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affluenza

[ af-loo-en-zuh ]

noun

  1. the negative psychological or behavioral effects of having or pursuing wealth, as irresponsible acts and feelings of self-doubt or guilt.
  2. excessive materialism or desire for wealth, associated with negative effects:

    workaholics afflicted with affluenza.



affluenza

/ ˌæflʊˈɛnzə /

noun

  1. the guilt or lack of motivation experienced by people who have made or inherited large amounts of money Also calledsudden-wealth syndrome
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of affluenza1

1970–75; blend of affluence ( def ) and influenza ( def )
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Word History and Origins

Origin of affluenza1

C20: from aff ( luent ) + ( in ) fluenza
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Example Sentences

“Monsters” is, among other things, a wicked parody of affluenza.

This has become an ancient story of affluenza to the max, a story of how being born into money and titles is no way to prepare you for life, a lesson in how doling out power based on birth order is no way to run a country and is a fine way to ruin a family.

Maybe Favre, who ranks among the NFL's highest-paid players of all time and was fortunate enough to grow up in a two-parent household headed by college-educated parents who both worked as teachers, suffers from affluenza now.

From Salon

Oliver James, a psychologist who authored the 2008 book "The Selfish Capitalist: Origins of Affluenza," argued that the materialistic, self-obsessed and competitive culture of neoliberal capitalist societies instill "emotional distress" in their populations.

From Salon

Beginning with “I pledge allegiance,” the last word is supplanted by the sequence “adherence – adoration – anxiety – affluenza – I pledge allegiance to the flag…” You think your way through a vow you can probably recite by heart, stumbling across unacknowledged sentiments and, elsewhere as the text continues, even shocking cruelties and bigotries.

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