Lifestyle Overview Essay

The term was originally used by Austrian psychologist  Alfred Adler  (1870-1937). The term was introduced in the 1950s as a derivative of that of  style  in  modernist art. The term refers to a combination of determining intangible or tangible factors. Tangible factors relate specifically to  demographic variables, i. an individuals demographic profile, whereas intangible factors concern the psychological aspects of an individual such personal values, preferences, and outlooks. (4sk content) Peoples‘ lifestyles are affected by different factors, such as Individual Identity, Health, Environment and Technology. (5sk Individual identity) A lifestyle typically reflects an individual’s attitudes, values or  world view. Therefore, a lifestyle is a means of forging a sense of  self  and to create cultural  symbols  that resonate with personal identity. Not all aspects of a lifestyle are voluntary. Surrounding social and technical systems can constrain the lifestyle choices available to the individual and the symbols she/he is able to project to others and the self. The lines between personal identity and the everyday doings that signal a particular lifestyle become blurred in modern society. For example, â€Å"green lifestyle† means holding beliefs and engaging in activities that consume fewer resources and produce less harmful waste (i. e. smaller  carbon footprint), and deriving a sense of self from holding these beliefs and engaging in these activities. Some commentators  argue that, in  modernity, the cornerstone of lifestyle construction is consumption behavior, which offers the possibility to create and further individualize the self with different products or services that signal different ways of life. Lifestyle may include views on politics, religion, health, intimacy, and more. All of these aspects play a rol e in shaping someone’s lifestyle. In the  magazine  and  television  industries, â€Å"lifestyle† is used to describe a category of publications or programs. (6sk Health) An individual’s health depends a lot on their lifestyle. Maintaining physical and mental health are crucial to an individuals longevity. The more time spent on hygiene, physical fitness, and diet regulation, the healthier lifestyle they have. Those who chose to participate in any kind of physical activity on a weekly basis are generally healthier than those who don’t. Mental illness may occur through various variables. For example, depression may promote mental illness through stress and anxiety. Reasons for being depressed can be due to a number of things including job loss, recently widowed, divorce, etc. Depression may lead to or increase the frequency of poor habits not promoting physical health. Poor habits may eventually lead to a poor even dangerous lifestyle. More interestingly, a healthy or unhealthy lifestyle will most likely to be transmitted across generations. According to the study done by Case et. l (2002), it discovered that when a 0-3 year old child has a mother who practices a healthy lifestyle, this child will be 27% more likely to become healthy and adopt the same lifestyle. For instance, high income parents are more likely to eat organic food, have time to exercise and provide the best living condition to their children. On the other hand, low income parents are more likely to participate in unhealthy activities such as smoking to help them release poverty-related stress and de pression. Parents are the first teacher for every child. Everything that parents do will be very like to be transferred to their children through the learning process. (7sk environment) There are two types of environment for a lifestyle: nature and social. Natural environment is the conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates. an individual dedicated to this prefers to walk to close places, recycles plastic, papers, cants, etc. In an individuals lifestyle some of this natural environment is needed, fresh air, clean water, clean home, clean neighbourhood and a clean example for those at home. Those who are nature involved decide to plant flowers, vegetables and other crops in their backyard and are extremely strict on how to organize their household waste and uses positive and proactive ways to environmental sustainability. Social environment is totally different. Social Environment includes an individuals living and working conditions, income level, educational background, community and religious beliefs if they have any. In a social environment there are certain expectations from one self or from those around. expectations like success and wanting the best. Along with  success  come a lot of stress. If there is failure, then there may be mood swings and disappointment. In order for this not to happen, there are better ways to avoid disappointment and failure; organization and structure is the main key element. (8sk technology) Technology and diversity have greatly changed the lives of people in society. Technology has positive and negative effects on our daily lives. However, the positivity and negativity of technology depends on how much we use it and how much we are exposed to it. In other words, our lifestyle controls our use of technology, while technology influences our lifestyles. To begin, technology has changed the fields of agriculture, manufacturing, warfare, transportation, information, medicine, communication, among others. Technology has also made it easier for other factors to affect our lifestyles, such as the media. All in all, technology has made our lives much easier, therefore we no longer are required to live vigorous lifestyles that, in the past, contributed to the decline in our health. On the other hand, technology has complicated many lives and has many negative effects. Technology has the power to deliver media to us that can change our values and views on the world, which in return will change our lifestyles. Also, technology has negative effects on the environment such as pollution. Because of technology such as the computer and the television, Americans have a much more  sedentary lifestyle, which leads to health complications and issues.