What Is The Freedom To Choose?

Submitted by tonyplant on February 27, 2006 - 16:02.

There is an interesting piece in the New York Times that asks Is Freedom Just Another Word for Many Things to Buy?. The authors claim:

Americans are increasingly bewildered — not liberated — by the sheer volume of choices they must make in a day.

As behavioral scientists, we have found that the people who frame freedom in terms of choice are usually the ones who get to make a lot of choices — that is, middle- and upper-class white Americans (most of our study participants are white; we can't make any claims about other racial and ethnic groups). The education, income and upbringing of these Americans grant them choices about how to live their lives and also encourage them to express their preferences and personalities through the choices they make. Most Americans, however, are not from the college-educated middle and upper classes. Working-class Americans often have fewer resources and experience greater uncertainty and insecurity. For them, being free is less about making choices that reflect their uniqueness and mastery and more about being left alone, with their personality, integrity and well-being intact.

There are some provocative examples that show why having a plethora of choice can bring about paralysis of action. It is possible to extend this work to account for why uncertainty and axiety about making choices can bring about learned helplessness.

Copyright 2006, Tony Plant Happystance Project

positive psychology | freedom | choice