The psychology of money dives into the fascinating connection between wealth and human behavior. It’s not just about numbers; it’s about how money shapes our decisions, relationships, and interactions with the world around us. In this exploration of the psychology of money, we’ll delve into the myths, metaphors, and human experiences that define our relationship with wealth. Drawing from ancient mythology, modern psychology, and timeless wisdom, this article seeks to uncover how money connects us to others, shapes our identity, and drives our evolution. By examining the emotional and symbolic roles money plays in our lives, we can begin to understand it not as an end goal, but as a means to greater self-awareness, creativity, and fulfillment.

Let’s take a cue from Greek mythology. Plutus, the god of wealth and abundance, was born of Demeter, the goddess of fertility, in a field she cultivated. His story symbolizes the prosperity that comes from hard work and sharing the fruits of labor. It’s a perfect metaphor—wealth isn’t just about personal gain; it’s about meeting our own needs while contributing to others.

In many ways, money acts like a boundary, much like the skin that defines us or the words we use to communicate. In today’s economy, it’s more than a tool for buying food or paying the bills. It’s also a way we define ourselves, express our values, and pursue dreams. At the same time, it’s what connects us to others—allowing us to give, share, and make an impact.

Money isn’t just currency; it’s a powerful force of both individuality and connection. It separates us, but it also brings us together. What could be more human than that?

Fritz Perls once said that all psychological phenomena happen at the boundary of contact—that pivotal space where our thoughts, actions, behaviors, and emotions intersect with the world around us. By exploring our relationship with money at this boundary, we can uncover deeper insights into how we engage with our environment and define our personal limits.

Let’s use money as a metaphor. In mythology, Plutus, the god of wealth, was blinded by Zeus to ensure that riches were distributed impartially. This symbolizes an important truth: no divine force or moral virtue shapes our financial outcomes. Wealth, or the lack of it, doesn’t reflect morality—it’s neutral, free from inherited beliefs or judgments of good and evil. Instead, responsibility for financial well-being lies entirely with us as individuals.

Therapy that examines our relationship with money doesn’t just focus on dollars and cents—it digs into the deeper interruptions in how we connect with the world around us. Money itself holds no intrinsic value; it’s simply a tool to meet our needs. What truly matters is what money allows us to achieve—growth, self-development, creativity, and opportunity. In this sense, money represents potential—an infinite realm of possibilities. Just as human nature compels us to grow and adapt, our relationship with money demands the same. It’s not static. Much like pedaling uphill on a bicycle, if we stop progressing, we risk slipping backward.

This perspective challenges the idea that money is simply a result or a destination, as success coaches often claim. Instead, it’s about the process—the ongoing effort, growth, and adaptation required to keep moving forward. The journey itself shapes us, creating a cycle of growth and development. As our needs evolve, so must the ways we fulfill them, maintaining balance in a constantly changing world. This is where the self comes in, navigating these cycles of contact and adaptation.

At the boundary between ourselves and the environment, money often becomes a source of conflict, excitement, or emotional agitation. But these feelings don’t stem from money itself—it’s neutral, after all. Rather, they arise from the interactions at that boundary: how we relate to society, others, and even our own sense of self. Here, the self emerges as a dynamic system of engagement, shaped by our feelings (the Id), actions (the ego), and identity (the personality). Together, these functions dictate how we perceive and respond to money, ultimately shaping our relationship with it.

Understanding and redefining this relationship is about more than financial success—it’s about personal growth, creativity, and the endless possibilities waiting to be unlocked. So, how do you engage with money at your boundary of contact? The answer might reveal more about you than you think.

Our relationship with money goes beyond just meeting personal needs—it’s also about understanding how it connects to wider, universal needs. When we earn money, it’s worth pausing to reflect on some important questions about ourselves and our actions:

• How does money make me feel in the work I do?
• How does its presence or absence shape what I choose to do (or not do)?
• Who am I in this activity? How do I define myself in relation to money? What qualities and experiences have shaped this relationship?

Taking the time to explore these questions can offer deeper insights into how money influences not just our actions, but our sense of self.

