About the author: Alain de Botton, FRSL, is a Swiss-born British philosopher and author. His books discuss various contemporary subjects and themes, emphasizing philosophy’s relevance to everyday life.
Status Anxiety Summary
Important Terms
Status: position in society, derived from Latin. Societies look at status in a variety of ways: legal or position standing within a group.
The Book in 1 Sentence: the book describes ways your urge to be seen as a successful person makes you psychologically ill and suggests ways to tackle the illness of trying to climb the relentless social ladder.
Favorite Quote From The Author:
To the injury of poverty, a meritocratic system now added the insult of shame
While I get freaked out wondering if suddenly I had to live in the past, my wife welcomes the idea. As silly as it might sound, I am terrified of having to live without today’s luxuries like my Mac computer and the glazing speed of fiber internet. However, my wife constantly questioned today’s stress to get more and the need to be “somebody.”
Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton answers many questions starting with why people strive to be “somebody” in their society. This book also teaches you how to let go of many societal fallacies and expectations of where do we fit in.
Main Headings
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- The author identifies 5 causes for status anxiety, mainly: lovelessness, snobbery, expectation, meritocracy, and dependence.
- The author suggests 5 ways to overcome these concerns: Philosophy, Art, Politics, Religion, and Bohemia.
What is in it for you:
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- The problem with status-seeking is that our own self-worth is completely ignored.
- Develop your self-esteem to battle the desire to be “somebody” according to society’s norms.
- Seeking to be someone” comes from wanting to be loved and causes distress, but looking inward will relieve this.
- That feeling of restlessness that you have come from society’s high expectations that you’re trying to live up to
- When society’s expectations of you are too high, and you fall short of them, you become anxious.
- Take a more philosophical approach to life by constantly asking yourself if what you think you want will actually make your life better or if it’s just for status.
- In the past, disease and starvation devastated the poor while the wealthy remained isolated. Certainly, people had more status-anxiety than we do now.
- Once affluence became attainable and even expected, people struggled when they didn’t have it.
- Philosophy allows you to cope with status anxiety by understanding the difference between what someone else needs and what you really need.
- In the 5th century, one day in Corinth city, a philosopher called Diogenes sat under a tree. Alexander the Great finds him and offered help if needed. Diogenes lets Alexander know that he should get out of the way because he’s blocking the light. His lack of social concern could easily have killed Diogenes. But Alexander chuckled, commenting that he would like to be Diogenes if he wasn’t Alexander.
- Using philosophers’ mindset can help combat status anxiety by understanding that most people’s reasoning is not straightforward, perception-based, and not logical.
- Always search for what is valuable for you and only yourself, not others. Use logic, not emotions, to battle the urge to follow the crowd that causes status anxiety.
Status Anxiety Review
The book brings up lots of issues that I have already observed and felt in many societies. I’ve always tried to challenge the negative societal and political norms responsible for the pain and suffering of many people. This book encouraged me to continue doing just that. The book is a motivational tool to let go of what people think of us and focus on self-worth and what you can contribute to society, family, and close circle.
Who Would I recommend The Status Anxiety Summary To?
People who feel stressed and want a good excuse to let go of the need to be “somebody.”