Subjectivity, the Unconscious and Consumerism ― Consuming Dreams

Subjectivity, the Unconscious and Consumerism is a unique and imaginative psycho-sociological exploration of how postmodern, contemporary consumerism invades and colonises human subjectivity. Investigating especially consumerism’s unconscious aspects such as desires, imagination, and fantasy, it engages with an extensive analysis of dreams. The author frames these using a synthesis of Jungian psychology and the social imaginaries of Baudrillard and Bauman, in a dialogue with the theories of McDonaldization and Disneyization. The aim is to broaden our understanding of consumerism to include the perennial consumption of symbols and signs of identity - a process which is the basis for the fabrication of the commodified self. The book offers a profound, innovative critique of our consumption societies, challenging readers to rethink how we live, and how our identities are impacted by consumerism. As such it will be of interest to students and scholars of critical psychology, psychoanalysis, sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, but is also accessible to anyone interested in the complex psychology of contemporary subjectivity.

Marlon Xavier is Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Caxias do Sul, Brazil, and gained his PhD in Social Psychology at the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain. He was previously a visiting research fellow at The Bauman Institute, University of Leeds, UK, and also at LACCOS - the Social Psychology of Cognition and Communication Lab at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil.