence level is measured by “a selfie with no filter”. Never before has a generation so diligently recorded themselves, accomplishing so little – “if you could take selfies of your souls, would you find it attractive enough to post?”

It seems, those people who constantly post selfies must not own mirrors like the rest of us; but again, mirrors should not be taken too seriously, as one’s true reflection is in his heart. Increase in Narcissism pose a threat to the emotional and psychological health of the youth – it results in self – enhancement and self – promotion, preventing them from establishing lasting intimate relationships. Also, they tend to be prone to respond with violent and aggressive behaviour after being criticized. Online relationships may appeal more to narcissists, who are otherwise unable to, or unwilling, to form meaningful relations that demand any time or emotional attachment. The increase of smartphones and many new sophisticated gadgets allow people to access social media very easily, contributing to widespread Narcissism. Managing and revising one’s online profile content is a vital aspect of the youth’s online identity and “e – personality”. Social networking sites give narcissistic individuals the chance to keep the focus of their profile’s content solely on themselves. By this, they post status updates, comments and photos that depict only themselves, and not others, perpetuating their selfish nature. The online profiles allow them to achieve a type of social identity that they wish to portray, through exaggeration of certain character traits, and present a persona that they believe is appealing to the world, at large.

Lack of empathy for others cause preoccupation with the Gen Y’s own frustrated selves and emotional distresses, while growing up – they go out of their houses, but focused on themselves only, taking selfies – and thus, can never completely come out of their own selves. They lose out on moral values, and find it difficult to come out of their own fears. The increasing demand for plastic surgeries, worldwide, to look better in the eyes of others, is also an unfortunate consequence of the rise of Narcissism. They always remain emotionally and spiritually unfulfilled, hungry for a nebulous something they cannot even conceive, and project a constant detachment in all relationships, even in the most intimate ones.

Treatment of ‘Narcissistic Personality Disorder’ (NPD) is possible through psychotherapy, or talk – therapy. But Narcissism has certain beneficial effects too. It has a fundamental connection with leadership, as both the notions have the common factors – dominance, extroversion, confidence and power. Because of these, narcissists become good and successful leaders, provoked by their desire for self – assertion, glory and power. But today, individualism is co – related to materialism and Narcissism. So, together, the world’s Narcissism is huge – the collective Narcissism results in the destruction of the planet. Together, we are wiping out one species after another from this world, fuelled by consumerism and our growing self – importance. Our Narcissism may eventually turn out to be our Nemesis, in the end.

This is the first of a three-part series about the contextual influences modern society has on mood disorders and addictions , 2) the risks of buy-in, and 3) the possibility of soul renewal via (but not limited to) therapeutic cannabis use .

Part I: The Addictive System

"We live in a society bloated with data yet starved for wisdom. We're connected 24/7, yet anxiety, fear, depression and loneliness is at an all-time high. We must course-correct." ~ Elizabeth Kapu'uwailani Lindsey

The "addictive system" (1) is the elephant in the living room. Mood disorders and addictions, like everything else, do not occur in a vacuum. Yet we tend to miss the overarching societal 'space' when only focused on individual issues, like depression and anxiety or opioid and social-media addictions.

What exactly is this context?

It is an invisible psychological environment, the backdrop within which people are unwittingly succumbing to addiction or suffering mood disorders. The rise in antidepressant prescriptions and the number of suicides profile the growing dark side of modern society.

It is a complex, interconnected web of public (government) and private corporations, aligned with the media in the marketing and advertising of information, products and services 24/7: a surround-sound cacophony of targeted messaging designed to shape both public opinion and an ever-stronger consumer mindset.

Some call it propaganda.

Intangible, psychological concepts are applied to marketing and sales, ones that supposedly drive all humans: the perceived need for: social status, safety, winning, the right image, having the best, looking good, gaining an edge, keeping up with your neighbor , excellence, being the first, etc. Advertising messages then weave-in the promise of helping the 'consumer' achieve one or another of these intangible goals when they purchase their information, product and / or service. The ubiquity of these messages in modern society have become normalized and even welcomed.

How did we get here?

Edward Bernays, in early to mid-20th century, is most likely the person who set the bar for public relations and advertising in the US He was the nephew to the well-known psychiatrist, Sigmund Freud, and like his uncle before him, Bernays believed in the predictability of the human unconscious when it came to the human and psychological motivations of self-preservation, security, aggression and sex.

