Money as a Person

by Richard C. Raynard, Ph.D.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

If corporations can have personhood, why not money?

We all have a relation with money.  If you are kid saving up for anew baseball mitt, it is a ticket to fun. If you have borrowed money to go to college, it's an investment in yourself. If you are making barely enough for basics for your family, money is a comfort and security. If you are truly impoverished, money rescues your very life.

What's enough?

Let's admit it, you keep careful watch over your money. You always know where it is, even when you have forgot birthdays, jewelry and other precious things. And your relationship is ongoing, as you keep track of all its ups and downs. You have a relationship with money.

Money has many personalities.  It can be all-mighty and powerful, an ogre that directs dynasties and nations, who measure and weigh it in so many economic terms. For those who win the lottery, it can be a giddy teenager who urges you into all kinds of reckless gamuts (it takes about 2 years to spend it all).  Money can be a social charmer, opening all kinds of doors, ensuring your social standing.

In greed, money finds a real home.  It promises the whole world and is so attractive, you never can get enough of it. It promises security, status, power, attractiveness, great toys, trophy wives and more.But, sorry, this money personality gradually takes over, as it wants your undivided attention. It claims you.

 

For the psychopathology of greed, see A. Kipnis, The Midas Complex, 2013.

Yet, for all its chameleon forms, money can be a good friend. It always stands by the balanced person to help form plans, get help, help others, make good choices, and come through in all the ups and downs of life. This money personality listens to you and honors your most heart-felt wishes.

The Supreme Court doesn't have to grant personhood to money. It already has many personalities.

What's your relationship to money?

About Dr. Raynard

Dr. Richard Raynard is a licensed clinical psychologist with 35 years experience resolving a broad range of emotional problems. As a cognitive-behavioral therapist who has specialized in anxiety and phobic disorders since 1980, he has spent the last 35 years fulfilling his life-long desire to explore and define the true purpose of emotions and how people can easily use emotions to create meaning and satisfaction in their lives. Dr. Raynard's series of books on emotions can be found on Amazon.com. His other books include Don't Panic, and Anxiety & Panic Medications.

Insecurity - A Tale of Two Cities

by Richard C. Raynard, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

The emotion of insecurity is triggered by the realization that your needs are outrun by anything you can do about them. In one issue of the NY Times is a tale of two cities, the rich and the poor.

What to do?

The Wall Street story began with a poor, paycheck to paycheck family headed by a Willie Loman kind of father whose millionaire future was always just around the corner. His son borrowed his insecurity and dreamed that money would solve everything. He was much frustrated until he got into trading. But soon, he found that no matter how many millions he made, others made more. Paid only 1.5 million in his 5th year, he wanted to be a billionaire and be "important", a somebody.

Finally, he saw in himself the fear of other traders losing anything and their anger at any constraint on their income. He withdrew from his "wealth addiction" in panic and quit Wall Street with the help of his therapist. Wanting to contribute, he went on to marry and to start a non-profit to help struggling families with obesity and addictiveness. He now has a "core sense of self".

The Cherokee Nation story, on another page, is about a Cherokee tribe, half living in poverty. The poorest had the greatest risk of emotional and behavioral problems, substance abuse, and other degenerative diseases of adulthood. Then, in 1999, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians opened a casino whose profits went equally to its 8000 members, amounting to $9000 yearly by 2006. To gather evidence that poverty caused emotional problems, or the reverse, Professor Costello had begun already a study of 1,420 children, 1/4 of them Cherokees.

Cherokee children were found in 4 years to have  40% decline in behavioral problems, less substance abuse, fewer crimes, and higher graduation rates. Surprisingly , the youngest benefited the most; those already 14 or older had little change. An economist later figured that in 5 to 10 years after the age 19, the savings surpassed the costs of the Cherokee supplemental income.

So poverty as well as wealth can make people more insecure and unwell. Many studies show that income in excess of about $60,000 does not lead to measurably more "happiness".

Insecurity alone, as well as insecurity coupled with greed, robs us of a sense of self and self-worth.

