Lifestyle has always been the collective attitudes, interests, behaviors, and cultural orientations of a society, family, or group. The word was originated by Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler in his famous 29-page book, The Case of Miss R. With the meaning of “the basic nature of a human being as established early in life”. This concept has been around since ages. It is one of the most powerful concepts on human being.
To sum it up, Lifestyle defines the way of living as it has been lived through time. It is an essential element for the development of a person and it is responsible for his personality. A person will remain with his basic lifestyle for a long period of time but changes in lifestyle are gradual and impermanent in nature. Hence, a person remains with his lifestyle and not as per the demand of society. He becomes what he is as per his attitude and choice.
Lifestyle can be categorized into three categories-modernity, classical modernization and backwardness. Modern lifestyle is based on the discoveries made in the modern science and technology. It is characterized by equality in status, material comforts, social outlook and psychology of people. Classical modernization on the other hand is based on some philosophies or theories of social science. It is characterized by an economy characterized by increment of living standards, education and technology.
Lifestyle changes according to the prevailing circumstances of life. Modern persons are so much dependent on their career that they hardly get time to relax and enjoy their leisure. They spend most of their time earning money. The only relaxation they get is at night when they watch television. Lifestyle of a person has undergone many changes in past centuries and the present is characterized by the extreme competitiveness.
There has been a great amount of investment in the business industry. This has resulted in the development of a number of industries. A large number of business activities have come up. These industries require skilled and semi-skilled workers who can perform all the tasks related to the businesses. As there is a high level of competition in the business world, the lifestyle of these people has also undergone a great change. People of the modern society spend most of their time inside the offices and are seldom left to attend the home for entertainment.
A person’s lifestyle is largely affected by the economic conditions. If the economic conditions are poor a person will become moody and depressed. On the other hand, a prosperous economic environment provides lots of happiness and joy. This will influence a person’s lifestyle to a large extent. If a person is having a great income and has lots of things to do, then he will be able to spend more time on his leisure. If a person is earning less income but has to work all the day long, then he will become inactive and will become a victim of stress and fatigue.
This is one of the major reasons for the rapid changes that have taken place in the modern lifestyle of people. The rapid changes have also affected the mental health of a person. A person’s mental health largely depends on the kind of mental stress that a person has faced in his previous lives. If the person had a good childhood then he will tend to have better mental health.
A number of changes have taken place in the modern lifestyle of people. Rapid changes in technology have led to increase in the leisure time of a person. A person spends most of his spare time on computers and he spends very little time interacting with his family, friends and others. Thus, it can be said that modern lifestyle is characterized by a sedentary life style and stress on personal appearance.
