An edition of The meaning of things (1981)

The meaning of things

domestic symbols and the self

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Last edited by ImportBot
December 19, 2023 | History
An edition of The meaning of things (1981)

The meaning of things

domestic symbols and the self

  • 3 Want to read
  • 1 Currently reading

"The meaning of things is a study of the significance of material possessions in contemporary urban life, and of the ways people carve meaning out of their domestic environment. Drawing on a survey of eighty families in Chicago who were interviewed on the subject of their feelings about common household objects, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Eugene Rochberg-Halton provide a unique perspective on materialism, American culture, and the self. They begin by reviewing what social scientists and philosophers have said about the transactions between people and things. In the model of 'personhood' that the authors develop, goal-directed action and the cultivation of meaning through signs assume central importance. They then relate theoretical issues to the results of their survey. An important finding is the distinction between objects valued for action and those valued for contemplation. The authors compare families who have warm emotional attachments to their homes with those in which a common set of positive meanings is lacking, and interpret the different patterns of involvement. They then trace the cultivation of meaning in case studies of four families. Finally, the authors address what they describe as the current crisis of environmental and material exploitation, and suggest that human capacities for the creation and redirection of meaning offer the only hope for survival. A wide range of scholars - urban and family sociologists, clinical, developmental and environmental psychologists, cultural anthropologists and philosophers, and many general readers - will find this book stimulating and compelling." http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/cam022/81001443.html.

Publish Date
Language
English
Pages
304

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: The meaning of things
The meaning of things: domestic symbols and the self
1981, Cambridge University Press
in English

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Book Details


Edition Notes

Bibliography: p. 290-297. - Includes indexes.

Published in
Cambridge

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
306/.4
Library of Congress
GT2420, BF458 .C78

The Physical Object

Pagination
xiv, 304 p. ;
Number of pages
304

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL22108348M
Internet Archive
meaningofthingsd0000csik
ISBN 10
0521239192, 052128774X
LCCN
81001443
OCLC/WorldCat
7284063
Library Thing
177491
Goodreads
343493

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History

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December 19, 2023 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
December 14, 2023 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
October 21, 2020 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
July 31, 2020 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
December 11, 2009 Created by WorkBot add works page