About Dr. Raynard
Dr. Richard Raynard is a licensed clinical psychologist with 35 years experience resolving a broad range of emotional problems. As a cognitive-behavioral therapist who has specialized in anxiety and phobic disorders since 1980, he has spent the last 35 years fulfilling his life-long desire to explore and define the true purpose of emotions and how people can easily use emotions to create meaning and satisfaction in their lives. Dr. Raynard's series of books on emotions can be found on Amazon.com. His other books include Don't Panic, and Anxiety & Panic Medications.

Greed - What are Toys For?

by Richard C. Raynard, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Greed is like the frog who gets used to warming water and boils his life away.

I want it!

Greed begins with simple envy - I want what you have. Imagine you are a 3 year old, playing with another toddler. You enjoy beating your drum. But your playmate is squealing with delight shaking his tambourine. You think, "He's happier than me with his toy. I want it" and you grab it away. It doesn't bother that he is protesting or unhappy. You play with the tambourine a little then hide it away. You think, "What else does he have"? You have forgotten your own toy.

Soon, you are deluged by the media with toys, gadgets, and whistles that promise delirious excitement and pleasure, spending hours every day in envy. With your PC and cell come the next big thing in apps, games, adventures, the latest bling. Well-endowed friends rub it in. Along with envy comes the feeling of being left out, a sense of insecurity, the emotion of powerlessness. "More or bigger" seems to be the answer.

As a teen, as you form a sense of who you are, you may feel you are nothing at all without the right clothes, music, cell phone, events, travels, wheels, friends and followers. The American dream haunts you of "having it all". Fear and anger can be added to your envy and insecurity, if you feel you are not making it.

To your relief, you seem to find a way. The problem is, there is always someone who has more than you and raises envy to a pain. You may then get caught up in a way of life called greed, where you have forgotten how to play, and either store  your toys away, or display them for others to envy.

The bigger picture is a world of rich and poor, of tribal struggle, or corporate lords and impoverished workers, power-driven politicos and disempowered citizens, greedy dictators and the forgotten.

Yet, most toddlers learn to share, to try out toys, and return to the toys they like best. In time, they play what they most enjoy and learn the skills and sharing that goes with them. Further on, they learn what are their lasting satisfactions and gives most meaning in their lives. Rather than greed, they learn gratitude for all that life gives them.

It's always a good time to jump out the heating water and into you own kind of pool.

 About Dr. Raynard
Dr. Richard Raynard is a licensed clinical psychologist with 35 years experience resolving a broad range of emotional problems. As a cognitive-behavioral therapist who has specialized in anxiety and phobic disorders since 1980, he has spent the last 35 years fulfilling his life-long desire to explore and define the true purpose of emotions and how people can easily use emotions to create meaning and satisfaction in their lives. Dr. Raynard's series of books on emotions can be found on Amazon.com. His other books include Don't Panic, and Anxiety & Panic Medications.

America, the Bloatiful

by Richard C. Raynard, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Americans have the least savings and greatest debt of any nation in world history.

We have the highest amount of imported manufactured or finished goods in history.
We lead the world in both the exportation of debt and basic commodities.
We have the largest cars, homes and waists of any developed nation.
We have the highest consumption of prescription drugs per capita in the world.
We have the highest rate and amount of incarceration and related expense.
We have the highest cost of health care in the world, along with least covered lives.
We have the largest amount of excess household goods in storage in the world.
We have the largest, most expensive military in the world, than all others together.
We have the largest percentage of single-parent families in the world.
We have the greatest gambling resources and gambling habit in the world..
We have the most expensive education system with some of the poorest results.
We have the most billionaires in the world, and greatest gap between rich and poor in history.
We work the longest hours, with least time off, of any developed country.

 We are a spectacular third world country, in both poverty and extreme wealth.

As much as the wealthy cannot count on educated, healthy workers, workers cannot count on the investment and resources of the rich.
In this financial crash, we see that extreme poverty impoverishes the rich, and that the extreme rich impoverishes the poor.

 Are we ready to grow up and mature as a nation and seek balance, rather than extremes?

A balance of regulation of all markets with free enterprise?

