Tim Kasser is an American psychologist and book author known for his work on materialism and well-being. Kasser received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Rochester in 1994, and after one additional year of teaching at Montana State University, he accepted a position at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where he was a professor of psychology. He retired from Knox in 2019 and was named Emeritus Professor. He has authored over 120 scientific articles and book chapters on materialism, values, goals, well-being, and environmental sustainability, among other topics. His first book, The High Price of Materialism, was published in 2002 ; his second book, Psychology and Consumer Culture, was released in 2004. In 2009 he co-authored a book Meeting Environmental Challenges: The Role of Human Identity. In 2013 he wrote Lucy in the Mind of Lennon, a psychological biography that explores the meaning of John Lennon's song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Most recently, in 2018, he collaborated with the cartoonist Larry Gonick on HyperCapitalism: The modern economy, its values, and how to change them. Kasser's books have been translated into 7 languages. Since the early 2000s, Kasser has consulted with activist and civil-society organizations who work against the commercialization of children and who work towards a more inwardly rich lifestyle than what is offered by consumerism. While at Knox College, Kasser lived with his wife, two sons, and assorted animals, including a donkey named Earl, in the western Illinois countryside; he now lives in the Southern Tier region of New York state.
Wellbeing
Kasser initiated a line of research showing that people who pursue intrinsic goals forpersonal growth, affiliation, and community feeling report higher well-being than those focused on extrinsic goals for money, image, and status.
Kasser, T. in Human Autonomy in Cross-Cultural Context, Capitalism and autonomy, 191-206.
Kasser, T, Crompton, T, and Linn, S. Children, commercialism and environmental sustainability. 1, 14–17.
Kasser, T, Cohn, S, Kanner, AD, & Ryan, RM. Some costs of American corporate capitalism: a psychological exploration of value and goal conflicts. Psychological Inquiry 18, 1–22.
Kasser, T, Ryan, RM, Couchman, CE & Sheldon, KM in Psychology and Consumer Culture: The Struggle for a Good Life in a Materialistic World, Materialistic values: Their causes and consequences, 11–28.
