There is no abstract available for this dissertation. / Department of English

This thesis assesses the viability of voluntary simplicity as part of the solution to the material culture that is pushing the planet beyond its carrying capacity without making us happier. Voluntary simplicity is a philosophy and way of life that emphasizes material simplicity, do-it-yourself projects, personal fulfillment, small-scale systems, and spending less time working. Described as “the quiet revolution” and “a life that is outwardly more simple and inwardly more rich,” voluntary simplicity is at once mainstream and countercultural. Voluntary simplifiers are mainly white, middle class, and well educated, and they come from all types of communities all over the US. Although many voluntary simplifiers hold environmental values, they are primarily motivated by personal concerns such as stress and discontent with the hectic cycle of work and spend. This thesis describes the strong tradition of simplicity in American culture and the philosophy and demographics of voluntary simplifiers. It analyzes voluntary simplicity within the context of the de-growth process society must undergo, and it discusses the class barriers that limit the movement’s wider accessibility.

This study aims to generate increased understanding for, and to portray, the mobile lifestyle vanlife by examining motives, obstacles and potential consequences of this particular lifestyle.  The study was conducted using qualitative method. The selection of study participants was aimed towards people who own or have owned a mobile home and lives or have lived in it periodically at the least. The selection was interviewed through semi structured interviews, and the empiric material was analyzed using thematic analysis.  The results show that vanlife can be seen as a form of voluntary simplicity because it’s a minimalistic lifestyle both in terms of resource- and energy consumption and because of the simpler dwelling. Vanlife can also be seen as a form of lifestyle migration because of the great importance of the destination to people within vanlife, but also because they can move to these places whenever they feel due to the flexible mobility of their homes.  The strongest motive is freedom in various aspects – such as freedom to travel but also financial freedom. Another strong motive is the feeling of belonging to a community. The opinions about the environmental impact of the lifestyle are divided among the participants, but some testify of negative impacts on local environments. Cold weather and safety concerns are some of the obstacles to vanlife, and a feeling of not belonging anywhere are one of the consequences. Additionally, vanlifers don’t want to be confused with people living at traditional camping grounds.

Leisure typically has been regarded as a positive component in people's lives, and evidence points to its central rather than peripheral role in lifestyle. Further, studies of leisure suggest it is conducive to psychological well-being, to physical health, and to the stability of social groups. The extent to which people are able to reach this potential very much depends on leisure's role in lifestyle, the experience of leisure, and whether conditions in a consumption-oriented society facilitate such positive outcomes. For many, leisure in consumption-oriented lifestyles holds symbolic meaning. Important aspects of personal identity and meaning are found in leisure-related possessions and through leisure activities pursued. For others, leisure represents an internal, inner-directed process through which activities or behaviours are intrinsically motivated, freely chosen, and ultimately satisfying. In this study, lifestyle was conceptualized and operationalized using a 'voluntary simplicity' value orientation, focussing on four main value dimensions: (1) material simplicity, (2) self-determination, (3) ecological awareness, and (4) personal growth. The purpose of the study was to examine the role that lifestyle plays in the relationship between leisure and psychological well-being. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by adults enrolled in general interest and continuing education leisure courses. Five basic concepts were assessed in the questionnaire: (1) leisure participation, (2) importance of leisure activity to lifestyle, (3) leisure experience, (4) psychological well-being, and (5) lifestyle. The highest frequencies of leisure participation per month included reading books, magazines and newspapers, listening to music, and watching television and videos. Leisure experience was characterized by higher challenge and awareness, and lower boredom and anxiety. There was general support for voluntary simplicity values in lifestyle with personal growth, self-determination, and ecological awareness dimensions being higher and material simplicity values being the lowest. Lifestyles that more strongly embraced voluntary simplicity were associated with higher levels of challenge and awareness, and lower levels of anxiety and boredom in the experience of leisure. The self-determination, ecological awareness, and personal growth dimensions of a voluntary simplicity lifestyle contributed to heightened positive affect within psychological well-being, while lower levels of material simplicity increased negative affect (decreased psychological well-being). When all factors are taken together, a significant proportion of variance in psychological well-being is explained by the <I><b>experience</b></I> of leisure, especially <I><b>high challenge</b></I>, and <b><I>not</b></I> by <I><b>leisure participation</b></I>, and by a <I><b>voluntary simplicity lifestyle</b></I> characterized by self-determination, ecological awareness and personal growth values in the <I><b>positive affect</b></I> dimension, and material simplicity values in the <I><b>negative affect</b></I> dimension of psychological well-being. These results suggest that regardless of the type and intensity of leisure involvement, if through heightened awareness, higher challenge and lower anxiety are sought in leisure, especially as expressed within a voluntary simplicity lifestyle, then higher levels of psychological well-being may be achieved. Indeed, by reducing lifestyle complexity and lessening the focus on consumerism, the inherent value of leisure to well-being might well emerge to a greater degree.

