The Capitalist Personality

Face-to-Face Sociality and Economic Change in the Post-Communist World

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, Economic Policy, Social Science, Anthropology, Sociology
Cover of the book The Capitalist Personality by Christopher S. Swader, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Christopher S. Swader ISBN: 9781135100674
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: January 4, 2013
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Christopher S. Swader
ISBN: 9781135100674
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: January 4, 2013
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Modern capitalism favors values that undermine our face-to-face bonds with friends and family members. Focusing on the post-communist world, and comparing it to more "developed" societies, this book reveals the mixed effects of capitalist culture on interpersonal relationships. While most observers blame the egoism and asocial behavior found in new free-market societies on their communist pasts, this work shows how relationships are also threatened by the profit orientations and personal ambition unleashed by economic development. Successful people in societies as diverse as China, Russia, and Eastern Germany adjust to the market economy at a social cost, relaxing their morals in order to obtain success and succumbing to increased material temptations to exploit relationships for their own financial and professional gain. The capitalist personality is internally troubled as a result of this "sellout," but these qualms subside as it devalues intimate qualitative bonds with others. This book also shows that post-communists are similarly individualized as people living in Western societies. Capitalism may indeed favor values of independence, creativity, and self-expressiveness, but it also rewards self-centeredness, consumerism, and the stripping down of morality. As is the case in the West, capitalist culture fosters an internally conflicted and self-centered personality in post-communist societies.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Modern capitalism favors values that undermine our face-to-face bonds with friends and family members. Focusing on the post-communist world, and comparing it to more "developed" societies, this book reveals the mixed effects of capitalist culture on interpersonal relationships. While most observers blame the egoism and asocial behavior found in new free-market societies on their communist pasts, this work shows how relationships are also threatened by the profit orientations and personal ambition unleashed by economic development. Successful people in societies as diverse as China, Russia, and Eastern Germany adjust to the market economy at a social cost, relaxing their morals in order to obtain success and succumbing to increased material temptations to exploit relationships for their own financial and professional gain. The capitalist personality is internally troubled as a result of this "sellout," but these qualms subside as it devalues intimate qualitative bonds with others. This book also shows that post-communists are similarly individualized as people living in Western societies. Capitalism may indeed favor values of independence, creativity, and self-expressiveness, but it also rewards self-centeredness, consumerism, and the stripping down of morality. As is the case in the West, capitalist culture fosters an internally conflicted and self-centered personality in post-communist societies.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Viktor Frankl's Contribution to Spirituality and Aging by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book Eighteenth-Century British Aesthetics by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book Cities for the New Millennium by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book Ethics and the Future of Capitalism by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book People, Land and Time by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book Flow and Flux in Plato's Philosophy by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book Working With Immigrant Families by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book Huckleberry Finn by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book Records of Girlhood by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book The Routledge Advanced Chinese Multimedia Course by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book Poetics and Politics of Shame in Postcolonial Literature by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book Marketing the e-Business by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book Cash Is Still King by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book Mobility and Place by Christopher S. Swader
Cover of the book Early Development and its Disturbances by Christopher S. Swader
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy