The Joyless Economy: An Inquiry into Human Satisfaction and Consumer Dissatisfaction.

Tibor Scitovsky.

ISBN 10: 0195021835 / ISBN 13: 9780195021837

Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, London, New York, 1977

About this Item

Examination of the psychology and economics of motivation and the American way of life, issues & ideas such as mass production, novelty, comfort, happiness, necessity, pleasure, etc. 310 pages, endnotes, index. Previous owner's underlining and notes.

Seller Inventory # 9857

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Joyless Economy: An Inquiry into Human Satisfaction and Consumer Dissatisfaction.
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, Oxford, London, New York
• Publication Date: 1977
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195021835
• ISBN 13: 9780195021837
• Binding: Softcover.
• Condition: Good.
• Seller catalogs:
  • Business, Economics

About this title

Synopsis

When this classic work was first published in 1976, its central tenet--more is not necessarily better--placed it in direct conflict with mainstream thought in economics. Within a few years, however, this apparently paradoxical claim was gaining wide acceptance. Scitovsky's ground-breaking book was the first to apply theories of behaviorist psychology to questions of consumer behavior and to do so in accessible, non-technical language. Setting out to analyze the failures of our consumerist lifestyle, Scitovsky concluded that people's need for stimulation is so vital that it can lead to violence if not satisfied by novelty--whether in challenging work, art, fashion, gadgets, late-model cars, or scandal.
Though much of the book stands as a record of American post-war prosperity and its problems, the revised edition also takes into account recent social and economic changes. A new preface and a foreword by economist Robert Frank cover some of these issues. Two revised chapters discuss the assimilation of counter-cultural ideas throughout American society, especially ideas concerning the quality of life. Scitovsky draws fascinating connections between the new elite of college-educated consumers and the emergence of a growing underclass plagued by drugs and violence, perceptively tracing the reactions of these disparate groups to the problems of leisure and boredom. In the wake of the the so-called "decade of greed" and amidst calls for a "kinder, gentler" society, The Joyless Economy seems more timely than ever.

About the Author

About the Author:
Tibor Scitovsky is Emeritus Professor of Economics at Stanford University.