Concretization

A way of life that denies the spirit, with concrete rewards being the goal, has been postulated as normal where basic needs are not met. However, just as meditational states and some forms of asceticism may become a psychologically defensive denial of the suffering in real life, spirit denying consumerism and the obsessive, compulsive concept of monetized work may be a neurotic defence mechanism against recognition of the decadence and degradation which arise with privilege. If the hierarchy of needs implies that freedom can be an ego-defence and cannot be a substitute for "bread", the converse is also true, "bread" can become an ego-defence and is not a real substitute for freedom.