He transferred what he learned from his uncle to help launch his career in public relations and became wildly successful. Due to his efforts on behalf of the pork industry in 1915, bacon became a mainstay of the traditional breakfast. In the 1920's he make smoking fashionable for women by calling cigarettes "torches of freedom" to advance the tobacco industry, and established fluoride as indispensable to dentistry in the 1930's (a waste product of aluminum) for his client, Alcoa Aluminum. (2)

Watch this video that says it all: Be Inspired

Stay tuned for Part II: Buy-in to the Addictive System at Your Own Risk

1. Anne Wilson Schaef. When Society Becomes an Addict. Harper and Row, Publishers Inc. 1987
2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations_campaigns_of_Edward_Bernays

Do you live in a mono-cultural or multi-cultural society?. Often we find it difficult to define. What is a mono- cultural society?

Most experts agree that the essential traits of a mono-cultural society are a common heritage, belief structure, language and usually a mono-racial identity. Since we live in a more globalized World, many of our societies are essentially multi-cultural. But still many of today’s societies still share the common traits of a mono-cultural society.

What are these common traits?

1. A common heritage

The historical heritage of the society could be based on a perception that the nations, food, language, attitudes, racial features and religious beliefs are an essential element to the nations identity.

2. A shared belief structure

The majority of the citizens of a country have a shared belief structure, based on the nation’s heritage. These beliefs form the national identity, and ‘psyche,’ which create to many a stronger bonded society, but to detractors a nation which loses out on the benefits of a multi-cultural ethnic society.

3. An inward looking ‘psyche’

To many, mono-cultural societies tend to look inwards, rather than outwards, and this can show in the nation’s culture. Television programs and news tends to be locally centered, and the cultures identity heavily promoted. A degree of ignorance of the outside World is often a product of looking inwards.

4. A suspicion of “foreigners”

The ‘psyche” of a mono-cultural society often can be suspicious towards “foreigners,” and unacceptable of their beliefs. This could lead to discouraging multi-cultural partnerships, to a ‘ghetto’ mentality of separating cultures through the areas they can live.

5. Common religious values

Whilst in some societies religion is seen as being less important, other cultures see it as part of their national or ethnic identity. A strong mono-cultural official religion often is a strong trait of a this type of society..

6. Tribalism

Citizens of strong multi-cultural societies tend to be more tribal when they live outside their own culture. Multi- cultural marriages are unacceptable, the neighbors, the food and even the workplace tends to be ‘tribal.” – the influence of the new society lessened by this strong cultural bond, between others who share it.

7. Purchasing Goods

Mono- cultural societies tend to support their own products, rather than purchase products from other nations. They tend to be proud of their industries, and economic achievements- encouraging buying nationally produced products over others. This is beneficial in a recession, but in an expanding economy can hinder the choice consumers have.

Mono-cultural societies tend to feel safer, as long as you are identified as “one of the group,” but also conservative when it comes to accepting change. Whilst threatened, these societies tend to bond together faster, but also can be guilty of the worse types of ethnic abuse.

Historic examples could be the Armenian holocaust by Turkey, or the past bloodshed in the Balkans, and Rwanda- Events that generally do not occur in more modern multi-ethnic societies, which accept the differences in ideas, and beliefs.

Recessions often create a more mono-cultural outlook in societies, were suddenly even in multi-cultural societies fault lines can appear- often in the guise of competition for jobs and economic rights. However despite economic hardship, without the color, music and openness of a multi-cultural society- we would live in a very dull and limited World.

Ladies wigs have been very popular, especially in western cultures. It’s mainly because they can be very useful in many ways. There are some that use wigs in order to change or improve their look and there are also some that use wigs due to medical conditions.

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Getting Tired of Looking The Same Way Everyday?

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Wigs also come with different materials and styles. There are synthetic wigs, although a lot cheaper but can still get the job done, and there are also those which are made from actual human hair. If you are looking for a wig to fully express yourself, it is advisable that you opt to using synthetic wigs. These wigs come in colours and sizes and can give you the look you want, no matter how outstanding or outrageous it may be.

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Ladies Wigs for Medical Conditions

Wigs are also preferred by women with hair loss problems such as aging or as a result from cancer therapy. Not only that they hide the condition, wigs also help boost the self-confidence of patients.

Additionally, not only that you are entitled to choose from a wide variety of wigs, in some cases, you can also avail for a tax exempt or even get lower price for wigs you buy. Some suppliers offer special discounts to women who has to wear a wig due to a medical condition.

If you are planning to get a wig to compensate for hair loss, first thing you need to do is to take a picture or find a picture of yourself, particularly your hairstyle. There are a lot of different wigs and experts will be able to determine what kind of wig you have to use in order to look the same way though having a medical condition. You can even send them your picture, head size and a lock of your hair to help determine accurately what is best for you.

So in the end, wigs are not just here to improve the look of modern women or get them in style. There are also those who use wigs to compensate for their medical conditions. Hair loss have a very big impact on one’s self-esteem and confidence, though sometimes it may be the result of illness or illness treatment like chemotherapy. Nevertheless, ladies wigs are here as an option whenever women encounter such a situation.