David Riesman facts for kids

David Riesman (born September 22, 1909 – died May 10, 2002) was an important American sociologist. He was also a teacher and a popular writer who commented on American society. He is best known for his book The Lonely Crowd.

David Riesman's Life and Work

David Riesman grew up in a wealthy family in Philadelphia. He went to Harvard College and finished his degree in biochemistry in 1931. After that, he studied law at Harvard Law School. He was even part of the Harvard Law Review, a respected legal journal.

From 1935 to 1936, Riesman worked for a very important judge, Louis Brandeis, on the Supreme Court. Later, he taught at the University at Buffalo Law School and the University of Chicago.

During World War II, he worked for a company called Sperry Gyroscope. In 1958, he became a professor at Harvard University. He was also a member of important groups like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Many smart thinkers influenced his ideas, including Erich Fromm and Hannah Arendt.

The Lonely Crowd: A Famous Book

David Riesman's most famous book is The Lonely Crowd: A Study of the Changing American Character, published in 1950. This book quickly became very popular. It helped people understand how American society was changing.

The book explored how people in the United States were shifting from a society focused on making things to one focused on buying things. Riesman looked at how people used what they bought to connect with others.

The Lonely Crowd mainly studies how people tend to follow what others do, which is called conformity. Riesman talked about two types of people: "inner-directed" and "other-directed."

He believed that after World War II, many Americans became "other-directed." This means they often looked to their neighbors and community for approval. A good example is people living in modern suburbia. They wanted to fit in and feared being left out.

Riesman argued that this way of life could make people feel pressured. It might make them give up their own goals and instead adopt the ideas and preferences of their community. Even though people might be close in a "crowd," they might still struggle to truly connect. This book is seen as a very important study of the American way of life.

Thoughts on Education

Besides his famous book, David Riesman also wrote a lot about higher education in America. He co-wrote an important book called The Academic Revolution with Christopher Jencks.

In this book, Riesman said that professors and researchers increasingly decide what college education is like. He pointed out that universities often focus a lot on specific research areas. This focus shapes the goals of the university and even how future professors are trained. Riesman noted that this strong focus on research could make it hard for new ideas or different ways of teaching to succeed.

See also

In Spanish: David Riesman para niños

• List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States (Seat 4)