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Paradigm Shift

Many people who came of age during the Great Depression emerged from that experience with a mind-set of scarcity. They were thrifty; they saved; some even hoarded. Why? Just in case. After all, you never know. Their world fell apart once, it can happen again.

Many people who came of age during the Greed Is Good era emerged from that experience with a mind-set of abundance. They were extravagant, they shopped till they dropped; some even lived off of their future. Why? Why not? You only live once; you deserve it; why deprive yourself? 

Now a new era is emerging that indicates a paradigm shift.  A paradigm shift is a leap in thinking - not so much an evolution but more of a revolution. As a result, the same situation is viewed in an entirely different manner.

Here are a few examples:

• When Copernicus discovered the Earth revolves around the Sun and not the other way around, a paradigm shift occurred.
• When patients got up off the Freudian couch to become clients whose therapy focused on the ‘here and now’, a paradigm shift occurred. 
• When Democrats are viewed as the fiscally responsible, family values party, leaving the Republicans to scramble for a tag line, a paradigm shift has occurred.

As these examples illustrate, a paradigm shift is a conceptual revolution in which one world view is replaced by another. With such a shift, people not only begin to think differently, they live differently.
And that is what is happening today. Most people are not returning to a Depression style mind-set of scarcity. But neither are they continuing to live with a nonstop mind-set of abundance. 
Even those who could afford to shop are shopping less. Even those who are not environmentalists are thinking green. Even those who are into “stuff” are amassing less. Even those who are “not political” are voicing their opinion.
We don’t know exactly how this era will play out, but one thing is certain. We are changing – like it or not.  A paradigm shift has occurred. We are thinking differently. We are behaving differently. A new ball game has begun. And it’s only the first inning. 

Copyright 2009:  Linda Sapadin, Ph.D.  is a psychologist in private practice who specializes in helping individuals, families and couples overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior.

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