A lifestyle is a set of patterns of behaviour and social practices. Lifestyles are intertwined with personality, identity, beliefs, and values. It includes views on politics, religion, and intimacy.
Different people have different lifestyles depending on their culture and society. This could be seen as a problem at the global level. Compared to countries, there are more differences among the world consumer class.
Historically, the concept of lifestyle was not defined. It is now a term used by marketing practitioners. In the 1950s, it was used by advertisers to target certain groups. For instance, housing marketing included 50 lifestyle groups.
The modern definition of the concept of lifestyle focuses on the individual. Lifestyle is the result of a combination of health-related factors, attitudes, and interests.
Earlier studies on lifestyles focused on analyses of the structure of a social group. These studies were conducted by authors such as Joffre Dumazedier, Richard Jenkins, Anthony Giddens, and Pierre Bourdieu.
Adler is credited with the first use of the term in 1929. His book, Science of Living, is widely regarded as the first work to define the concept of lifestyle.
Simmel, however, carried out a formal analysis of lifestyles. He identified processes of recognition, differentiation, and individualisation.
Adler’s view of lifestyle is based on internalized concepts. People adopt specific “schemes of life” that are meant to keep them secure. However, lifestyles are also based on individual tastes and opinions.
According to Simmel, a lifestyle is the result of a process of vertical and horizontal recognition. Lifestyles are shaped by a specific cultural, political, economic, and religious context.