To provide truly complete answers, we must address both personal needs and the needs of others, like customers. These needs intersect at a unique space of connection—a boundary where the Self emerges as a source of emotional energy. It’s here that work can transform into something fascinating and fulfilling.

This boundary is where “I” and “you” meet—where differences both separate and connect us, creating opportunities for interaction and collaboration. In the modern world, money plays a key role in fostering these connections. It goes beyond meeting basic survival needs; it fuels self-expression, growth, and personal fulfillment through meaningful activities.

Money exists in the space between process and outcome, joy and satisfaction, being and having, giving and receiving. It links customers and professionals, transforming everyday interactions into opportunities for both achievement and deeper connection.

A key ingredient for success is the awareness of your need for self-realization—bringing your unique talents and abilities into what you do. When your work is driven solely by the desire to meet external demands or create something for others without aligning it to your own sense of purpose, burnout becomes almost inevitable. This is what happens when we fall into the trap of “proflexia”—doing for others what we really want for ourselves.

The danger here lies in an overly individualistic approach. When personal needs become the sole focus, we risk losing a unified value system. The world starts to feel fragmented—good versus evil, black versus white—and this leads to unnecessary drama and inner conflict. By ignoring the bigger picture and the environment around us, we detach, becoming overly consumed by our own needs.

But the self—our inner operating system—has the power to bridge this gap, reconnecting us to a unified field of awareness where personal and collective needs align. People who can tap into this field often thrive, both creatively and financially. Just look at someone like Mark Zuckerberg, whose sense of connection within a larger system helped him build one of the most successful companies in the world.

Interestingly, the very foundations of consumerism were built on this model. Sigmund Freud’s theories, brought into big business by his nephew Edward Bernays, revolutionized how marketing connected with people’s desires. For a fascinating dive into this history, I highly recommend watching the documentary The Century of the Self (2002). It’s a powerful reminder of how understanding human psychology can shape not only our personal success but entire industries.

The father of comedy, Aristophanes, crafted a timeless tale in the 4th century BC with his play Plutus. In this witty and insightful work, he introduces us to the blind God of Wealth, Plutus, who crosses paths with a humble farmer named Chremylos. Frustrated by the unfair distribution of wealth—blindly given to both good and bad people alike, as Zeus intended—Chremylos hatches a bold plan. He decides to take Plutus to the temple of Asclepius to cure his blindness, hoping that the now-seeing god will reward wealth only to the virtuous.

At first, the plan seems foolproof. Once Plutus regains his sight, he begins enriching the lives of honest, good people. But here’s the twist: chaos ensues. As poverty vanishes, people stop honoring the gods, ceasing their sacrifices and offerings. Starving and desperate, even the gods descend to Earth, seeking work to sustain themselves. With no need for sacrifices or labor, society collapses into idleness. Activities and professions once essential become irrelevant, and all power shifts to the newly sighted, all-powerful god of wealth, Plutus.

In the midst of this upheaval, Aristophanes introduces a fascinating character: an old woman in rags, embodying Poverty. She steps forward as the voice of reason, warning humanity of the dangers of her exile. Her words carry a sharp truth, urging us to consider the vital role hardship and effort play in shaping a balanced, functioning world.

If there were unlimited abundance in the world, would we still strive to grow and evolve? Plato thought not—he believed human nature thrives on a balance of intellect and necessity. Without challenges, without the push and pull of need, we may lose our ability to truly value life’s blessings. Necessity drives creativity, growth, and the joy of overcoming.

I often ask my clients a simple yet revealing question: if money were no object, how would you live? What would your days look like? Most people dream of wealth just to escape into idleness. But here’s the truth—idleness dulls the soul. Without purpose, we lose the power to grow, to contribute, to feel alive. True joy comes from creating something meaningful, from transforming an idea into reality, and from overcoming challenges to leave a mark on the world.

Money, at its core, is a tool for exchanging joy for pleasure. But when we shift our focus from simply satisfying personal desires to aligning our needs with those of the world around us, something profound happens. We become a source of wealth—not just for ourselves, but for others. At this boundary of connection, where our efforts meet the needs of the world, suffering is transformed into resources, and scarcity turns into abundance. That’s where true wealth is found.