Look at Me!

by Brim, Orville Gilbert

• ISBN13: 9780472050703
• ISBN10: 0472050702
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-09-21
• Publisher: Univ of Michigan Pr

Summary

Four million adults in the United States say that becoming famous is the most important goal in their lives. In any random sampling of one hundred American adults, two will have fame as their consuming desire. What motivates those who set fame as their priority, where did the desire come from, how does the pursuit of fame influence their lives, and how is it expressed? Based on the research of Orville Gilbert Brim, award-winning scholar in the field of child and human development,Look at Me!answers those questions.Look at Me!examines the desire to be famous in people of all ages, backgrounds, and social status and how succeeding or failing affects their lives and their personalities. It explores the implications of the pursuit of fame throughout a person's lifetime, covering the nature of the desire; fame, money, and power; the sources of fame; how people find a path to fame; the kinds of recognition sought; creating an audience; making fame last; and the resulting, often damaged, life of the fame-seeker.In our current age of celebrity fixation and reality television, Brim gives us a social-psychological perspective on the origins of this pervasive desire for fame and its effects on our lives."Look at Me!is a fascinating in-depth study of society's obsession with fame. If you ever wondered what it's like to be famous, why fame comes to some and is sought by others, it's all here . . ." ---Jeffrey L. Bewkes, Chairman and CEO, Time Warner"In a voice filled with wisdom and insight, daring and self-reflection, Orville Brim masterfully traces the developmental origins and trajectory of fame.Look at Me!lets us see---with new eyes---the cultural priorities and obsessions that feed our individual hunger and appetites. A rare and rewarding book." ---Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Emily Hargroves Fisher Professor of Education at Harvard University and author ofRespect and The Third ChapterOrville Gilbert Brim has had a long and distinguished career. He is the former director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development, former president of the Foundation for Child Development, former president of the Russell Sage Foundation, and author and coauthor of more than a dozen books about human development, intelligence, ambition, and personality.Cover image iStockphoto.com/susib

Author Biography

Orville Gilbert Brim is the former director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development, former president of the Foundation for Child Development, former president of the Russell Sage Foundation, and author and coauthor of more than a dozen books about human development, intelligence, ambition, and personality.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Fame
The Purpose of This Book
Two Basic Distinctions
Understanding the Motive
The Nature of the Fame Motive	p. 7
The Need to Belong
The Fame Motive as a Consequence of Rejection
Instances
Self-images of Future Fame
A Never-Ending Desire
Millions of People Want Fame	p. 22
In the United Stapes
Around the World
Ignorance, Denial, and Repression
Differences among Us in Desire for Fame	p. 34
Passion, Indifference, and Aversion
Socialization and Social Roles
Our Gender, Age, and Education
A Tangled Web of Motives	p. 54
The Familiar Trio: Fame, Money, and Power
Three Personality Characteristics Similar to the Fame Motive
Choices, Challenges, Changes
Introduction: Changes during the Life Course	p. 67
The Source of Fame	p. 73
Fame Is Not Fair
Time and Place
Infamy
Unintended Fame
Finding a Path	p. 86
Levels of Honor
Associates and Families
Calls for Attention
Strange and Deviant Acts
Presentation of Self	p. 104
Seven Kinds of Recognition
Name
Face
Voice
Creating the Audiences	p. 116
The Great Other Place
Small and Special Groups
Always Wanting More
How Far Does Fame Travel?
Making Fame Last	p. 130
Early and Late Fame
Decay of Fame while Alive
Trying to Stay Famous
Fame after Death
Coming to the End	p. 149
Final Reality
Trying to Escape
Protecting the Self
The Damaged Life
Etymology of the Word Fame	p. 169
What Kind of Famous Person Would You Most Like to Be?	p. 172
German and Beijing Surveys	p. 174
Fame in Different Languages	p. 176
Guinness Book of Records	p. 178
Gender, Age, and Education Differences	p. 180
Preferred Uses of Fame	p. 185
Notes	p. 187
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