The Poverty of Affluence: A Psychological Portrait of the American Way of Life

In his 1983 classic The Poverty of Affluence, Paul Wachtel examines the psychological underpinnings of our insatiable desire for growth, and endless quest for “more”—whether in jobs, relationships, or any other sphere of life—suggesting that our commitment to consumption is in fact an increasingly desperate attempt to replace the sense of community that our very growth has torn apart.