2010/02/02 by Hazel Rose Markus, Barry Schwartz · 1 citation
Psychology · Business, Management and Accounting · #Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction #Cultural Differences and Values #Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
paper · doi:10.1086/651242
openalex publication_date 2010/02/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
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..