Therapeutic Ethos
The Therapeutic Ethos Changes in American advertising strategies came about during the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s due to the emergence of the therapeutic ethos. Prior to this emergence is the Protestant ethos which ensures salvation by self-denial. The therapeutic ethos stresses self- realization of the people and is characterized by a preoccupation with their physical and emotional well being. There are different ideas of how this ethos became so popular in the United States. There are also different types of advertising strategies which emerge at the discovery of the therapeutic ethos. What is debatable is whether this advertising is all just a big conspiracy to boost our consumer culture in the capitalist society that exists in America, or did things need to happen exactly as they have, such as the cultural, moral and religious changes that take place in the early 1900’s for the therapeutic ethos to materialize into what it is today. In reading the Lears essay in “Culture of Consumption” it is not exactly clear when the term therapeutic ethos actually came into use. ... This is the whole idea of the therapeutic ethos. ... In the advertising that occurs after the emergence of the therapeutic ethos something strange seems to happen that is not considered at all strange in today’s society. ... Once companies with a product to sell caught on to the therapeutic ethos the method of advertising was greatly changed. ... This therapeutic advertising has become a method of social control (19).