Pseudo Aristocracy, a Phenomenon of obsession!! You read it right! An obsession with inconvenience!!
During the Pandemic, the functioning of the whole world, and the lifestyle of the people changed. Their perspective towards saving and spending too changed. But, what if someone has an obsession and continues to behave in a non-reformed way, even after the setback?
Have you ever seen a few people struggling to lead an aristocratic lifestyle, after a financial storm in their life? Could this be an aspiration to lead a pseudo-up-scale lifestyle?
Yes. As attention seekers, to build a pseudo-self-image, a few people, project themselves as economically very well-secured in the society. They believe that, with the social status that they project, they can garner a celebrity status or a perpetual- want in the group with which they interact.
After hearing about a couple of incidents, from my colleagues, post-pandemic felt like mentioning a few forceful behavioral adjustments which people had to make in their life and their reluctance to accept reality.
It becomes easier for me if I introduce the phenomenon with an appropriate response to each of your questions which may arise in your head, after hearing the term ‘Pseudo Aristocracy’
For a moment, sit and reflect. Where do we see Pseudo Aristocracy?
To make the phenomenon sound very simple, let me put it in simple terms. It could be an obsession to splurge money and to have a lavish lifestyle, although there is a financial constraint in one’s life.
While reading through the post, you may question yourself – Have I heard these two phrasal words before? What is Pseudo Aristocracy? Is it widespread among people?
This is a fake portrayal of an up-scale lifestyle displayed by a minuscule percentage of people. This is uncommon. We shall see the reason behind the behaviour:
- Portrayed to draw the attention of other people.
- To give an impression to the people around them that they can afford the things which a common man cannot.
- This is also to show how choosy they are in their selection.
Then, what are the signs of Pseudo Aristocracy?
When you are obsessed with an ego-centric social status, you project yourself as if you belong to an extremely affluent -upper- class on the social ladder. With this feeling, you start showing sure signs in public. Check if it is not your case-
- If you are buying and parading branded clothes often ( with the prominent label on !}.
- If you have admitted your child to an up-scale educational institution, though you cannot afford to do so.
- When you go to up-scale restaurants or stores with family members/friends to portray yourselves as the wealthiest
- During the conversation, when you repeatedly talk about spending money on various high-end products
- When you make it a point to go to different foreign destinations for every annual vacation.
What is the consequence of the above phenomenon?
How does your child grow up?
With all the legitimate reasons, your children
- Pick up the signal from you and try to keep up with the lavish lifestyle in the forthcoming days.
- They undergo mental stress and frustration in the cycle of achieving
Incidentally, during the counselling sessions, confessions were made by the other spouse and their children, for their frustration and their justification.
Now, can the readers think for a moment, about what can happen within the family, because of the obsession? Of course, members of the family-
- Face an imbalanced family ecosystem
- Have troubled financial management
- Go through repeated fights over the spending culture as both spouses will not be on the same page on spending unnecessarily on things.
- Tend to bring up children focusing on an upbringing of elegant, stylish everyday life.
- Boast of their lifestyle and status in public
- Compel the other spouse or the children to follow the manners of the elite, at each step
- Become snobbish with a long-duration indulgence
- Force themselves to have a stylish appearance and maintain a relatable behaviour in public
By the grace of your upbringing, you may not have this Syndrome of obsession! But, somewhere, do you relate your behavior with any of the above pointers in your life?
