Approaches to Improving the Quality of Life PDF

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Approaches to Improving the Quality of Life Social Indicators Research Series Volume 42 General Editor: ALEX C. MICHALOS University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, Canada Editors: ED DIENER University of Illinois, Champaign, U.S.A. WOLFGANG GLATZER J.W. Goethe University, Frankfurt am ...

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Approaches to Improving the Quality of Life

Social Indicators Research Series Volume 42 General Editor: ALEX C. MICHALOS University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, Canada Editors: ED DIENER University of Illinois, Champaign, U.S.A. WOLFGANG GLATZER J.W. Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany TORBJORN MOUM University of Oslo, Norway MIRJAM A.G. SPRANGERS University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands JOACHIM VOGEL Central Bureau of Statistics, Stockholm, Sweden RUUT VEENHOVEN Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands This new series aims to provide a public forum for single treatises and collections of papers on social indicators research that are too long to be published in our journal Social Indicators Research. Like the journal, the book series deals with statistical assessments of the quality of life from a broad perspective. It welcomes the research on a wide variety of substantive areas, including health, crime, housing, education, family life, leisure activities, transportation, mobility, economics, work, religion and environmental issues. These areas of research will focus on the impact of key issues such as health on the overall quality of life and vice versa. An international review board, consisting of Ruut Veenhoven, Joachim Vogel, Ed Diener, Torbjorn Moum, Mirjam A.G. Sprangers and Wolfgang Glatzer, will ensure the high quality of the series as a whole.

For futher volumes: http://www.springer.com/series/6548

Abbott L. Ferriss

Approaches to Improving the Quality of Life How to Enhance the Quality of Life

123

Prof. Abbott L. Ferriss 4131 Catawba Ridge Gainesville, GA 30506 USA [email protected]

ISSN 1387-6570 ISBN 978-90-481-9147-5 e-ISBN 978-90-481-9148-2 DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-9148-2 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2010929141 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)

For their wisdom and vision for social indicators and the quality of life Eleanor Bernert Sheldon Alex C. Michalos Joseph M. Sirgy Kenneth C. Land

Acknowledgements

Dr. Margaret Herrman contributed the section on conflict resolution (pp. 47–50). Adrienne Ferriss spent many hours editing this volume. My special thanks to her. John Ferriss helped keep my computer civil. Mary Jane Ghent assembled the Index. Rosemary Wood Dodd offered helpful advice. My appreciation to each of these. Any remaining errors are my sad fault. – Abbott L. Ferriss

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Contents

1 Survival of the Species . . . . . . . . Factors Leading to Extension . . . . . . Fertility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Factors Leading to Exhaustion . . . . . Suicide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Disease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Disasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Genocide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Religious Conflict . . . . . . . . . . Tribal Extinction . . . . . . . . . . . Family Violence . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion: Factors Promoting Survival

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1 2 2 4 4 5 6 7 7 8 9 9 10

2 Social Acceptance . . Mental Health . . . . . Spiritual Experiences . Lower Mortality . . Trends . . . . . . . Social System . . . Family . . . . . . . . Child Socialization . Offspring Defects . Homosexuality . . . Teen Pregnancy . . Friendship . . . . . . Group Participation Group Structure . . . . Headaches . . . . . Leisure Time . . . . .

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11 11 12 13 13 13 14 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 18 19

3 Mastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Free Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Success . . . . . . . . Poverty . . . . . . . . Child Poverty . . . . . Materialism . . . . . . Religion . . . . . . . . Small Business Loans Employment . . . . . Summary of Initiatives

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4 Affective Autonomy . . . . . . . Role Behavior . . . . . . . . . . Role Conflict . . . . . . . . . . Emotion . . . . . . . . . . . . Income and Happiness . . . . . . National Income and Happiness . Happiness Concisely Considered . GSS Happiness . . . . . . . . . . Age and Happiness . . . . . . . . Opinions/Attitudes . . . . . . . . Values and QOL . . . . . . . . . Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . The National Mood . . . . . . . . Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary of Initiatives . . . . . .

