In today's world, society places a lot of value on materialistic things. Be it the latest electronic gadget or the latest fashion trend; someone somewhere is buying it. This materialistic idea is very evident during the holiday season, when thousands of shoppers stand out in the cold for the latest trend. But the materialistic ideology of society can sometimes be misunderstood with true personal identity. This means that society often defines one's self-worth by what one has rather than by the content of one's character. When this ideology takes place, it causes negative effects on society. Furthermore, the humanistic character of society is contaminated. If this identity crisis is not resolved, the next generation of society will be lost without cause. There are negative effects that the identity crisis causes on society. Some of the negative effects resulting from materialistic ideology are stereotypes and prejudices. Society stereotypes other people who don't have the latest designer clothes or whatever, maybe the latest electronic gadgets. When this is done, they tend to place those people in a social class as if they were low class, because not having these things for society makes people seem not as rich as those who seem to have the latest things. The fact that society judges people in the world who may be less fortunate than others makes those who are less fortunate feel as if they are not as important as those who have all the good and latest things. So, this makes people feel that there is something wrong with being in touch with their inner self. When people are characterized, stereotyped and prejudiced, it seems that their self-esteem is reduced and their character is overshadowed. If this identity crisis is not resolved, the next generation of society will be lost without cause. It wouldn't be right for the next generation of society to not be educated about true self-worth. Furthermore, society should convey positive messages about self-acceptance through the media. For example, make more positive commercials about being true to yourself and also about how material things don't always bring out the truth in who you really are. It's okay for people to be themselves regardless of what the world has to say. The next generation should not be punished for not understanding how to be themselves and understand their true identity. For this to happen, it is up to this generation now to put an end to this and help build better foundations for them and let them know that it is okay for who they are. It's time for a change.