Starting point. Voluntary simplicity is a form of lifestyle. Its typical feature is selection intensity in all areas of human life. Severity of voluntary simplicity lies in self-control of consumer behavior in the daily confrontation with the media pressure, which is oriented at a high rate of consumption. The task of this thesis was to find out if people raised in voluntarily simple families keep living this way, or if they turned away from this lifestyle and joined the high consumption society. Methods and results. Research included 40 respondents who met the requirement that voluntary simplicity was part of their upbringing. Addressed were people from alternatively living groups (preppers, ecovillages, macrobiotics, minimalists, forums dedicated to maternal education and child care, and other groups possessing forums on an alternative way of life of voluntary simplicity). The investigation was conducted by a questionnaire which was distributed electronically among respondents. We found that 13 out of 40 respondents (32,5 %) fully met our stated profile of voluntary simplicity. Relative frequency of responses from all respondents that meet the requirements of modest behavior amounted to 74,3 %. Hypothesis H1 predicted that the influence of upbringing in a voluntary simplicity will make respondents prefer...

Leisure typically has been regarded as a positive component in people's lives, and evidence points to its central rather than peripheral role in lifestyle. Further, studies of leisure suggest it is conducive to psychological well-being, to physical health, and to the stability of social groups. The extent to which people are able to reach this potential very much depends on leisure's role in lifestyle, the experience of leisure, and whether conditions in a consumption-oriented society facilitate such positive outcomes. For many, leisure in consumption-oriented lifestyles holds symbolic meaning. Important aspects of personal identity and meaning are found in leisure-related possessions and through leisure activities pursued. For others, leisure represents an internal, inner-directed process through which activities or behaviours are intrinsically motivated, freely chosen, and ultimately satisfying. In this study, lifestyle was conceptualized and operationalized using a 'voluntary simplicity' value orientation, focussing on four main value dimensions: (1) material simplicity, (2) self-determination, (3) ecological awareness, and (4) personal growth. The purpose of the study was to examine the role that lifestyle plays in the relationship between leisure and psychological well-being. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by adults enrolled in general interest and continuing education leisure courses. Five basic concepts were assessed in the questionnaire: (1) leisure participation, (2) importance of leisure activity to lifestyle, (3) leisure experience, (4) psychological well-being, and (5) lifestyle. The highest frequencies of leisure participation per month included reading books, magazines and newspapers, listening to music, and watching television and videos. Leisure experience was characterized by higher challenge and awareness, and lower boredom and anxiety. There was general support for voluntary simplicity values in lifestyle with personal growth, self-determination, and ecological awareness dimensions being higher and material simplicity values being the lowest. Lifestyles that more strongly embraced voluntary simplicity were associated with higher levels of challenge and awareness, and lower levels of anxiety and boredom in the experience of leisure. The self-determination, ecological awareness, and personal growth dimensions of a voluntary simplicity lifestyle contributed to heightened positive affect within psychological well-being, while lower levels of material simplicity increased negative affect (decreased psychological well-being). When all factors are taken together, a significant proportion of variance in psychological well-being is explained by the <I><b>experience</b></I> of leisure, especially <I><b>high challenge</b></I>, and <b><I>not</b></I> by <I><b>leisure participation</b></I>, and by a <I><b>voluntary simplicity lifestyle</b></I> characterized by self-determination, ecological awareness and personal growth values in the <I><b>positive affect</b></I> dimension, and material simplicity values in the <I><b>negative affect</b></I> dimension of psychological well-being. These results suggest that regardless of the type and intensity of leisure involvement, if through heightened awareness, higher challenge and lower anxiety are sought in leisure, especially as expressed within a voluntary simplicity lifestyle, then higher levels of psychological well-being may be achieved. Indeed, by reducing lifestyle complexity and lessening the focus on consumerism, the inherent value of leisure to well-being might well emerge to a greater degree.

