Emancipation from Affluenza: Leading Social Change in the Classroom

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Antioch University
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Dissertations & Theses
2012
Emancipation from Affluenza: Leading Social
Change in the Classroom
Merri Mattison
Antioch University - PhD Program in Leadership and Change
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Mattison, Merri, "Emancipation from Affluenza: Leading Social Change in the Classroom" (2012).Dissertations & Theses. 116.
http://aura.antioch.edu/etds/116
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EMANCIPATION FROM AFFLUENZA:
LEADING SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE CLASSROOM

MERRI MATTISON

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership and Change Program
of Antioch University
in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

August, 2012
This is to certify that the Dissertation entitled:

EMANCIPATION FROM AFFLUENZA:
LEADING SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE CLASSROOM

prepared by

Merri Mattison

is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in
Leadership and Change.

Approved by:
______________________________________________________________________
Jon Wergin, Ph.D., Chair date

______________________________________________________________________
Carol Baron, Ph.D., Committee Member date

______________________________________________________________________
Richard Appelbaum, Ph.D., Committee Member date

______________________________________________________________________
Andrew Christopher, Ph.D., External Reader date
Copyright 2012 Merri Mattison
All rights reserved
Acknowledgements

Many have contributed in numerous ways making this journey possible. They are: My
sisters, and their families many of which opened their homes to me, and shared meals with me in
Yellow Springs, Seattle, and Los Angeles, when I traveled for residencies.
My nieces and nephews who provide me with more comfort and joy than they can
possibly know.
My classmates for their stories, and their passion,
Dr. Jon Wergin, my advisor, and chair, whose scholarship and strength I can only aspire
to.
Dr. Carol Baron, who never let me stop believing in my ability or myself.
Dr. Rebecca Donna for the quiet inspiration.
And, my parents, Helen and Leonard Mattison, who were my very first, and very best
teachers. My mother read to me every night, and routinely reminded me that books are our
friends. My father, whose quiet devotion to his family, neighbors, and country duly influenced
my desire to teach the importance of civic responsibility. Mostly, I am grateful that I had parents
that gave me roots as well as wings, and encouraged me to soar.
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Abstract

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine if one’s level of affluenza could
be reduced through education and awareness. In particular, this study measured whether or not
exposure to the benefits of community involvement, and the harm of overconsumption could
alter the intentions that college students have regarding their behavior, as it pertains to
materialism, consumption, and civic responsibility. The data were collected from college
students in the form of pre-tests and post-tests utilizing an affluenza scale created for this
research. Over the course of a semester, information and activities that elucidated the benefits of
community involvement and the harm of overconsumption were integrated into the course
curriculum. The post-test served to measure whether or not the curricular intervention altered
attitudes and intentions regarding affluenza. Analysis data revealed that while individual
statistical tests were not significant, some overall trends were evident, suggesting that the
treatment may have influenced students to move further away from the ideals and attitudes
associated with affluenza. Moreover, the affluenza scale was validated and refined. The results
of this study have curricular applications for faculty and administrators at colleges and
universities interested in implementing and carrying out a similar intervention, or implementing
a program that focuses on reducing affluenza. Likewise, the findings offer sociological and
social implications for faculty, activists, and community organizers interested in reducing
consumption, wastefulness, materialistic attitudes, and those interested in encouraging civic
responsibility, by offering additional insight into the issue of affluenza as well as means to begin
to address it. Additionally, the Mattison Affluenza Scale itself can be utilized as a diagnostic
tool, for instance as part of a needs assessment to determine where more programmatic attention
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or changes are needed. The electronic version of this Dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center,
www.ohiolink.edu/etd
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………. i

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………… ii

Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………… iv

Chapter I: Introduction…………………………………………………………………………… 1
Defining Affluenza……………………………………………………………………………... 1
What Harm Can It Cause Anyway?............................................................................................. 7

The Personal Costs…………………………………………………………………………... 7

The Global Costs…………………………………………………………………………….. 11
What Is It That Makes Us Happy, Anyway?................................................................................ 16
Leading the Way for Needed Change………………………………………………………….. 16
Positionality…………………………………………………………………………………….. 18
Moving Forward………………………………………………………………………………... 19

