WHAT MOTIVATES VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY?
Our students are fascinated by people who have intentionally dropped out of the consumer whirlwind of modern culture. There is some psychological research on what motivates some lifestyle pioneers toward voluntary simplicity. “Voluntary simplicity” generally refers to the choice out of free will, rather than by being coerced by poverty, government austerity programs, or being imprisoned, to limit expenditures on consumer goods and services, and to cultivate non-materialistic sources of satisfaction and meaning. (Etzioni, 1998, p. 620). Although what exactly constitutes a voluntary simplicity lifestyle is up for debate, researchers have found some common motivations among individuals who move in this direction (Craig-Lees & Hill, 2002). Degenhardt (2002) concluded that the primary motivation for the adoption of a more sustainable lifestyle was “emotional consternation.” Others have found that committment to a simplicity lifestyle is related to individuals’ ethical sense of ecological so
