The New Class System and its Life-Styles

Abstract

If one took the characteristic life-styles now visible in American society and assumed that they were to become the basis for forming the future life-style traditions of the different classes, what would the American class structure look like? Of course, classes do not simply disappear. Even with changes in their economic basis classes remain, though their psychology may be drastically altered. The same is true of lifestyles. New life-styles may replace older ones even while the economic basis of both styles remains the same. More likely, however, new life-styles will not completely replace old ones, but will simply become accretions on them. Any innovations in life-styles thus increase the complexity of the class system because older classes and styles coexist with the new ones. Recognizing this, we can foresee not only new classes and styles but also a wide range of different life-styles within each stratum.

Reprinted from Joseph Bensman and Arthur J. Vidich, The New American Society (Chicago: Quadrangle Books, 1971).