The term bourgeois is a social label applied to an individual who is seen as typical of the middle classes, both upper and lower, valuing materialism and being respectable.1 Exuding an image of success through consumption, personal behavior, speech and intellectual development are common attributes of a bourgeois personality. As opposed to a person with radical tendencies or one who exhibits bohemianism, the bourgeois lifestyle tends to be more traditional, centered around consumerism and activities deemed respectable by the bourgeoisie. The term may be used with negative connotations, emphasizing the conspicuous consumption patterns, materialism and status obsession of a bourgeois mind-set.
Middle-class values
Sociologists such as Paula LeMasters have identified progressive values such as respect for non-conformity, self-direction, autonomy, gender equality and openness to innovation as middle class values in child-raising.23 Many values identified as belonging to the middle classes may be related to the needs of middle-class professions. Self-control, advanced expertise, as well as innovation are commonly important to succeeding in middle-class occupations.2
See also
References
- ^ The American Heritage College Dictionary. New York, NY: Houhton Mifflin. 2002. 0-618-09848-8.
- ^ a b Gilbert, Dennis (1998). The American Class Structure. New York: Wadsworth Publishing. 0-534-50520-1.
- ^ Williams, Brian; Stacey C. Sawyer, Carl M. Wahlstrom (2005). Marriages, Families & Intimate Relationships. Boston, MA: Pearson. 0-205-36674-0.
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 25 November 2007, at 03:38.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by PediaView.com. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with PediaView.com.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Bourgeois personality".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.