The Psychology of Disposability A Hermeneutic Study on the Relational Implications of Normalized Disposability

Abstract

Examining the psychological implications of living in a culture saturated in disposability, this research seeks to explore the links between how we engage with material items, and its influence on how we engage in relationship. This research defines disposability as a way of engaging with people, places and things that denies an investment in longevity, requires temporary usefulness and encourages an attempt at elimination once usefulness has expired. Disposability not only exists within the infrastructure of relationship to material items but also permeates relationship to other living beings and places, embedding and normalizing itself into the framework of modern human society. Looking at early childhood development, this research examines the psychology of an individual more apt to perceive and engage with others as disposable, and how that relates to contemporary cultural phenomena like planned obsolescence, fast fashion, ghosting, avoidant attachment, commonality of narcissism, modern day slavery, single use products, landfills, residential mobility, and other examples of a dehumanizing throwaway society. What this research found was that the traits of narcissism and psychopathy reflected similar traits to the psychology behind disposability, therefore linking modern society’s collective psychopathology with narcissism, avoidant attachment and psychopathy. A culture that normalizes disposability also normalizes antisocial and narcissistic pathologies, leading to much of modern day’s everyday distress.