Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-1-2010
Published In
Journal Of Consumer Research
Abstract
Americans live in a political, social, and historical context that values personal freedom and choice above all else, an emphasis that has been amplified by contemporary psychology. However, this article reviews research that shows that in non-Western cultures and among working-class Westerners, freedom and choice do not have the meaning or importance they do for the university-educated people who have been the subjects of almost all research on this topic. We cannot assume that choice, as understood by educated, affluent Westerners, is a universal aspiration. The meaning and significance of choice are cultural constructions. Moreover, even when choice can foster freedom, empowerment, and independence, it is not an unalloyed good. Too much choice can produce a paralyzing uncertainty, depression, and selfishness. In the United States, the path to well-being may require that we strike a balance between the positive and negative consequences of proliferating choice in every domain of life.
Recommended Citation
H. R. Markus and Barry Schwartz.
(2010).
"Does Choice Mean Freedom And Well-Being?".
Journal Of Consumer Research.
Volume 37,
Issue 2.
344-355.
DOI: 10.1086/651242 .
https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-psychology/5
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This work is freely available courtesy of University of Chicago Press.