Teacher Candidates' Opinions toward Money and Purchase Behaviors Based on Theodor Ludwig Wiesengrund Adorno's Theory of Leisure Industry and Mass Culture: A Qualitative Research

Abstract

Identity, referring to the views we have about ourselves, the knowledge and images we employ, is essentially a narrative of the self conception on the part of the individual. Awareness of one’s consciousness is neither an impulsive occurrence, nor an immutable conception as part of the genetic heritage. To the contrary, the development of the identity, and the associated development of the ego, presents an ever-developing structure learned through the individual’s interactions with her family and surroundings through her development. Our identity, the definition of ourselves, is a function of our experiences. Through it we present ourselves as individuals. The Great Russian author Gorky, in turn, argues that the road to being ourselves is through limiting our wants. In other words, buying less. The leading means of exchange and ownership today, money, according to Gorki, plays a major role in the development of our identity, and would practically render us slaves if left unchecked. This study aims to reveal the pre-service teachers’ views of terms such as money, consumption, and buying, which play a crucial part in people’s lives. The method employed is case study, a qualitative method of study. Purposeful sampling led to a study group composed of 19 pre-service teachers. The semi-structured interviews were the data the collection tool employed. The data gathered in line with the purpose of the study were interpreted, and supported with direct quotations. The pre-service teachers generally stated that money was the basic means of exchange, that it definitely should have a place in our lives, that they were under obligation to earn and spend money, that buying goods to cover their needs was a necessity, and that they embraced and recommended a minimalist attitude towards life.