Chapter II: Review of the Literature……………………………………………………………... 20
Methodological Landscape……………………………………………………………………... 21
Materialism and Happiness………………………………………………………………….. 24
Why Are We Materialistic Anyway?........................................................................................... 24
Friends and Family…………………………………………………………………………... 24
I’ll Buy Anything You Advertise on TV…………………………………………………….. 25
If Materialism Doesn’t Make Us Happy, What Does It Do?................................................... 26
Experiential or Material? What Kinds of Purchases Make Us Most Happy?.......................... 28
Affluenza and Adolescents—What Might the Future Hold?................................................... 32
The Benefits of Experiential and Service Learning…………………………………………. 37
Directions for the Future……………………………………………………………………….. 38
Preparing for Battle…………………………………………………………………………….. 40
The Reasoned Action Theory……………………………………………………………….. 40
Learning Theory and Motivation Theory……………………………………………………. 41
Packaging the Information and Empowering People to Change…………………………….. 42
The Human Connection……………………………………………………………………… 44
Bringing It Together……………………………………………………………………………. 45

Chapter III: Methodology………………………………………………………………………… 47
Focus Group Process………………………………………………………………………… 48
Focus Group Insights………………………………………………………………………… 52
Understanding Scale Construction…………………………………………………………... 55
Survey/Scale Construction…………………………………………………………………... 56
Survey Implementation……………………………………………………………………… 58
Initial Data Analysis for Scale Construction………………………………………………… 59
Study Design…………………………………………………………………………………… 65
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The Intervention………………………………………………………………………………... 66
The Sample…………………………………………………………………………………... 68
Positioning within the Intervention………………………………………………………….. 71
The Service Learning Component…………………………………………………………… 74
Introducing New Information………………………………………………………………... 79
Barriers to Change……………………………………………………………………………… 83
Changing Existing Behavior…………………………………………………………………. 84
The Instrument……………………………………………………………………………….. 84
Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………… 85
Pre-Test Preparation…………………………………………………………………………. 85
The Intervention Begins……………………………………………………………………... 86
Post-Test Data Collection……………………………………………………………………. 87
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………….. 87

Chapter IV: Data Analysis………………………………………………………………………... 88
Preparing the Data……………………………………………………………………………… 88
Scale Validation………………………………………………………………………………… 89
Preliminary Results…………………………………………………………………………….. 92
Descriptive Statistics………………………………………………………………………… 92
Treatment Section Responses………………………………………………………………... 112
Control Group Responses……………………………………………………………………. 115
Reflective Essays…………………………………………………………………………….. 116
The Final Piece………………………………………………………………………………. 118
Data Analysis Summary……………………………………………………………………... 120

Chapter V: Discussion and Future Directions……………………………………………………. 122
Successes and Shortcomings…………………………………………………………………... 123
Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………... 124
Connecting My Research to Past Findings……………………………………………………. 127
Implications and Future Directions……………………………………………………………. 137
The Lessons of Lake Erie……………………………………………………………………… 139

Appendix………………………………………………………………………………………….. 140
Appendix A……………………………………………………………………………………….. 141
Appendix B……………………………………………………………………………………….. 146
Appendix C……………………………………………………………………………………….. 147
Appendix D……………………………………………………………………………………….. 150
Appendix E……………………………………………………………………………………….. 153
Appendix E……………………………………………………………………………………….. 155
Appendix F……………………………………………………………………………………….. 156

References………………………………………………………………………………………… 157

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List of Tables

Table 3.1 Total Variance Explained 64

Table 3.2 Sample Demographics 69

Table 3.3 Targeted Affluenza Behaviors and Corresponding Assignments 74

Table 4.1 Scale Reliability 90

Table 4.2 Descriptive Statistics for Affluenza Scale Items 93

Table 4.3 Total Variance Explained 99

Table 4.4 Treatment & Control Independent Samples Pre-Test t-Test Results 100

Table 4.5 Control Pre-Test and Post-Test Scores 101

Table 4.6 Paired Sample t-Test Results for the Control Group Pre-Test 102
to Post-Test

Table 4.7 Treatment Pre-Test and Post-Test Scores 102

Table 4.8 Paired Sample t-Test Results for the Treatment Group 104
Pre-Test to Post-Test

Table 4.9 Tests of Between Subjects Effects 105

Table 4.10 Tests of Within Subject Contrasts 105

Table 4.11 Overall Score on Affluenza Scale 106

Table 4.12 Intent to Change 107

Table 4.13 Additional Post-Test Questions 108

Table 4.14 End of Semester Supplemental Course Evaluation— 110
Treatment Section

Table 4.15 End of Semester Supplemental Course Evaluation— 111
Control Section

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