Lifestyle describes a person’s habits, views, attitudes, and behaviors. The word was originated by Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler in his famous book, The Case of Miss R. His definition of Lifestyle has been expanded since then to include the aspects of the physical environment, education, work style, socialization, and beliefs. A more refined definition would be called human habitat. The environment refers to the condition and surroundings one experiences during his/her lifetime.
Lifestyle, in the individual psychology, is a complex amalgamation of inherited traits, developed behavior, interpersonal interactions, cultural practices, and interpersonal relationships. Adorno and his associates considered two different types of Lifestyle: the authoritarian type or the authoritative type, and the participatory type or the democratic type. (Adrian Online cited with emphasis). In his landmark study, Theses on Lifestyle, volume II, volume I, Adorno generalized the authoritarian lifestyle as the most threatening of the two, claiming that it forms the basis for most personality disorders.
Lifestyle in the mass culture is not only about what a person may not do but also about what his/her parents did, how these people responded to their environment, their place in the social hierarchy, and so on. These aspects are considered to be deeply rooted in one’s biological makeup, and this in turn determines their level of independence, their self-conception, and even their attitudes towards their Lifestyle. As a sociologist, J.M. Barrack observed that people living in a highly authoritarian environment tend to be highly motivated to adhere to rules, while those living in a participatory environment, which allows them to engage in cultural diversity and form their own opinions, feel less compelled to conform to a certain lifestyle.
Sociologists might compare the present situation with a cultural museum, in that there are still numerous objects that have not been changed. However, in the age of the web, everything is possible. As such, the old divide between ‘workaholics’ and ‘techies’ has largely blurred. Today, working long hours in the office is seen as a good thing, since technological advancements allow employees to work more productively and longer. It is important to note that technological developments have actually increased leisure time and Lifestyle content. This means that we no longer have a problem finding ways to fit activities into our daily Lifestyle, even when our jobs require us to be away from the computer.
Social media has also contributed a lot to the modern Lifestyle. Sites like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace allow members to share information about their lives, as well as interact with others. The influence of these sites cannot be ignored, since the phenomenon of Lifestyle communication is widespread among members of these sites. If we look at Alfred Adler’s definition of lifestyle in terms of a sociological theory, we can see that its significance is not limited to a specific circle of people (although its influence is certainly concentrated within that circle).
The significance of Lifestyle is not only restricted to the study of mass culture. Lifestyle is also important for the understanding of human interaction in general. For instance, it is interesting to observe how TV advertisements influence consumer behavior. Adorno argues that advertising is a vast social mechanism, in which producers use symbolic meaning to communicate their message to the masses. In this case, television’s advertisers manage to corner the public in an unequal relationship: they make people think that they are being sold something that is fundamentally different from what they actually bought, but that they will find it useful in their everyday life.
