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The impact of economic status on subjectively perceived happiness of individuals in the Czech Republic
Lepková, Eva ; Wirthová, Jitka (advisor) ; Šrám, Kristián (referee)
This bachelor's thesis explores the impact of wealth on an individual's subjective happiness, delving into how different demographic groups perceive the role of financial resources in achieving personal satisfaction. The primary objective of the study was to understand whether financial wealth contributes significantly to happiness and how these perceptions differ between students and older working adults. The research employed qualitative methods, analyzing data collected through semi-structured interviews with participants from these two distinct demographic groups. The analysis of the interview data revealed nuanced insights into the relationship between wealth and happiness. Consistent with the Easterlin Paradox, findings indicated that beyond a certain threshold, additional wealth does not substantially increase subjective happiness. Moreover, the study highlighted clear differences in attitudes towards money between the two groups: students exhibited less concern for accumulating wealth, prioritizing non- material aspects of well-being such as relationships and personal achievements over financial success. In contrast, older working adults placed a higher value on financial security and its role in facilitating a comfortable lifestyle and ensuring future stability. These findings suggest that...
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Consumer Society and Representation of Happiness in Advertising
Žatečka, Lukáš ; Šrám, Kristián (advisor) ; Kolomoiets, Maksym (referee)
The bachelor thesis deals with advertising representation of happiness in the context of consumer society theory. The aim of this work is to find out what possibilities of interpretation of happiness are in connection with consumer products, which mediate advertisements to their viewers. TV and online advertisements related to the environment of the Czech Republic are examined. The first part of the thesis deals with theoretical basis for themes of consumer society, advertising and happiness. Consumer society is conceptualized as hedonically oriented and established in the materialistic concept of the world. Advertising is seen as the main ideological tool of consumer society that is used to transform values. The happiness is seen from both perspectives, the hedonic and eudaimonic. Due to the abstract nature of happiness, constitutive elements of happiness are derived from expert discourse and serve as a conceptual framework and a default category for analysis. The default categories are social relationships, productive activity and health. The qualitative based empirical part subsequently processed the representation in advertising. The sample consists of 24 ads. The qualitative content analysis method is used for work with data. In the analysis, the central motives are identified for each default...
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Procrastination and time management among college students
Trešlová, Debora ; Hrešanová, Ema (advisor) ; Šrám, Kristián (referee)
This bachelor thesis deals with procrastination and time management among college students. I focus specifically on five students from the Faculty of Social Sciences, five students from the Second Faculty of Medicine and five students from the Faculty of Law. All of the above mentioned faculties are part of Charles University in Prague. The aim of my work was to find out what procrastination and time management tell us about trends in contemporary society and how it is related to its transformation. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews and than analyzed using thematic analysis. The six categories that emerged showed that students most often procrastinate if they are not sure about the instruction of assignments, about their field of study or overall having clearly defined life goals. Student do not usually manage their time. Their day-to-day activities are based on clearly defined hours at work or at school. Additionally, communication technologies have relevant impact on students' procrastionation, esspecially Facebook and other social networks. Using the book The Liquid Modernity of Zygmunt Bauman I make findings in the context of social transformation as part of the transition from solid modernity to liquid modernity.
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Sociological analysis of discursive representations of happiness
Šrám, Kristián ; Hájek, Martin (advisor) ; Balon, Jan (referee)
The master thesis seeks to analyze discursive representations of happiness present in the Czech Republic. Analytical conceptualization of happiness is based upon the two prominent views on happiness - hedonism and eudaimonism. Hedonic perspective situates the issue of achieving happiness into the context of pleasure seeking activities while eudaimonic perspective relates happiness to concepts such as self-actualization, fulfilment of one's potential, and similar topics broadly connected to personal growth and search for meaning. Concepts of hedonism and eudaimonism help to reduce the abstract nature of happiness. The thesis identifies three types of discursive representations of happiness - neoliberal, spiritual / religious, and pop-psychological representations. Particular representations define happiness differently. However, there are similarities and interdependencies in the aspects of how the hedonism and eudaimonism are being used. Thus, there are interactions between particular representations. Eudaimonism is more dominant in every representation in the sense of general claim that true (longlasting) happiness is never taken-for-granted, and that it must be cultivated. Representations that lean heavily towards eudaimonism were also associated with stronger normative dimension that might serve to...
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Manifestation of Discursive Hierarchies in Consumption in the Context of Financial Crisis
Šrám, Kristián ; Chytková, Zuzana (advisor) ; Tahal, Radek (referee)
This thesis seeks to analyze how social position is negotiated by particular consumption practices. Thesis is theoretically based upon social-constructivist claims that reality is a social construct that comprises of continuously negotiated meanings. That implies that observed phenomena, such as among others consumption and social position, are seen as constituted by the cultural and symbolic dimensions of society. Methodological basis of the thesis is qualitative research. In the context of consumer behavior research I follow the research stream of consumer culture theory. Key findings of the study are that discourses on consumption are partially determined by social position while higher classes are comparatively more reflexive in their interpretations of consumption. However, social boundaries are not strictly given which creates a space for negotiating one`s social position. That might be accomplished by reinterpretation of social position. Prominent strategies of such reinterpretations were defined by discourses of neoliberalism and egalitarism. Another option consists of transgressing the economic boundaries by utilizing cultural capital. However, in the Czech society there has not yet been developed a clear consensus on what cultural capital consists of - that creates even more potential for negotiating one`s own social position.
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