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29 30 30 30 31 32 32 35 36 36 38 38 39 40 41

5 Intellectual Autonomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Literacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education, Free Expression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Educating the Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flourishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creativity in Problem Solving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Working with Conflict: Written by Dr. Margaret S. Herrman Suggestions for Confronting Positively . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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43 43 44 44 45 46 47 48 50

6 Harmony . . . . . . . Toxins . . . . . . . . . Land Pollution . . . . Water . . . . . . . . . Global Warming . . . Meat . . . . . . . . . Other Energy Sources Electricity . . . . . . . A Five-Step Plan . . . Urban Renewal . . . . Humans Adapt . . . .

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Contents

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Summary of Actions Needed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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7 Conservatism . . . . . . . . . . . . Violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Identity Theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . Criminal Justice System . . . . . . . Battered Women . . . . . . . . . . . Summary of Steps to Maintain Order

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8 Hierarchy . . . . . Stratification . . . . Social Class . . . . . Homelessness . . . . The Lower Segment Summary . . . . . .

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9 Egalitarian Commitment . . . . . . . Civil Liberties . . . . . . . . . . . . . Southern Poverty Law Center . . . . . B’nai B’rith International . . . . . . . . Social Capital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Social Cohesion . . . . . . . . . . . . Civil Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reconciliation . . . . . . . . . . . . . Human Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . Social Change and Anomie . . . . . . . Morality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Distributive Justice . . . . . . . . . . . Religious Radicalism . . . . . . . . . . Summary of Initiatives to Improve QOL

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75 75 76 77 78 80 80 81 82 83 84 84 85 85

10 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Socioeconomic Influences . . . . . . . . . Life Expectancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Medical Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . Alternative Treatments . . . . . . . . . . . Mental Illness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Overweight, Obesity . . . . . . . . . . . . Prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alcoholism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cigarettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Contents

Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Health Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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11 Toward the Good Life in a Good Society Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Social Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Happiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Plagues and Pandemics . . . . . . . . . . . Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Demographic Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . Social and Individual Factors . . . . . . . . Self-destruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . Domestic Violence . . . . . . . . . . . . Mental Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Physical Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . Socializing the Child . . . . . . . . . . . Community and Neighborhood . . . . . Leisure Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Good Society . . . . . . . . . . . .

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107 107 108 108 109 109 110 110 112 112 112 113 113 113 114 114 114 115

12 Interventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mukherjee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community Forums on Social Indicators . Other Interventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . Southern Poverty Law Center . . . . . . . Anti-defamation League . . . . . . . . . . Anti-materialism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Economic Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buddhism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hinduism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Confucianism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christianity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Public Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Mayo Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Government in Industrial Democracies Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Organization and Policy . . . . . . . . . Interpersonal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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117 118 118 119 120 121 122 122 122 123 123 125 126 126 127 127 129 129 130

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

131

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Introduction

As for happiness, it has hardly more than one useful quality, namely to make unhappiness possible. In our happiness, we should form very sweet bonds, full of confidence and attachment, in order that the sundering of them may cause us that priceless rending of the heart which is called unhappiness. –Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past, The Past Recaptured. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. –Ecclesiastes, 7:3 A general definition of civilization: a civilized society is exhibiting the five qualities of Truth, Beauty, Adventure, Art, Peace. –Alfred North Whitehead

The Social Environment Following Bertrand Russell, this study proposes that a better quality of life (QOL), a good life, will result from a better society, a good society. To improve the QOL, the social and physical environments should be improved. The process will involve some changes in the social structure and social psychology, cultural patterns, and organization in some, but not all, communities. Interventions will be proposed to bring about improvements. This is the purpose of this study. The study identifies aspects of the social system that, when modified, will support 10 keys of the QOL. The ten domains of the QOL, in their way, affect individual, family, community, and nation of the social system. Although individual-personal considerations are discussed, I propose chiefly alterations in socioeconomic conditions that will improve the QOL. The Community Indicators Consortium has shown that citizens working together can change conditions for the better. In some instances, such as cigarette smoking, governmental fiat has brought about change. Committees concerned with specific local problems have effectively improved conditions. Whatever be the force for change, it can be done by citizens working together. Knowing what to change is the key. xiii

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