QUOTE : A large body of studies now supports the theory that people become more materialistic when they feel insecure about meeting their material and psychological needs, and that inequality aggravates feelings of insecurity. Wide gaps between rich and poor also create more opportunities to compare one's own lifestyle with others', which in turn leads us to focus on what possessions or experiences we might need to have in order to attain Veblen's 'complacency which we call self-respect.' In the end, Partanen moved back to Finland. Immediately, she said, she felt like she could put aside the success-signaling wardrobe that she wore in New York. No longer feeling pressured to focus on status, she felt freer to think about what she truly wanted to accomplish.