The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
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The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
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William H. Whyte's popular psychology bestseller of the mid-1950s outlined a contemporary figure who captured many fears for the nature of the American individual in an age of increasing rationalization. The Organization Man (1956) showed the white-collar employee as increasingly shaped by his employer's demands: focused on advancement through the firm, he became narrow, conformist, and unwilling to innovate. This figure's fear of original thought and his lifestyle (situated in rationalized suburbs and marked by consumption, rather than community) seemed to contravene the American values of competitive individualism. Whyte's work was simplistic and deterministic, but it influenced the broad discussion of conformity, and its risks, in the 1950s.
Pells, Richard H. The Liberal Mind in a Conservative Age. Middle-town, Wesleyan University Press, 1989.
Ross, Andrew. No Respect: Intellectuals and Popular Culture. London, Routledge, 1989.