This thesis takes its departure in the view of modern society as being characterised by a heavy focus on efficiency and economic growth, and perception that everything is moving faster and faster in line with Hartmut Rosa´s theory of social acceleration. The effects of this can be seen in rising numbers of stress related sicknesses and mental health problems, as well as a heavy pressure on the earths resources to facilitate continued growth. The aim of the thesis is to investigate the challenges and possibilities for individuals in Sweden to slow down and live a simpler life in this context. Previous research suggests that slower lifestyles can be beneficial both for well-being and environmental sustainability reasons, so understanding the preconditions of this to be possible can be an important aspect when trying to plan for a sustainable future. The theoretical framework consists of the model of voluntary simplicity lifestyle by Osikominu and Bocken (2020), the theory of social acceleration by Rosa (2009) and selected writings on Social Change. The thesis is based on a thematic analysis of empiric material from individuals in Sweden who has transitioned to a slower and more simple lifestyle, generally in terms of working less, reducing their consumption and living closer no nature, and also are visible on social media, reaching out to many others as inspiration. The material consists of writings and recordings from the study-persons in the form of blog-posts and podcasts. The study could confirm that many parts of the VSL-model also were applicable and experienced in the Swedish context. Most participants had in common that their previous lifestyle was characterised by stress, pressure, and living according to others expectations, in line with Rosa´s theory of social acceleration. Their new slower and simpler lifestyles were a decision to follow their own path in life and start to value their time more. The challenges that could be recognised was the norm of working full-time, achievement values, living outside the norm, ethical dilemmas regarding consumption and, for those living on the countryside, transport and infrastructure. The possibilities most recognised were concerning their wellbeing, closely related to their possibility of finding time for recovery, as well as living more in contact with the environment. Social life appeared both as a challenge and a possibility.

