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The Social Psychology of
     Consumption
         Chapter 2
    John Bradford, Ph.D.
Consumption and Materialism
• “The world has enough for
  everybody’s need, but not for
  everybody’s greed”- Gandhi.
• Today, aside from the very poor,
  nearly everyone consumes more
  than is necessary to survive.
  Why?
  – Relates to all three central issues
    of environmentalism: i)
    sustainability, ii) environmental
    justice, iii) beauty of ecology
Materialism
• “The worker can create nothing
  without nature, without the
  sensuous external world”- Karl
  Marx.
• Who would disagree with
  this!?!
• All people everywhere have to    1818-1883
  produce their means of
  ‘subsistence’ (livelihood). We
  all depend on our
  environments.
Marx’s Historical Materialism
• Human beings form ideas under the influence of material or environmental
  circumstances. Such ideas then compel them to change circumstances.
  There is free will, but history is not determined by these freely willed
  intentions. The point of theory is to predict results, not intentions.
• Every society produces a surplus, and has different rules for determining
  how this surplus wealth is distributed.
• Marx says that people’s way of producing a surplus influences (or
  ‘determines’) their ideas about how to distribute the surplus.




                                         Material
                        Ideas
                                      Circumstances
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

                 • Aesthetics
                   • Knowledge &
                     Understanding
       Self-
     Actualize

      Esteem

   Belonging and                     Abraham Maslow
       Love                          1908 - 1970

      Safety

   Physiological
The Original Affluent Society?
• Time allocation studies suggest that a typical
  adult hunter-gatherer only needs to ‘work’ for
  2 to 5 hours per day!




             Uncontacted Tribes, Brazil, 2009
Uncontacted Tribes


            Peru 2011
Before the Industrial Revolution
• Difficult to generalize, but based on historical
  record, we can safely assume the following:
1. There was more leisure and less work
2. There was much less etiquette than
   today
Leisure time
•   Working hours under capitalism
    (at their peak) increased by more
    than 50 percent from Medieval
    period.
•   Work was intermittent, depended
    on season: breakfast, lunch,
    afternoon nap, dinner breaks
•   General pace was far slower and
    more leisurely- (based on
    evidence of caloric intake)
•   Consciousness of time was
    radically different: there were no
    clocks!
Leisure time
•   Medieval Europe
    –   In Medieval England, about 1/3rd of
        the year devoted to leisure
    –   In Medieval France, 52 Sundays off,
        90 guaranteed rest days, 38
        holidays
    –   In Medieval Spain, 5 months per
        year were devoted to vacation
•   Antiquity
    –   Athenians had 50-60 holidays
        annually
    –   By mid 4th century, Roman
        calendar designated 175 official
        public festival days
Conspicuous Consumption
• What is conspicuous
  consumption? Why do we do
  it?
• We are motivated not only be
  interests, but also by what            Thorstein Veblen
  Veblen calls ‘sentiments’              1857 - 1929

  – Goods distinguish us from others
    in a hierarchy, and also show that
    we belong to one group (and not
    another)
The Treadmill of Production
• Why are we stuck on this
  treadmill? Can we get off?
The Treadmill of Production

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1 29-13 social psychology of consumption

  • 1. The Social Psychology of Consumption Chapter 2 John Bradford, Ph.D.
  • 2. Consumption and Materialism • “The world has enough for everybody’s need, but not for everybody’s greed”- Gandhi. • Today, aside from the very poor, nearly everyone consumes more than is necessary to survive. Why? – Relates to all three central issues of environmentalism: i) sustainability, ii) environmental justice, iii) beauty of ecology
  • 3. Materialism • “The worker can create nothing without nature, without the sensuous external world”- Karl Marx. • Who would disagree with this!?! • All people everywhere have to 1818-1883 produce their means of ‘subsistence’ (livelihood). We all depend on our environments.
  • 4. Marx’s Historical Materialism • Human beings form ideas under the influence of material or environmental circumstances. Such ideas then compel them to change circumstances. There is free will, but history is not determined by these freely willed intentions. The point of theory is to predict results, not intentions. • Every society produces a surplus, and has different rules for determining how this surplus wealth is distributed. • Marx says that people’s way of producing a surplus influences (or ‘determines’) their ideas about how to distribute the surplus. Material Ideas Circumstances
  • 5. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs • Aesthetics • Knowledge & Understanding Self- Actualize Esteem Belonging and Abraham Maslow Love 1908 - 1970 Safety Physiological
  • 6. The Original Affluent Society? • Time allocation studies suggest that a typical adult hunter-gatherer only needs to ‘work’ for 2 to 5 hours per day! Uncontacted Tribes, Brazil, 2009
  • 7. Uncontacted Tribes Peru 2011
  • 8. Before the Industrial Revolution • Difficult to generalize, but based on historical record, we can safely assume the following: 1. There was more leisure and less work 2. There was much less etiquette than today
  • 9. Leisure time • Working hours under capitalism (at their peak) increased by more than 50 percent from Medieval period. • Work was intermittent, depended on season: breakfast, lunch, afternoon nap, dinner breaks • General pace was far slower and more leisurely- (based on evidence of caloric intake) • Consciousness of time was radically different: there were no clocks!
  • 10. Leisure time • Medieval Europe – In Medieval England, about 1/3rd of the year devoted to leisure – In Medieval France, 52 Sundays off, 90 guaranteed rest days, 38 holidays – In Medieval Spain, 5 months per year were devoted to vacation • Antiquity – Athenians had 50-60 holidays annually – By mid 4th century, Roman calendar designated 175 official public festival days
  • 11. Conspicuous Consumption • What is conspicuous consumption? Why do we do it? • We are motivated not only be interests, but also by what Thorstein Veblen Veblen calls ‘sentiments’ 1857 - 1929 – Goods distinguish us from others in a hierarchy, and also show that we belong to one group (and not another)
  • 12. The Treadmill of Production • Why are we stuck on this treadmill? Can we get off?
  • 13. The Treadmill of Production

Editor's Notes

  1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16816816
  2. Source: Juliet Schor, The Overworked American (1992).