What does commercialism mean and why in simple words

A woman’s commercialism is the desire to always seek personal gain in everything. They often talk about financial benefits, but in general we are talking about any material benefits. Commercialism is a stable personality characteristic. Therefore, if a woman’s commercialism is noticeable in relation to a man in love, then this will be present in any other relationship. Let’s take a closer look at what a girl’s commercialism is in simple words.

Interpretation of the concept of mercantile in simple words

To begin with, I suggest turning to Dahl’s explanatory dictionary, according to which “mercantile” means industrial, commercial.

What does the dictionary of foreign words say?

“Mercantile” is translated from French and Italian as “selfish.” That is, a woman’s commercialism, if explained in simple words, is excessive petty prudence, extreme frugality, turning into huckstering, excessive stinginess, an unreasonable desire to obtain benefits at any cost. Remember the last one especially well - we will return to this later.

Distinctive features of each quality

As already mentioned, character traits are different. Some similar features, in fact, have many differences. Here's what they are:

Economy. The man is not used to wasting money. He is always looking for an opportunity to spend less, but so that it does not affect the quality. For example, before purchasing any equipment for home, a man first monitors all prices on the Internet.
Greed. This is a man’s desire to appropriate as much money as possible. He is not interested in anything other than banknotes, so greed is often not only senseless, but also to the detriment of his needs.
Greed. This is a person's desire to obtain wealth for the sake of wealth. That is, the thirst for enrichment at any cost (interest, collateral and other transactions, sometimes even illegal).
Commercialism. We are talking about a person who measures absolutely everything in monetary units. For him there are no family or personal ties, no sense of shame or conscience. All his relationships are built on the basis of material interest.

Profitability or equality?

Of course, we are not talking about all men. But according to the discussion of those who were offended by the “benefits”, we can identify several of the most common situations when women completely sell their commercialism in relation to their partner. For example, when the waiter brought the check, and she didn’t even make an attempt to pay it. Or if she simply accepted the gift with dignity, without the desire to fall at the feet of the giver and immediately thank him. Well, or in general, if he’s sitting quietly on maternity leave, and his husband is now working hard for two.

What to do if you are such a person

If a person has noted signs of commercialism, then it is worth working on overcoming this quality:

There is no need to compare yourself with others, it is better to focus on your own life.
Introduce a mandatory item “for yourself” in your expense accounting schedule. This could be money for quality things, an interesting vacation, or self-education.
Learn to share with others. For example, you can take a minimal participation in a volunteer program (buy some candy for an orphanage, donate money to a shelter for homeless dogs, simply help someone in need).
Never alienate family and friends or speak disrespectfully about those who earn less.
Work with your negative attitudes and fear of poverty. If you can’t overcome it on your own, then seek the help of a psychologist.

Free women's labor is the problem of patriarchy

a woman's view of mercantile connections

Let's look at the situation through the eyes of a woman. Let's take a non-working housewife. She takes care of household chores, plans a budget and makes sure that the house is as comfortable as possible. The housewife who creates a cozy home, who always greets you with a plate of delicious dinner, tends to believe that you should provide for her. Some men will say that this is a groundless desire to gain profit - commercialism. Indeed, it is he who gives money for food and everything needed in the house, why should she claim anything for free labor?

For those who say that they wash with a machine and cook with a multicooker, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the prices for housekeepers’ services. I will say right away that they will not wash by hand either and are happy to use the devices available in the kitchen that make life easier for housewives. And by the way, pressing the button to start is not the only skill necessary for high-quality washing. Temperature, process mode, spin and the means needed besides the powder - if you mess something up, you can simply ruin your favorite thing.

male contribution to commercialism

To be fair, let’s not ignore men’s contribution to the domestic routine. Once a year he will have to hammer a nail, almost every day he will take out the garbage, which she carefully packed and placed at the door, he will regularly take the car for a technical inspection and periodically will even go shopping with her, sometimes giving her gifts. Agree, it is valuable.

Would it occur to you to call him mercantile because he buys a case of beer not on the list for a trip to the supermarket and a nailed shelf?

What would you call a guy who has a stash?

He himself, of course, will consider this simply far-sightedness.

