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Title: The High Price of Materialism by Tim Kasser ISBN: 0-262-61197-X Publisher: MIT Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Good book - great message
Comment: Definitely a good book with a great message. Heavy on statistics and studies. Like others have said, the chapter about what can be done to help change some of the materialistic values of our society was a great read. It is amazing how materialistic our society is. Just look at all the ads around you, painted on buses, in stadiums, on billboards, on TV, on the Internet, in magazines, and in schools. True happiness and fulfillment cannot come from materialism.
Rating: 5
Summary: A must-read
Comment: Tim Kasser's subject in this book is the relationship between materialist values and psychological well-being. He and his colleagues have done a significant amount of work to identify links between materialism and a host of social evils, including the breakdown of the American family, our culture's lack of concern for the environment, and declining social consciousness. Some elements of the argument are weakened by the fact that psychologists have been studying the subject for a comparatively short time, and relevant studies are few; however, Kasser admits this failing when it is relevant, and support for the most important aspects of his theory is significant.
The most interesting part of the book is the final chapter, "Making Change", which discusses strategies for changing our values. In this chapter, Kasser notes the danger in assuming capitalism and the market economy are ideal. He points to experiments in the United States and throughout the world where economies have developed which emphasize small businesses and local economies (Ithaca, NY, for example), which value each person's time equally (i.e., an hour of legal services is not valued more highly than an hour of a gardener's time), and so forth. Naturally there are barriers to some of his suggestions, but there is little hope of effecting change without adopting at least some of the strategies mentioned.
All in all, this is an important book for our times. Television and mass-market culture won't save you: pick up this book!
Rating: 5
Summary: Academic but Engaging
Comment: I have to disagree with the reader from the Canary Islands. This book is an academic account about this important topic, but is anything but dry. For anyone wondering why feelings of alienation are so pervasive in our society, this book has the answer. Kasser's final chapter on "Making Change" is a gem.
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Title: Psychology and Consumer Culture: The Struggle for a Good Life in a Materialistic World by Tim Kasser, Allen D. Kanner ISBN: 1591470463 Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA) Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
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Title: Dematerializing: Taming the Power of Possessions by Jane Hammerslough ISBN: 0738207721 Publisher: Perseus Publishing Pub. Date: 18 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Culture and Subjective Well-Being by Ed Diener, Eunkook M. Suh ISBN: 0262541467 Publisher: MIT Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz ISBN: 0060005688 Publisher: Ecco Pub. Date: 01 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don't Need by Juliet B. Schor ISBN: 0060977582 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 May, 1999 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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