Dematerializing : taming the power of possessions / Jane Hammerslough.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hammerslough, Jane.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Materialism.

Conduct of life.

Lifestyles.

Physical Description:

x, 278 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, MA : Perseus Publishing, 2001.

Summary:

We load our closets, cabinets, bureaus, shelves, basements, attics and garages with possessions to improve the quality of our lifestyles...and then we cart them out to our yards, driveways and sidewalks for tag sales, sell them on auction sites or deliver them to the dump to make room for more. Now what? Forget acquiring lifestyles -- what about adding something that's satisfying to our lives?

Does a diamond costing two months' salary guarantee love that will last forever? Can the pricey pair of shoes win you the promotion at work? Will the perfect new couch in your family room make for great times with your family? In Dematerializing, Jane Hammerslough offers a wry, insightful look at the power that possessions promise in our consumption-crazed culture, exploring the psychic space they may occupy in our lives and relationships, as well as in our closets. Examining the complexities of modern materialism through both its pitfalls and pleasures, Dematerializing offers inspiring strategies to put objects back in their proper place -- and have what we really value.

If you're secretly stunned by over-the-top materialism in your friends, family or co-workers -- or even in yourself -- you're not alone in a desire to "dematerialize." Grounded by real-world examples, research and Hammerslough's own, all-too-human and often humorous experience, this book is for those of us who appreciate having nice things but are perplexed, if not dismayed, by their massive importance in our lives, our families, our culture. Unraveling the tangle of needs, wants and desires that feed conspicuous consumption to help us find what matters more, Dematerializing is rich with candid insight, an emotionally-satisfying and thought-provoking read.

Contents:

1 Materializing 1

2 At Peace with the Past 35

3 Good in Your Skin 59

4 Understanding 85

5 Belonging 109

6 Love 137

7 Doing the Right Thing 157

8 Being Better 185

9 Free from Fear 207

10 Control 229

11 Dematerializing 249.

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

0738203866

OCLC:

51009145