Psychologist's advice for commercialism

Psychologists say that commercialism sometimes hides a desire to increase self-esteem. Mercantile people often try to assert themselves, to become better and happier than others. In addition, mercantilism is closely intertwined with selfishness. Therefore, to reduce the intensity of mercantile character traits, psychologists advise the following:

Right now, do something selfless and kind, for example, transfer 100 rubles for treatment to a needy child. You can talk to a friend, listen to his problems, show sympathy for him. Be sensitive to the emotions that overwhelm you. Record on paper what it was: envy, resentment, fear, etc. Think about where this feeling could have come from and why it closed you off from other people.
Learn to love and appreciate yourself, enjoy communicating with people. To share something easily, you need to have it in abundance (love, care and attention).
Build empathy in yourself. Look at the situation from an angle that is favorable to you. When you do good to someone, you give it to yourself too.

Commercialism doesn't always mean something bad. This character trait is extremely useful for survival. Perhaps you once had to literally survive, but is that necessary now? Maybe it's time to get rid of the past and just start living. It never hurts to strive for healthy pragmatism. At the same time, you cannot give yourself away, forgetting about your own interests. But using everyone around you to achieve your own selfish goals is also wrong.

People and barter

What do men get?

So, for marrying himself, he gets a laundress, a maid, a cook, a mistress, a nanny for the children, a housekeeper, a girlfriend and a psychologist. The fact that the function of redoing a mountain of household chores is attached to every woman is a mistaken opinion from which patriarchal society suffers. Men who grew up in such a society are accustomed to perceiving a space in which clean and ironed shirts of color and style are naturally hung on hangers, and lunch appears on the stove, as in the fairy tale about a self-assembled tablecloth, as something taken for granted.

Inheritance in life from mother

Of course, as children they know that this was all done with the help of their mother’s caring hands. And it is thanks to this very mother that already in adulthood they believe that all women are happy to not let go of the ladle for their sake. Therefore, it is logical that paying for this work will seem wild to them. After all, he would pay his mother. But there is one “but”. Times change. Women believed in their rights, and in the fact that serving a man is by no means the only happiness in their lives. And if a guy, for fulfilling the role of breadwinner, must have his life partner cook borscht (and much more), then why, asking for a joint vacation at the nearest resort or a handbag at a discount for the role of a housewife, does she turn in the eyes of her beloved into an inadequate mercantile bitch? who is “hunting for his millions”?

Paying for luxury

Previous groundwork

Now let's take another example: well-groomed, dressed with taste, she always smells of high-quality perfume, in general, a dream girl, with whom he entered into a relationship partly or entirely thanks to her appearance, which delights not only guys, but also women. Is it nice to appear in public with such a lady? However, he is at a loss why he should spend so much time and money maintaining a luxurious image. Yes, it’s expensive and it’s not at all surprising that she expects him to pay for salon treatments, new looks and care products. After all, when purchasing a Bentley, he will take it to a specialist of the appropriate class, and not to a nearby service station.

Keeping fit

By accusing her of commercialism in rare cases, he can get her to stop visiting expensive salons and using luxury cosmetics.

However, a year later he will have a question: why have you faded so much?

What is the reason ?

And before bringing quotes about female commercialism to the masses, the stronger half should remember Mayakovsky, who wrote: I don’t scold my wife, I will never leave her, It’s because she became bad with me, But I took her good.

Family planning.

A man is a breadwinner who builds, overcomes, conquers and conquers. And a woman will always choose the one who will best be able to achieve everything in life.

The girl realizes that his gene will be preserved in all their offspring. And that it is he who will have to provide for the family when she is at home raising children.

Are you able to feed your family? At least three people. So that your woman is not distracted by earning money and completely (at least for a few years) devotes herself to your child?

A woman wants to feel safe. Especially if in her own childhood there were problems with money, and she was deprived of all joys. She will strive even more to give her children everything that she herself did not have.

Her desire to see a successful man nearby is not commercialism. It is an instinct to recognize a man by his achievements.

Materialism and will it be interesting?

It is interesting that this term continues to develop and in the modern male Russian language has already acquired a new connotation, and this no longer concerns the financial side. Now men talk about the commercialism of women if at the beginning of their acquaintance she does not jump with happiness because she is lucky to meet such a prince on her way, and even tries to get ahead of herself and understand what this relationship will bring to her. No, we are only talking about material wealth.

For example, she may wonder whether they will still be interested in communicating with each other in a couple of months?

Well, and of course, if she demands attention to her person, more than he is ready to allocate, then she is certainly just an inadequate mercantile hysteric!

Is it necessary to fight commercialism?

If you look at things soberly, then people who do not suffer from commercialism simply do not exist, not counting hermits and monks. Every person understands that useful contacts and a shaggy hand in the right circles make life much easier. And money today decides almost everything in life. After all, everyone wants to live comfortably.

