Читать книгу Money Mammoth - Ted Klontz - Страница 45

When we get paid for doing nothing, the act of doing nothing gets reinforced. When getting paid for doing nothing becomes a habit, it can lead to a syndrome of financial dependence.

Financial dependence is the reliance on nonwork income to meet one's financial needs. Our research has found that financial dependence is associated with some devastating financial and psychological consequences that seem to emerge regardless of where the money comes from.

Whether financial support is coming from the government in the form of public assistance or from a family trust, dependence on others for financial support has consequences. On the psychological side, dependence on nonwork-related income is associated with a lack of passion, drive, motivation, and creativity. Financially, it is associated with lower income and lower net worth. While financially dependent people rely on the income, they also tend to resent the source of the income. Clearly, it should come as no surprise that money can be used to manipulate and control others, especially as their dependence on nonwork money grows over time.

In many ways, financial dependence is a debilitating condition that can destroy a person's drive and passion. As such, it is something to be avoided, especially when considering how we are raising our children around money.

Financial enabling is the other side of the financial dependence equation. Financial enabling is essentially financial help that hurts. It is almost always done with the best intentions, such as when a parent wants to support a child's goals or passions. However, in the case of financial enabling, the enabler may report having a hard time saying no to requests for money. Our research has shown that financial enablers also tend to have lower income, higher credit card debt, and may feel feelings of resentment or anger after giving away money.⁴ Financial enabling behavior can get complicated and very emotional when it involves friends and/or family members.