(taken from textbook on adjustment to modern life- not sure if this really
helps any)
The PARADOX of progress
1)Time-saving technology versus not having enough time
technological progress has not made our lives easier or more simple
Although modern technology has provided us with countless time saving devices
nevertheless, we still complain about not having enough time.
Appointments, commitments, and plans suggest that we spend more and more time
working and less and less time for ourselves.
U.S. News and World Report survey cites that 51% of adult respondents would
rather have more time than more money.
2)General affluence versus economic decline
We live in extraordinary affluence.
Shopping is the chief cultural activity in the United States.
Two factors have created an insatiable thirst for consumption: economic
systems commitment to growth, coupled with effects of mass media advertising
At the same time, we still have a need to buy more goods and services and have
a feeling of true financial gain not being possible
3)Improvement in our ability to communicate information versus our information
anxiety
Ever-widening gap between what we think we understand and what we think we
should understand
4)Advancement in medical technology versus concerns about cost and quality of
medical care
Stunning advances in major medical disorders
Doctors can do more, patients are more dissatisfied (TIME) magazine report
Patient's access to quality healthcare and trust has declined
Chronic illness has replaced contagious illnesses in need for care and
frustration by physicians and patients accessing referrals, care, etc.
Increase in chronic illness is due in large part to stress and certain
features of our modern lifestyle
Explanation of paradox
Technological advances have not led to perceptible improvement in collective
health and happiness
Some social critics suggest that quality of our lives and sense of personal
fulfillment have declined
Causes of paradox
According to Fromm, technological progress has undermined traditional sources
of emotional security (e.g., family, community, religion)
According to Toffler, we are overwhelmed by rapidly accelerating cultural
changes
According to Kegan, we are "in over our heads" when it comes to mental demands
of modern life
Most theorists agree that basic challenge of modern life is search for meaning
or sense of direction
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