It is enough to imagine a simple situation - you have been offered a new job with a salary three times higher than the current one. At the same time, your boss is trying to persuade you not to leave the organization, citing staff shortages and constant workload. Almost everyone will leave for a new place with triple the salary, showing commercialism in character.

Even if your boss values you as an experienced employee, this does not affect your salary in any way. Therefore, in the light of modern economic and trade relations, commercialism is considered inevitable, ensuring financial stability. In such a situation, there is no need to fight commercialism, because it is for the good.

But when mercantile interests begin to negatively affect family, friendship, personal relationships or partnerships, when the benefit goes an order of magnitude higher than sincerity and care, empathy or mutual assistance, then you should not expect anything good in such a situation.

Male Retreat

Pay attention to how you are treated as an individual

Speaking about the commercialism of women, perceived through the eyes of men, I would like to address the strong half of humanity: guys, if it seems to you that she is not going to look at the deep personality in you and is only aimed at profit in her relationship with you, think about this.

Maybe you just forgot that she also gives you gifts, surprises you with pleasant surprises from time to time, improves her culinary skills, etc.?

Reciprocity in all interactions between people

If you treat her as a creature with whom you are simply comfortable, then it is quite fair that she will stop seeing you as a person, and in turn, also for convenience, will use your wallet, forgetting about the high. Well, if the desire of your companion does not turn you bankrupt and your financial situation allows you to please her with your favorite perfume, but you do not consider it necessary to spend money on such nonsense, then it’s time not to look for ways to test a woman’s commercialism, but to blame you, forgive me, in redneckness. Evolution has it this way: in order for a female to remain feminine, sweet and charming, she needs a stronger male, on whom she can rely and relax, creating comfort in their common nest.

Negative side

A mercantile lady is looking for ways to realize her goals. Moreover, those that will have a minimal impact on her own wallet, and it’s better if someone pays for her.

These goals can be different: to get a position, a treasured blue dress, to buy yourself thirty-three pairs of jeans or a seventeenth Dolce-Gabbana. This lady does everything with the intention of getting a free ride, eating delicious food for free, and finding a husband who will pay for all her whims. Such a young lady has no concept of conscience, just like gratitude.

Some women will say that there is nothing wrong with this. For her, it’s natural, but for everyone else, she is a constantly annoying person who infuriates everyone, no one takes her seriously, and they simply avoid communication.

Northern women - ladies without pretensions

Fostering gender equality in Scandinavia

Guys who are looking for girls who are not burdened with hassles like flowers on the first date and dinner bills paid by them can be advised to try their luck in the north. Namely in Scandinavia. This is where the most beautiful women available for love live, who do not know the word commercialism. Norwegians, Swedes, Danes - these ladies are not at all interested in the role of a housewife waiting for her husband to get paid. Even from school, Scandinavian residents are instilled with knowledge about gender equality. Most of them are involved in various activities that will push them up the career ladder in the near future. They are self-sufficient and confident: is there chemistry between you? She will take the initiative into her own hands without any problems and will not fool herself with prejudices such as the fact that a girl should not be the first to make contact.

Are you ready to love?

Pitfalls of Scandinavian upbringing

Not everything is so rosy! Despite the above description that they are not mercantile, Scandinavian women are also not averse to throwing in their lot with a more or less wealthy man. Having entered into a relationship with a Scandinavian woman, be prepared for the fact that your passion may itself present you with flowers for your birthday and Valentine’s Day, take away your male responsibilities, and you will acquire “female” ones. For example, she can easily nail a shelf herself, and maybe even fix the faucet while you sleep peacefully or enjoy football. But in Scandinavia, after the birth of a child, a father can take maternity leave for a period of one and a half months. And the mother will calmly continue to work even the next day after giving birth.

Where does a girl’s baseless desire for profit come from?

Let's characterize the commercialism of girls in even more detail. What men mean by this word, as a rule, implies a self-centered, demanding, capricious, assertive, domineering and cunning nature. Of course, we will not deny the existence of such. It’s just that in reality there aren’t that many of them and they won’t date just anyone. There is a category of men with round sums in their constantly replenished account, who themselves are not averse to showing their best financial side when a pretty girl appears on the horizon. The latter hunt just such people. Agree, it is completely unfair to blame any of the parties here. Typically, the desire for material well-being arises in girls who grew up in low-income families. Those who had a capricious and self-centered mother as a role model, as well as girls who did not receive enough love in childhood, in adulthood “have a blast” on henpecked people who are easy to use. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that they subconsciously take revenge for lack of attention in childhood.

