by Melissa Murphy

Created on: March 07, 2010

In American society, we put a premium on freedom as well we should, but how many choices do we need?  Can too many choices negatively affect our mental health?

Democratic society is marked by freedom of choice.  The attractiveness of independence and autonomy is coveted by peoples from all corners of the globe.  We choose where, when and for whom we work.  We are able to express our preferences for religion, lifestyle and where we live.  We choose who we do business with and who we marry.  With all of these freedoms to choose what we want in life, the question begs:  Why is there an increase in clinical depression and suicide?  Why are psychological services in constant and ever increasing demand and why is an alarming percentage of the population being prescribed psychotropic drugs for conditions like depression?

As paradoxical as it may seem, people may have too much choice.

The Downside of Having Choices

For many people, there is an ever increasing psychological component to having to constantly make decisions.  A large segment of the population is considered to be “maximizer” types.  “Maximizers” are people with a personality type which is characterized by a belief that they must get the “best” result from every decision. “Maximizers”, by nature, must explore every possibility to the fullest, examining every angle of every situation.  For example, if presented with a choice of jobs, the “maximizer” must weigh out the pros and cons compulsively until they are assured that they have made the best choice.  On the surface, this doesn’t seem like such a bad quality to have, after all, we all are seeking the best in life.  The problem lies in the aftermath of a decision when the “maximizer” is compelled to go over his discarded choices and his decision making process again and again, often ending up with overwhelming feelings of regret and anxiety.

The Flip Side

To lay down the “maximizer” tendency is to adopt the mindset of a “satisficer”.  Just as the name indicates, this person is satisfied with their decisions and rarely engages in detrimental retrospect. This personality type makes a decision based on needs and wants and accepts that their decision is a good choice.  The “satisficer” is not inclined to rehash all of the choices that could have been.  They are happy with their decision and because of this feeling of contentment they experience very little anxiety when it comes to being overloaded by a myriad of choices.

Today’s society affords many luxuries, one of them being the freedom of choice. However, this freedom is paradoxical to many people who find that too many choices can often result in a form of psychological imprisonment.

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