We live in a consumer culture. A culture of fast foods, disposable diapers and quick-acting medications. It is a society of instant gratification. If a product doesn't satisfy our desires and our appetites, we move on to another product.
Consumerism helps fuel a strong economy.
However, when consumerism spills over into marriage relationships, its effects are destructive. Consumerism messages applied to marriages denote a certain tentativeness about relationships, which fosters a lower level of commitment that is essential if marriages are to persist and prosper. But when we grow tired of it, it is no longer meeting our needs, or a better product appears to come along, we trade it in, like a used car. Doherty cites numerous observations of consumer culture at work in marriage. Soft, strong and disposable.