Advantages and disadvantages of commercialism

Mercantile people are perceived by society from a negative side, therefore commercialism has more obvious disadvantages than advantages. Negative factors include:

constant dissatisfaction with life, since a mercantile person chooses what is more profitable for him, and not what he likes or is interested in;
limited interests, since mercantile people are only interested in how to get the maximum benefit for nothing, with whom it is profitable to communicate, where it is more prestigious to live, etc.;
lack of joy in old age, since incorrect priorities in life are especially acute in old age;
there are no close relationships based on sincerity - when a person is materialistic, he does not understand the value of unconditional love or selfless friendship.

Despite the obvious negative connotation of commercialism, this character trait also has its advantages. First of all, these include:

the ability to refuse a request without feeling any remorse - this fact has a positive effect on mental stability;
the ability to make useful contacts and profitable connections;
the ability to take a responsible approach to the task at hand and complete what is started;
increased determination and ability to go ahead towards your goals;
the ability to recognize deception or self-interest, since mercantile people develop immune resistance to the manipulations of other people.

No matter how unpleasant mercantile personalities may be, this character trait also gives them useful abilities.

Psychologist on the signs of a mercantile profiteer

The psychologist explains the psychology of the behavior of the profiteer: Despite the characteristics of a powerful woman who is capable of twisting her partner and his benefits, you should not think that she will always express this very clearly. No, sometimes she will beg, sometimes she will be capricious and stomp her foot, sometimes she will threaten and blackmail (usually on a domestic scale). By the way, the henpecked man in question may not be rich at all. But a self-centered, mercantile lady, confident that the earth revolves around her, will not bother herself at all with thoughts that her companion may have had to sell his kidney for the sake of a gift. First, they play along with the suitor, pretend to love, and become what they want to be. Their requirements start with something “small” - for example, gold jewelry. Then appetites gradually grow and now, following a new fur coat, a request for a new car is voiced. Often these requests are made in the form of an ultimatum, and then natural hysterics follow. So until she achieves what she wants or until a man shows her the door.

Incapacity for selfless love

Some ladies mistakenly believe that a materialistic partner can be re-educated. They think that he is capable of falling in love so much that he will sacrifice his interests regarding money. In fact, these are just illusions and dreams of the fair sex. Such men can really fall in love. However, the love for money and values is so great that it cannot be exceeded by any other feeling.

This person will cry and suffer from the fact that he cannot afford to be near his beloved, but will never stay with her. He will try (as a last resort) to leave the lady as his mistress and at the same time find himself a “warmer place.” But connecting his life with her, much less formalizing the relationship, is beyond his strength.

How to recognize commercialism in women

Commercialism among modern women at the initial stage of a relationship is difficult, but possible. The following, of course, is not a 100% litmus test, but here’s what you should pay attention to.

Life is shopping every day

My favorite, if not my only, hobby is shopping. She is ready to leave all the money in a brand boutique, and the next day she can be seen again in the shopping center. The desire for a glamorous life, trying to prolong youth as long as possible is an important goal in life. Investing time and money in her appearance is understandable - she must match her image and the desired environment.

Instagram crowded with celebrities

This is whose Instagram is definitely filled with photographs of celebrities, images in front of luxury cars, selfies in luxury restaurants with oysters on a plate. Everyone should see that she is no big deal and moves in the circles of the exclusively rich and successful.

Taxi rides

If she does not have her own car, then, of course, she travels independently by taxi. It would never even occur to her to remember in her presence the existence of subways and buses. Materialistic women don’t bother with this

Friends with high income

Her friends usually match her. It is unlikely that she will be surrounded by a girl with low income, who has to carry a whole load of problems, and for whom going to the salon is not work, but a holiday. Unfortunately, the vast majority of such mercaltile ladies are unkind to the service staff.

Aimless desire to have more money

Constant desire to have more money. Let's be honest: this desire manifests itself in almost every inhabitant of our planet. But almost the majority have specific goals - to visit other countries, get an education at a prestigious university, provide a comfortable life for loved ones and others, improve their health, open their own business, etc. Money is a resource and not the goal of life. But a mercantile girl usually doesn’t have specific goals. Unless you enrich your favorite boutiques again.

Lack of attempts to self-actualize

A lady who is really only trying to get comfortable at someone else’s expense will not bother herself with household chores, trying to find a job, learn how to do something, or at least engage in self-realization.

