Family : Marcuse

• Views

  Nuclear families encourage their members to pursue the capitalist-friendly goals of materialism, consumerism. Marcuse (1964) claimed that working-class families are encouraged to pursue 'false needs' in the form of the latest consumer goods and to judge themselves and others on the basis of their acquisitions. He noted that this served the interests of capitalism rather than consumers, because it both stimulated the economy and distracted workers from the need to seek equality and justice.