Every society cultivates its own definitions of success, prescribing what people must achieve to be deemed worthy. These standards-rooted in culture, economics, and media narratives-often define success in narrow and materialistic terms: a prestigious job, high income, or social recognition. In Pakistan, this notion has become deeply ingrained, pressuring students to conform to an unrealistic ideal. When they fail to meet it, they often spiral into anxiety, depression, or even self-destructive despair.
This crisis is not merely psychological-it is sociological. Emile Durkheim, in his classic work Suicide (1897), explained how individuals suffer when society’s moral framework becomes either too weak or too rigid, producing a state of anomie-a condition of normlessness and social disorientation. In Pakistan, students experience a similar crisis. Society defines success in narrow, materialistic terms, and when young people fail to meet these socially constructed standards, they lose their sense of purpose and belonging. This disconnection between personal aspirations and social expectations mirrors Durkheim’s idea of anomie, where the collapse or distortion of shared values leads to psychological distress, anxiety, and, in extreme cases, self-destructive despair.
Success has been turned into a commercialized pursuit.
Success has been turned into a commercialized pursuit. Coaching academies, corporate advertisements, and social media platforms constantly sell the illusion of a perfect life, fueling comparison and insecurity. Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital explains how societies privilege certain kinds of knowledge, language, and lifestyles, rewarding those who conform and marginalizing those who do not. In our education system, students are trained to reproduce these dominant standards rather than to explore their individuality. As a result, curiosity and creativity are suppressed in favor of conformity and competition.
This struggle for validation often distorts young people’s sense of self. Many measure their worth through grades, income, or social prestige, forgetting that success without meaning is hollow. Overconfidence and arrogance develop when success is achieved without self-awareness; despair and hopelessness arise when it is not. Both extremes disconnect individuals from reality and from the evolving nature of the world.
The education system reinforces these toxic hierarchies. The obsession with grades and competitive exams like CSS, medical, or engineering admissions has narrowed the definition of intelligence. A student’s entire identity is often tied to their exam performance. Failure becomes shame, not a learning experience. Those who choose unconventional paths-arts, humanities, or social work-are often dismissed as “less successful.” This mindset has reduced education to a ladder of economic mobility rather than a process of personal and intellectual growth.
The psychological consequences are alarming. Universities across Pakistan have witnessed a rise in student suicides, driven by academic pressure and social comparison. Behind every such tragedy lies a collective failure to redefine what it means to live meaningfully. When society values results more than resilience, appearance more than authenticity, and competition more than compassion, it produces individuals who are materially driven but emotionally hollow.
From a sociological perspective, this phenomenon is deeply rooted in structural inequalities. The middle class, in particular, faces immense pressure to climb the social ladder, often viewing education as the only route to mobility. As C. Wright Mills observed, such “private troubles” are in fact “public issues,” reflecting the dysfunction of broader social systems. The media further amplifies these pressures by glorifying myths of success-luxurious lifestyles, perfect appearances, and heroic careers-leaving little space for alternative forms of fulfillment such as creativity, empathy, or civic engagement. In the process, success has turned into a performance for validation rather than a pursuit of self-realization.
To move beyond these socially constructed standards, a paradigm shift is essential. Society must embrace the diversity of human aspirations. Success should not be a destination measured by wealth or fame but a continuous process of growth, adaptation, and contribution to the collective good. Educational institutions must cultivate resilience, empathy, and critical thinking rather than mere competition. Parents, too, must learn to celebrate their children’s efforts instead of outcomes, and encourage exploration rather than conformity.
Mental health should be treated as a societal priority, not an individual weakness. The silence around student anxiety and depression must be broken through open dialogue and institutional support. A nation cannot progress when its youth are consumed by self-doubt and social pressure.
True success liberates rather than confines. It enables individuals to live authentically, think critically, and contribute meaningfully. Pakistan’s future depends not on producing more “successful” people as defined by society, but on nurturing fulfilled, reflective, and compassionate human beings. Only by dismantling the false hierarchies of success can we build a generation that measures its worth not by titles or wealth, but by integrity, creativity, and purpose.
The writer is a researcher and an Islamabad-based columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]