Commercialism test

Commercialism is most typical for Western countries, and therefore the meaning of this concept is not considered here as a negative characteristic. Quite the contrary, commercialism here is a compliment denoting practicality and economy. In Russia, people who are ready to go over their heads for their own benefit and gain are called mercantile.

In the Orthodox world, commercialism is considered one of the gravest sins. This character trait is referred to as love of money.

You can suspect commercialism in a person by answering simple test questions:

If I need to bring food to an event, I ignore it, relying on others.
Among my friends there are people whom I turn to only in situations when I need help.
My friends should look wealthy and receive a decent salary - this is an important criterion for me.
If I quarrel with a person, then I will be the first to make a truce only if this person will be very useful to me in financial (material, career) terms.
If I have a day off and a friend asks me for help, I will refuse.
My dream job is any job that pays an exorbitantly high salary.
Only valuable and expensive gifts can please me.
If my views with a person differ greatly, but the relationship as a whole is beneficial for me, then I will hold on to it.

If your answer to most questions was positive, you can consider yourself a mercantile person.

How to Avoid the Beneficiary Title

When approaching a man with a request to buy something for himself, evaluate his reaction. If he does this, but without much enthusiasm, make sure that he is really able to get what he wants. Well, if he mentally prepares for a long time to buy a box of chocolates for the holiday, in the end you will still bear the proud title of a mercantile companion.

How to test women for commercialism

Often wealthy, suspicious men check their ladies at the beginning of a relationship. Here's how a man can test a woman's commercialism. For example, ask what she wants as a gift and evaluate the reasonableness of the request.

Checking the stronger half for greed

You can, of course, openly arrange a mutual check and “order” a new car, thus assessing its reaction. But you can find out how much they value you, as psychologists advise, in a more subtle way: look down and say that you are sure that he will give you the best surprise. This method better shows his attitude towards you, as well as how generous he is and whether his imagination works.

What are the consequences of commercialism in relationships?

Psychologists warn that commercialism in relationships often leads to degradation of the spiritual component of the individual. The reason is simple - all feelings of humanity, such as empathy, love or care, are crowded out by thoughts about income and money. But with age, each person can cease to be beneficial to others.

For example, a young man has lost interest from his partner or has encountered life difficulties. Or the girl has aged with age and lost her former beauty and freshness. As a result, she will be left with brokenness, uselessness and loneliness in her life. There is nothing sincere or sincere in the lives of such people.

If you are mercantile

Since commercialism is a character trait, you can try to somehow re-educate it in yourself. The main thing is to recognize the fact that there is a problem and try to solve it. This can be done in different ways:

Realize the depth of your own commercialism. This is a real breakthrough for a chronically mercantile person. You can seek help from a psychologist. Although it is also quite possible to independently reduce the severity of commercialism.
Learn to love and value yourself not for things done or work done, but in fact, just like that.
Do something useful and pleasant for another person. You can respond to a request from a colleague or neighbor, give a beggar a handful of coins, etc.
Conduct introspection on why you might have become a hoarder, isolating yourself from others and loved ones. I will try to help someone with money in order to gradually begin to balance my selfish nature.

What you definitely shouldn't do is despise yourself. Understand and accept that commercialism is initially given to us for survival. Today, mercantile people for the most part suffer from internal anxiety and the fear of remaining poor, but the roots of these conditions are completely psychological.

If a loved one suffers from commercialism

In such a situation, you need, first of all, to assess the degree of commercialism of your loved one. Sometimes greed in character manifests itself due to a strong fear of remaining below the poverty line or due to appropriate upbringing. Although for some people commercialism takes over the essence so much that for the sake of inheritance they decide to get rid of their relatives, and in the literal sense, depriving them of their lives.

In such cases, it is important to find out the reasons for such commercialism as soon as possible. A heart-to-heart conversation is best for this. If a loved one understands that he is wrong, but does not see himself from the outside, you can help him with this. If he does not make contact, remaining unconvinced, you should seriously think about whether it is worth continuing to maintain such a relationship.

Tips for girls

And one more thing, dear girls! When choosing brutal alpha males, bad guys, you can be almost sure: on your golden birthday, you will receive a chrome-plated balloon and a card as a gift from him. And guess what they will call you, considering the disappointed look?.. What do you think about female commercialism? Do you think this phenomenon is really so common in our society? What does this word mean to you?

Leave your opinion in the comments, share the article on social networks and be sure to subscribe to updates if you haven’t already!