In today’s environment of mass production and overconsumption, better lifestyle choices should be encouraged to safeguard the earth’s dwindling natural resources. Quick turnaround times and the reduced lifespan of clothing items have given rise to the so-called “fast fashion” industry that, in its entirety, causes great environmental concern. To combat the repercussions of this industry, consumers need to adopt more sustainable lifestyles and embrace what is empirically known as “voluntary simplicity” (Leonard-Barton, 1981; Elgin & Mitchell, 1977). Voluntary simplicity (VS) involves an individual’s conscious choice to engage in low consumption behaviour to live a non-materialistic, quality enriched, lifestyle (Rich, Wright & Bennett, 2019). To date, little is known about consumers’ acceptance of these voluntary simplistic lifestyles and the impact it has on their clothing consumption behaviour in a developing market context such as South Africa. More research is thus needed on the topic, but such research would require appropriate measurement scales to deliver valid and reliable insight on the matter. This project was therefore focused on developing and validating a scale to measure consumers' engagement in voluntary simplistic clothing consumption behaviour in South Africa. A review of existing literature highlights five voluntary simplicity dimensions that were initially proposed by Elgin and Mitchell (1977) and labelled as material simplicity, self-determination, ecological awareness, human scale and personal growth. These dimensions were later used by Leonard-Barton (1981) to develop a behavioural index (Rich et al., 2019). From a behavioural perspective, most of these dimensions are manifested in the five R’s namely recycle, repair, reuse, reduce and refuse (Zamwel, Sasson-Levy & Porat, 2014), except for the personal growth dimension, which more closely relates to an attitudinal disposition. Because people do not always act in accordance with their behaviour, those who have measured VS, have rather focused on actual behaviour as opposed to attitudes or intentions (Hüttel, Ziesemer, Peyer & Balderjahn, 2018). For these reasons, personal growth was excluded from the overall aim of this study that was more narrowly focused on developing a scale that measures consumers’ voluntary simplistic clothing consumption behaviour. To accomplish the envisaged outcome of this study, the guidelines and procedures for scale development prescribed by Kang and Johnson (2011) were particularly useful and led to three phases that are described and explained throughout this study, namely initial scale item generation, scale purification, and scale validation. During the initial scale item generation, questionnaire development and collection commenced in 2016 as part of a final year Clothing Retail Management research project in the Department of Consumer and Food Sciences at the University of Pretoria. Data collection was conducted in the Tshwane Metropolitan area of Gauteng where a total of 1025 responses were obtained, of which 1002 were usable, and 23 were rejected due to missing values. The respondents were asked to complete a self-administered paper-based questionnaire that included six sections that altogether measured materialism, status consumption, lifestyle choices, voluntary simplicity, the use of money and demographics. The initial project adopted a quantitative approach with the use of a cross-sectional survey that predominantly served exploratory purposes in terms of all the sections included in the questionnaire. It should, however, be noted that for this particular study, the most emphasis was directed toward the voluntary simplicity items and demographic variables, while some referral is made toward the materialism and status consumption scales to validate the newly developed VS scale. SPSS statistical software was used for data analysis and as per specified guidelines, the data were randomly split into two datasets to perform scale purification procedures on the first dataset and subsequent scale validation procedures on the second dataset. The scale purification and validation results produced an eleven item, three-factor solution with a good model fit and significant validity measures. Following rigorous scrutiny, the three factors were labelled as “local ethical brands”, “distinct product features” and “reduced consumption”, which to some extent reflect the dimensions initially proposed by Elgin and Mitchell (1977), but are more aligned to the contextual realities of the South African emerging market context. These results underscore Arnould and Thompson's (2005) consumer culture theory (CCT) that emphasises the link between consumers’ behaviour and the unique marketplace in which they find themselves. The most statistically prominent factor, namely “local ethical brands” may stem from the drive toward supporting proudly South African brands and the importance of job creation in a developing country that is faced with extreme levels of unemployment and the intense pursuit of ethical/ fair treatment of the local labour force. While the other two factors, namely “distinct product features” and “reduced consumption” may benefit from further scale development due to scoring low on the Cronbach alphas and the average variance extracted (AVE) statistical measurements, there is something to be said for both of these factors in the prevailing South African context. “Distinct product features” may be particularly important for a growing middle-class consumer segment (Marketline Report, 2018), who prefer clothing items that are uniquely handcrafted and/ or eco-friendly, which in turn differentiate their garments from those that are mass-produced. In terms of “reduced consumption”, the argument brought forward is that local economic conditions have forced consumers to adopt a more frugal approach (PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), 2012), whereby they re-evaluate the longevity of their clothing items and attempt to extend the lifespan of their garments and/ or focus on absolute need as opposed to seasonal fast fashion trends in their acquisition of new garments. Whether the underlying reasons for adopting voluntary simplistic clothing consumption behaviour is driven by sustainable pursuits or other ulterior motives, the factors identified in this study’s scale development procedures reflect a uniquely South African emerging market approach. To drive an economy that uses, produces and provides sustainable clothing, an understanding of consumers’ consumption behaviour is essential (Balderjahn, Peyer, Seegebarth, Wiedemann, & Weber, 2018). This understanding will provide the local clothing industry with a roadmap toward good business practices as sustainability does not only represent greener purchases, but it requires three interlinking dimensions, namely the environment relating to green consumption, society with the promotion of fair-trade products and economic considerations, which focuses on the extension of a garment’s lifespan (Balderjahn et al., 2018). Once further insight is derived through valid and reliable measures such as the one proposed in this study, government and other stakeholders can use such insight to streamline intervention strategies to effectively target voluntary simplistic clothing consumption behaviour in the local economy. Such behaviour could altogether involve recycling, repairing, reusing and reducing clothing consumption as well as consumers’ refusal to acquire clothing brands that are unethical and unsustainable (Zamwel et al., 2014). / In vandag se omgewing van massaproduksie en oormatige verbruik behoort beter lewenstylkeuses aangemoedig te word om te help om die aarde se kwynende natuurlike hulpbronne te beveilig. Vinnige omkeertye en die korter lewensduur van kledingstukke het aanleiding gegee tot die sogenaamde “kitsmode”-bedryf wat in sy geheel groot kommer oor die omgewing veroorsaak. Om die gevolge van dié bedryf teë te werk, moet verbruikers volhoubaarder lewenstyle aankweek en eienaarskap neem van wat empiries bekend staan as “vrywillige eenvoud” (Leonard-Barton, 1981; Elgin & Mitchell, 1977). Vrywillige een / Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Consumer Science / MConsumer Science / Unrestricted

