소비생활에서의 행복과 갈등 = Happiness and Conflict in Consumption

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

We intend to investigate the positive and negative aspects of everyday consumption experiences. The positive aspects of consumption experiences are analyzed in terms of happiness. Happiness can be defined as a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. If the ultimate goal of consumption is to meet consumer`s needs and wants, happiness in consumption indicates the state of achieving consumer goals. The negative aspect of consumption experiences captures the state of discontent and uneasiness which is opposed to the happy state, and we define this state as a conflict in consumption life. The specific aims of this study are to describe the two opposite sides of the consumption experiences: happiness and conflict in consumption, and to investigate the consumer`s capabilities and characteristics which are necessary for managing happy consumption. We conducted indepth interview to nine married women from the middle and upper income classes who live in Seoul and its environments and analyzed their textual contents applying the qualitative data analysis method of Colaizzi`s. The feelings of the happy consumption experience are expressed with the terms such as “happy”, “freedom”, “thankful”, “joy”, “good”, “content”, “enough”, “affluent”, “comfort”, “relief”, “rewarding”, “thrilling”, and etc. On the other hand, the feelings of the conflict in consumption life are expressed as “unpleasant”, “uncomfortable”, “worried”, “repentance”, “sorry”, “inconvenient”, “pitapat”, “begrudge”, “burdensome”, “mental pressure”, “shameful”, “confused”, and “uneasy”. The four major components that describe the state of happiness in consumption are found: ``Obtaining economic benefits compared to the price paid, Relationship rather than possession’, Affluence in heart`, and ``Self-improvement and confidence. Since these experiences are based on the consumer`s autonomy and determination, we title these themes as the Active Commitment to Pursuing Freedom and Quality of Life. In the case of conflict in consumption experience we also find the four major themes. ``Insufficiency and extravagance``, ``Like others``, ``Conflict in the family``, and ``Fast growing driving force for consumption``. The subjects feel conflict when they face the budget constraint and cannot refrain from the consumption desire, and blindly follow the consumption patterns of their reference group. They feel difficulty and emptiness in catching up with the fast-growing standard of living. This phenomenon is described as “Swollen rice-cookie” which looks great but is empty inside in fact. The themes which describe consumer`s capabilities and characteristics that can lead consumers either to happy or anxious consumption include ``Self-confidence and belief``, ``Consumption skill``, ``Rational/irrational consumption principal``, and ``Lack of autonomy``. Happy consumption experiences have a common point that they are the means for the fulfillment of intrinsic value such as interpersonal relationship, moderation, self-achievement, and sharing. Consumers feel happy in the process of consumption which provides economic benefits and the opportunities showing one`s consumption ability. These results imply that the consumer`s choice of how to consume is more important than what to consume. The result that consumers from the middle and upper income classes feel deficiency is consistent with the notion of the happiness economists that the consumer needs and wants can never be met. Therefore, in order to be free from the endless desire for materials, consumers need to have the rationality and principals to direct themselves to fulfill what they truly want. In an affluent consumption society, the development of the consumer`s capability to manage consumption in a way to reach the happy state becomes increasingly important part of consumer`s education. Consumer`s choice for happy life can be expedited by consumer`s consciousness of what is truly important in one`s life and what is the nature of consumption desire, and also by decision making of how much time and money are to be spent for the innate self-achievement, care for others, and intimate relationship with family, friends, and colleagues. Finally, we suggest that happy consumption depends on consumer`s capability of balancing their consumption between work and leisure, and between oneself and others.

참고문헌 (Reference)

1 신경림, "현상학적 연구의 이론과 실제" 12 (12): 49-68, 2003

2 김분한, "현상학적 연구방 법의 비교고찰: Giorgi, Colaizzi, Van Kaam방 법을 중심으로" 29 (29): 1208-1220, 1999

3 Lipovetsky, Gilles, "행복의 역설" 알마 2009

4 Willenbrock, Harald, "행복 경제학" 미래의 창 2007

5 유승엽, "한국인의 문화심리 특성요인과 의례소비" 한국소비자·광고심리학회 8 (8): 205-234, 2007

6 신경림, "질적연구방법론" 이화여자대학교출판부 2004

7 조용환, "질적 연구: 방법과 사례" 교육과학사 1999

8 함인희, "중산층의 정체성과 소비 문화" 집문당 2001

9 손상희, "중산층 소비자의 생활표 준과 그 환경적 함의" 10 (10): 99-118, 1999

10 Erlandson, David A., "자연주의적 연구 방법 실천하기" 경문사 2006

11 김숙경, "아동상담에 참여한 어머니들의 시간 체험에 관한 현상학적 연구" 한국아동학회 30 (30): 205-222, 2009

12 이성림, "소비자학 분야의 소비문화 연구에 대한 소고" 한국소비문화학회 9 (9): 127-149, 2006

13 Baudrillard, Jean, "소비의 사회: 그 신화와 구조" 문예출판사 1992

14 김기옥, "소비생활이야기에 반영된 소비자의 사회 문화적 경험 분석: Narrative분석의 실험적 적 용" 37 (37): 61-83, 1999

15 Slater, Don, "소비문화와 현대성" 문예 2000

16 Bocock, Robert, "소비: 나는 소비한다, 고로 존재한다" 시공사 2003

17 박명희, "생각하는 소비문화" 교문사 2006

18 Padgett, Deborah, "사회복지 질적 연구방법론" 나남출판 2001

19 Spradley, James P., "문화기 술적 면접법" 시그마프레스 2003

20 김기옥, "도시 주부의 소비생활세계 : 일상 소비생활 경험을 중심으로" 한국소비자학회 17 (17): 21-42, 2006

21 유현정, "내러티브분석을 통해 본 케이블TV 여성전문채널 뷰티？패션 프로그램 시청자의 소비경험이야기" 한국생활과학회 17 (17): 57-80, 2008

22 Frey, Bruno S., "경제학 행복을 말하다" 예문 2008

23 Diener, Ed, "Zeroing in on the Dark Side of the American Dream: A Closer Look at the Negative Consequences of the Goal for Financial Success" 14 (14): 531-536, 2003

24 "Wikidipia"

25 Veblen, Thorstein, "The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions" Mentor 1953

26 Compbell, Colin, "The Romantic Ethic and the Sprit of Modern Consumerism" Blackwell 1987

27 Kasser, Tim, "Psychology and Consumer Culture: The Struggle for a Good Life in a Materialistic World" American Psychological Association 2004

28 Kirkcaldy, Bruce D., "National Differences in Personality, Socio-Ecomonic, and Work- Related Attitudinal Variables" 3 (3): 255-262, 1998

29 nef, "National Accounts of Welling-Being"

30 Veenhoven, Ruut, "Is Happiness Relative" 24 : 1-34, 1991

31 유현정, "ESM을 통해 본 취업/비취업주부의 소비생활경험 및 주관적 삶의 질 -쇼핑활동을 중심으로" 한국생활과학회 16 (16): 349-366, 2007

32 Easterlin, Richard. A., "Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot?, In Nations and Households in Economic Growth: Essays in Honor of Moses Abramovitz" Academic Press, Inc 1974

33 Bourdieu, Pierre, "Distinction" President and Fellows of Harvard College and Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd 1984

34 Williamson, Judith, "Decoding Advertising" Marion Boyars 1978

35 Inglehart, Roland, "Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Society" Princeton University Press 1990

36 Haug, Wolfgang F, "Critique of Commodity Aesthetics: Appearance, Sexuality & Advertising" Polity Press 1986

37 Diener, Ed, "Beyond Money, Toward an Economy of Well-Being" 5 (5): 1-31, 2004