Is Society Making You Feel Depressed?

• Most people are not satisfied with their life.
• Dissatisfaction is a manufacturers dream.
• You can never be as beautiful as the people you see on TV.

With all the denial going on that you read about in the last article, it is hardly surprising that we have seen such rapid increases in the rates of depression, addictions and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Of course it could be argued that these disorders are due to something else, as men and women have always been taught to deny certain types of feelings.

This is certainly true, but it is only relatively recently (within the past 50 years) that we have seen such a dramatic change in society and the way people live.

A Society Of Pressure

Today, thanks to the media and advertising, there is enormous social pressure on people to look a certain way, or own certain things.

If you do not fit in with what is considered to be socially acceptable you are then made to feel inadequate with who and what you are, becoming consumed with thoughts such as ”I’m too fat“, “I’m not good looking” or “I don’t have enough money”.

The effect of this social pressure is that it tends to keep the general population in a fluctuating state of satisfaction/dissatisfaction, depending on how closely one is able to adhere to the demands society imposes on them.

Most people however are not able to keep up with these demands, and therefore spend the majority of their life in a state of dissatisfaction.

In other words, for most of the time most people are filled with a belief that they are “just not good enough” the way they are.

Dissatisfaction, A Manufacturers Dream?

From a manufacturers perspective this constant state of dissatisfaction is an ideal situation, as a society filled with people who feel inadequate with themselves will readily look to things outside of them to make them feel better.

These “things” are the products you see advertised around you, which promise to enhance your life in some way and remove the feelings of inadequacy you are currently feeling.

However in reality these material goods merely provide the illusion of satisfaction, or at best, provide you with a short lived temporary satisfaction.

This is because within a few months, or years, a new and better product will come along, reigniting the feelings of inadequacy you attempted to extinguish with your previous purchase.

This is an important point to recognise, because since we have been taught by society to deny, suppress and repress our feelings, we are left unable to listen to our feelings and follow the guidance they were trying to give us.

So instead we turn to material goods in an attempt to change how we feel about ourselves, but by doing so ignore the root cause of our problem; our unfulfilled needs.

And so the cycle continues. See product, feel inadequate. Buy product, feel better. See new product, feel inadequate again. Buy new product etc…

The Illusion Of Unobtainable Demands

Another social pressure to consider is unobtainable demands. Unlike products that can be purchased, unobtainable demands are things which are impossible for certain types of people to achieve. One of the most blatant examples of this is physical attractiveness.

Since we live in a society where high demands are placed on the way you look, physical attractiveness is something the general population tries very hard to achieve.

However for the large majority of people, it is impossible for them to look as attractive as the models and celebrities they see on TV.

They may try to emulate these “beautiful” people through make-up, fashion, dieting and plastic surgery (all of which are growth industries) but ultimately they are striving for an unobtainable goal since they can never become as beautiful as the people they aspire to be.

The effect of this is a constant state of dissatisfaction, which ultimately results in a denial, repression or suppression of the negative feelings this dissatisfaction causes.

Will You Ever Be Satisfied With The Way You Look?

Before I conclude this article, it is important to point out that I am not saying that make-up, fashion, dieting or plastic surgery cannot make you look more attractive. All of these things are designed to do exactly that.

The point I am making is that none of these things can compete with celebrities who have professional make-up artists, personal fitness trainers and fashion advisers to make them look their best in photos and films (most of which are digitally enhanced, e.g., airbrushed pictures).

Therefore none of the commercially available products available to you, will make you look like the models and celebrities you see.

This is why you sometimes find attractive people complaining about the way they look, such as a woman with a slender figure who worries if she is too fat.

As long as you are trying to obtain the false illusion of an unobtainable demand (e.g., be as beautiful as the people you see on TV) you risk spending the majority of your life in a state of dissatisfaction.

The only way to prevent yourself from falling into such a trap, is to develop a genuine and healthy level of self esteem. As the lower your self esteem is, the more indequate societies demands will make you feel.

To find out how you can develop a high level of self esteem, please read the article series on self esteem starting with the article below.

“Why Self Esteem Is Important In Your Life“

Before wrapping up this article, let’s have a quick look at reality. What do celebrities look like with and without makeup? (Reality Vs Unobtainable demands)

Dissatisfaction Will Eventually Lead To Depression

A prolonged period of feeling inadequate with who you are as a result of ignoring your feelings and your fundamental needs, will eventually lead to depression.

During depression people try to hide from their feelings by medicating themselves or turning to entertainment, drugs or alcohol. Once again ignoring the guidance their feelings were so desperately trying to provide.

Eventually there comes a point when you can no longer hide from your feelings, and they erupt from the mind in an explosive fury. When this occurs, nervous breakdowns, mid life crises and suicide are all common consequences.