A balance of universal health insurance with cost savings and good care?
A balance of healthy life style with necessary medical intervention?
A balancing of critical thinking in education with preparation for a career?
A balance of incarceration with prevention and rehabilitation?
A balance of knowledge of others with knowledge of self?
A balance of basic material goods with personal fulfillment?
A balance of privacy needs with social needs and obligations?
A balance of national security with constitutional freedoms?
A balance of risk and profit in our financial instruments?
A balance between poverty and oppression and riches and greed?

 For our shared greed, who will show the way?

About Dr. Raynard
Dr. Richard Raynard is a licensed clinical psychologist with 35 years experience resolving a broad range of emotional problems. As a cognitive-behavioral therapist who has specialized in anxiety and phobic disorders since 1980, he has spent the last 35 years fulfilling his life-long desire to explore and define the true purpose of emotions and how people can easily use emotions to create meaning and satisfaction in their lives. Dr. Raynard's series of books on emotions can be found on Amazon.com. His other books include Don't Panic, and Anxiety & Panic Medications.

Emotions and the Theater of Life

by Richard C. Raynard, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Emotions are everywhere, every moment, however buried or concealed, and they help form the roles we play in the theater of life. Every activity is driven by emotions.

The appeal of emotion can be in car design, clothing, music, sports, crowds, politics - everywhere. After all, every human event or product is brought about by a warm-blooded human being. No matter how remote the person at work appears - the scientist, the surgeon, the ambassador - all have emotions that vary moment to moment, nudge or pull, and lead one to next thing and the next.

I want your toys

This is why I write about such diverse theaters of life, like the classroom, mass shootings, the playground, inventions, families, cooking and more. We all bring our emotion-driven needs, desires, sentiments, interests, and satisfactions to each setting in our daily life.

The motivation for our actions in all the theaters of life, I believe, can be best understood by the emotions and their combinations. Why would anyone accumulate so much stuff that he cannot possibly use and enjoy, so that he either stores it or displays it? The emotion is envy: I want what you have; it seems better than what I have; and having it makes me feel more secure and better than you. The emotions relating to competition, dominance, in-group and control are recruited along the way. In time the emotion of envy hardens into a way of life called greed. We have created a theater of life in which you never have enough.

Yes, life is a stage and we are players on it, but it is also a real and earnest role we play.

In my writings I invite you to witness real-life drama in all the  theaters of life.

About Dr. Raynard
Dr. Richard Raynard is a licensed clinical psychologist with 35 years experience resolving a broad range of emotional problems. As a cognitive-behavioral therapist who has specialized in anxiety and phobic disorders since 1980, he has spent the last 35 years fulfilling his life-long desire to explore and define the true purpose of emotions and how people can easily use emotions to create meaning and satisfaction in their lives. Dr. Raynard's series of books on emotions can be found on Amazon.com. His other books include Don't Panic, and Anxiety & Panic Medications.

Greed - A Way of Life or a Trap?

by Richard C. Raynard, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Envy abounds, even in the youngest. A child is so quick to grab a toy from a playmate's hand, without a thought. Squabble, tears and retaliation soon follow.

The playmate's joy in his toys makes them more desirable than his own. Neglected toys are rarely swiped. The emotion of envy grows into "What else am I missing out on?" The attitude forms, "I don't have it because they have it". Envy recruits competition and aggressiveness. In time, with the social ranking in the teens and the feelings of insecurity that envy recruits, greed blossoms. Now our sense of self-worth and importance are on the line. Greed becomes a way of life.

Mine!

Once, a bumper sticker I saw read. "What the Hell, I want it all!".

But, hey, let's face the facts! Many studies show that those who strongly value the pursuit of wealth have more depression, more physical ailments, and more relationship problems. Clinically, there is more OCD,  likelihood of ADHD, isolation, passive-aggression, poor impulse control, and more. Studies also show that, with increasing wealth, a person has less regard for another point of view, i.e. less empathy. The more materialistic, the less generous and trusting we become. Beyond caring for basic needs and comfort, pursuing wealth makes for "lower psychological well-being".

