Help Your Children Overcome 'Affluenza'

'Affluenza' is the psychological dysfunction caused by the obsessive and competitive pursuit for more; more money, more material items, more power. While there is pressure on children from affluent homes to be the best, the sense of entitlement that comes with it can be a detriment to your child.

Affluenza isn't a joke. Although the term is often used sarcastically, vast wealth and a single-minded focus on the pursuit of money, status, and material possessions causes real problems and dysfunction in many American families. 

"While having a great deal of money may not itself cause unhappiness, the relentless quest for more and a value system focused on materialism can and do cause dissatisfaction and broken relationships and are particularly damaging for children," says Josh Glawe, LCSW.

"It's easy to mock the problems of the well-to-do," says Josh Glawe, a licensed clinical social worker and specialist in adolescent disorders with Morris Psychological Group, "but studies have shown that teens from wealthy families are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs than their less affluent peers and they have disturbingly high rates of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-injury, cheating, and stealing."

The term affluenza came to public prominence as the result of a trial in Texas in 2013, in which the defense argued for leniency for the 16-year-old who struck and killed four pedestrians while driving drunk on the grounds that his wealthy background impaired his understanding of the consequences of his behavior. The boy was sentenced to 10 years probation and therapy at his parents' expense and the apparent success of the "affluenza defense" sparked outrage.

What is affluenza?

Affluenza can be defined as the psychological dysfunction caused by the obsessive and competitive pursuit of more—more money and the material things money can buy as well as the intangibles that wealth confers like status, respect, and power. It is characterized by a sense of entitlement, an inability to delay gratification, an exaggerated belief in the ability to control one's life, and a diminished capacity for empathy and compassion.

"Affluenza is caused by the myth that money can buy happiness," Glawe says. "In fact, there is no direct link between income and contentment. Beyond a level that provides for basic needs and relieves anxiety, greater wealth contributes little or nothing to overall well-being. And while having a great deal of money may not itself cause unhappiness, the relentless quest for more and a value system focused on materialism can and do cause dissatisfaction and broken relationships and are particularly damaging for children."

How are children affected by affluenza?

Children from affluent homes do not typically show higher rates of problems than the general population until around seventh grade, as they are about to turn 13. The teen years, for all children, are a time of experimentation, separating from their parents, and testing limits. Affluent adolescents whose parents are preoccupied with career and social obligations are often unsupervised and have plenty of money at their disposal—a dangerous combination. And the teen years are when all the pressures of unrealistically high expectations are brought to bear on these children. They are expected to excel academically and at sports and to build a resume that will appeal to the most selective colleges. They are to carry on the success of the high-achieving family with little regard for each child's individuality and unique interests.