The Status Seekers

By Vance Packard,

Book cover of The Status Seekers

Book description

"An explosive exploration of class behavior in America and the hidden barriers that affect you, your community, and your future."

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Status Seekers as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This 1950s view of status-seeking is fun because it’s far away yet eerily familiar. The small details that reveal a person’s social class are explored. Your sex life and social life are scrutinized, along with religion, education, politics, and “the totem poles of job prestige.”

Packard wrote many popular sociology books in the 1950s. I loved his book The Human Side of Animals. It shows how animals compete for social dominance because it helps their genes survive. So why does the author blame society for status-seeking in this book? He knows the truth: all societies have status-seeking because we’re…

From Loretta's list on status anxiety.

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