The wealthy do not play with their toys, but store them or display them.

Now and then, we dare talk about greed openly. In the May 18 NY Times, the reviewer of The Great Gatsby, referring also to "Spring Breakers", "The Bling Ring" and other movies, concludes "This is how we live: greedily, enviously, superficially, in a state of endless, self-justifying desire". But the most articulate writers are silent on this subject.

Even more to the point, Edney (2005) declares "It is time that greed be listed in DSM IV. With well directed psychological research of course greed will turn out to be a personality trait with a distribution in the population, and personality tests will be able to screen for extremes." The extreme of greed would be a personality disorder.

Well, what do you think? Do we take the mythology out of greed and treat it? Gratitude, instead of greed?

About Dr. Raynard
Dr. Richard Raynard is a licensed clinical psychologist with 35 years experience resolving a broad range of emotional problems. As a cognitive-behavioral therapist who has specialized in anxiety and phobic disorders since 1980, he has spent the last 35 years fulfilling his life-long desire to explore and define the true purpose of emotions and how people can easily use emotions to create meaning and satisfaction in their lives. Dr. Raynard's series of books on emotions can be found on Amazon.com. His other books include Don't Panic, and Anxiety & Panic Medications.

The Bright Side - A Note from the Future

by Richard C. Raynard, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Imagine you are in the future. The economy has tanked, and things are much worse now.  Unemployment is 26%; 17% of mortgages have foreclosed; inflation is rampant; borrowing is very costly; the bond market has crashed; our currency devalued.  We can no longer borrow to pay down our national debt.  2 Million are homeless.

But, we are learning new ways to prosper and be fulfilled.

Now that families have to crowd into 2 or 3 rooms, we have learned to eat together, discuss our affairs, and help each other.  With the electricity on 6 hours a day, we no longer depend upon electronic devices or spend much time on TV and the media.  We work in our garden, share cooking and cleaning, and do all the repairs ourselves.  With gas at $11 a gallon, we’ve learned to car pool with the neighbors and coworkers and share lunch treats.  We’re discovering local sports, too, like trails, biking, local teams, and pickup games of all sorts. Now that schools have little money, we are no longer under the gun with national testing, and parents have time to help their children learn, plus all the time for sports, arts, music, trips and classroom talks.  Our children see more of themselves in school since we insisted they learn useful things about life and themselves; they like school now. 

In downsizing, we have had to sell off or donate so much excess stuff that we see what is essential and most meaningful and spend more time in that.  In fact, getting by with a lot less work hours has meant a lot to ourselves and each other.  Our community has come together, too, as we not share our skills and tools around cooking, gardening, repairing, per care, heating methods – in fact, about everything. We are learning gratitude.

 

I guess this is more the way it used to be.  More sense of community, opportunity, fairness with each other, good schools, a great family life. We could use a teach-in like this every 80 years or so.

Dr. Schwartz, (The Paradox of Choice, 2004) documents how an overload of choice leads to anxiety, loneliness, stress and dissatisfaction - even depression. The polls show that the feelings that choices do matter has dropped over the years. Why?

He documents how the greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment, and the more choices, the more stress and pressure. And once you reach an adequate subsistence income, further wealth shows no increase in measurable happiness. In short, an abundance of choice takes precious time, regret of lost opportunity, more uncertainty, more procrastination, more demanding choices, more risk of being let down, more responsibility, restless greed - more agony!

Paradoxically, the choices that contribute most to happiness bind and commit us passionately to loved ones, friends, work and the spiritual life - and gratitude.

About Dr. Raynard

Dr. Richard Raynard is a licensed clinical psychologist with 35 years experience resolving a broad range of emotional problems. As a cognitive-behavioral therapist who has specialized in anxiety and phobic disorders since 1980, I have spent the last 35 years fulfilling my life-long desire to explore and define the true purpose of emotions and how people can easily use emotions to create meaning and satisfaction in their lives. Dr. Raynard's series of books on emotions can be found on Amazon.com. His other books include Don't Panic, and Anxiety & Panic Medications.