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| Author | Alain de Botton |
|---|---|
| Subject | Philosophy,psychology,sociology |
| Publisher | Hamish Hamilton,Penguin Books |
Publication date | 2004 |
| ISBN | 0-375-42083-5 |
Status Anxiety is anonfiction book byAlain de Botton. It was first published in 2004 byHamish Hamilton; subsequent publications have been byPenguin Books.
According to De Botton, "status anxiety" is a 21st-century phenomenon which is a result ofcapitalism,democracy, and an ostensibly egalitarian society, and is prevalent in countries where aninequality in income is evident. Status anxiety can be defined as the constant tension or fear of being perceived as "unsuccessful" by the society in materialistic terms. Today, every individual constantly tries to outsmart the others to climb up the social ladder. The effects of status anxiety can beimpulse buying,status consumption etc.Meritocracy is a primary cause of status anxiety. Meritocracy is a society that believes that only the talented and the meritorious will end up at the top of the social ladder. Snobbery, envy, lovelessness are some other causes of status anxiety.[1]
De Botton first noticed this phenomenon among the wealthy families of America. The Americans had a lavish lifestyle and most of it was just to make the "neighbours" envious. America had also witnessed the trend of "Famous for being famous". Botton even met the American motivational speakerLes Brown to know how motivational speaking works. He concluded that motivational speakers conducted their speeches to induce status anxiety among individuals. Motivational speaking is based on the fact that "No one is living up to their true potential and everyone has scope for improvement". De Botton challenged this and asked "What about those who want to achieve but lack the opportunities to do so?"[2]
De Botton lays out the causes of and solutions to status anxiety as follows:
Causes:
Solutions:
A two-hourdocumentary film about thisthesis, also calledStatus Anxiety and written by Alain de Botton, was released in 2004. A version of it was shown in 2008 onPublic Broadcasting Service channels likeBostonWGBH-TV's digital channelWGBX-TV in the United States.
HistorianRichard Hofstadter in his 1965 bookThe Paranoid Style in American Politics used the term "status anxiety" to help explain the origins of theProgressive Movement, following earlier usage by others. Alain de Botton's use of the term is different.
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