The study is a qualitative study with interviews as a data collection method. A request from different facebook groups contributed to a targeted selection, which resulted in all interviewees having relevance in the subject. As sociology can be defined as scientific studies of society and human life, it is therefore relevant to investigate the phenomenon of downshifting more closely (Giddens &amp; Sutton, 2013). The purpose of the study is to describe and analyze downshifting as a sociological phenomenon from the interviewees' stories.  The questions used to answer the purpose are:  What do the interviewees express that they have chosen to live a simpler life?  What do the interviewees think that a simpler life prepares for?  How can the pursuit of downshifting that the interview participants describe can be understood with the help of Fromm's concept of ownership and being?  How can the interview participants' opportunities to downshift be analyzed from a class perspective?   The results show that the interview participants chose to prioritize things like consumption, work, housing situation and digital downshifting in order to avoid the impression they do not say they need. Instead, they prepare space for social relationships, personal well-being and interests. These things come together by spending less time on one thing, freeing up time on other things. How the interviewees choose to prioritize their time varies where the interests and what the person wants to achieve with their life determines. With Fromm's (2003) theoretical concepts of life form and ownership, it emerges that the interviewees are critical of society and in terms of the importance of class Bourdieu's (1993) theory of cultural, economic, social and symbolic capital is used. / Studien är en kvalitativ studie med intervjuer som datainsamlingsmetod. En förfrågan på olika facebook-grupper bidrog till ett målinriktat urval vilket resulterade i att samtliga intervjupersoner har relevans i ämnet. Eftersom sociologi kan definieras som vetenskapliga studier av samhället samt mänskligt liv är det därför relevant att undersöka fenomenet downshifting närmare (Giddens &amp; Sutton, 2013). Syftet med studien är att utifrån intervjudeltagarnas berättelser beskriva och analysera downshiftning som ett sociologiskt fenomen. De frågeställningar som använts för att besvara syftet är: 1.Vad uttrycker intervjudeltagarna att de valt bort i önskan att leva ett enklare liv? 2.Vad menar intervjudeltagarna att ett enklare liv bereder plats för? 3.Hur kan strävan mot downshiftning som intervjudeltagarna beskriver förstås med hjälp av Fromms begrepp ägandets och varandets livsformer? 4.Hur kan intervjudeltagarnas möjligheter att downshifta analyseras utifrån ett klassperspektiv? I resultatet framgår att intervjudeltagarna valt att prioritera ned saker som konsumtion, arbete, boendesituation samt digital downshifting för att komma undan intryck som de inte säger sig behöva. Istället bereder de plats för sociala relationer, eget välmående och intressen. Dessa saker hör ihop genom att lägga mindre tid på en sak, frigör tid att lägga på andra saker. Hur intervjudeltagarna väljer att prioritera sin tid varierar där intressen och vad personen vill åstadkomma med sitt liv avgör. Med Fromms (2003) teoretiska begrepp ägandets och varandets livsform framkommer att intervjupersonerna ställer sig kritiskt till samhället och vad gäller betydelse av klass används Bourdieus (1993) teori om kulturellt, ekonomiskt, socialt och symboliskt kapital.

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