Totally Provocative and Perhaps Partly Right

Aronson, Elliot

doi:10.1207/s15327965pli0304_18

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 12 publications

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“…When a choice is self-defining or expressive of one's preferences, revealing oneself to be a good chooser really matters. This concern or anxiety is at the heart of what social psychologists call cognitive dissonance (Aronson 1992;Cooper and Fazio 1989;Festinger 1962;Steele 1988). This dissonance, or worry over whether one has made a good choice, motivates people to justify the choices they have made so that their preferences will be better aligned with their choices.…”

Section: Choice and Othersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Choice Mean Freedom and Well-Being?

Markus¹,

Schwartz²

2010

J Consum Res

224

120

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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. (c) 2010 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..

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Section: Choice and Othersmentioning

confidence: 99%