Look at Me!: The Fame Motive from Childhood to Death

by Orville Gilbert Brim

Overview

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 of Respect and The Third Chapter

Orville 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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780472070701
Publisher:	University of Michigan Press
Publication date:	09/21/2009
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Orville 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.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Fame

The Purpose of This Book

Two Basic Distinctions

Part 1 Understanding the Motive

1 The Nature of the Fame Motive 7

The Need to Belong

The Fame Motive as a Consequence of Rejection

Instances

Self-images of Future Fame

A Never-Ending Desire

2 Millions of People Want Fame 22

In the United Stapes

Around the World

Ignorance, Denial, and Repression

3 Differences among Us in Desire for Fame 34

Passion, Indifference, and Aversion

Socialization and Social Roles

Our Gender, Age, and Education

4 A Tangled Web of Motives 54

The Familiar Trio: Fame, Money, and Power

Three Personality Characteristics Similar to the Fame Motive

Part 2 Choices, Challenges, Changes

Introduction: Changes during the Life Course 67

5 The Source of Fame 73

Fame Is Not Fair

Time and Place

Infamy

Unintended Fame

6 Finding a Path 86

Levels of Honor

Associates and Families

Calls for Attention

Strange and Deviant Acts

7 Presentation of Self 104

Seven Kinds of Recognition

Name

Face

Voice

8 Creating the Audiences 116

The Great Other Place

Small and Special Groups

Always Wanting More

How Far Does Fame Travel?

9 Making Fame Last 130

Early and Late Fame

Decay of Fame while Alive

Trying to Stay Famous

Fame after Death

10 Coming to the End 149

Final Reality

Trying to Escape

Protecting the Self

The Damaged Life

Etymology of the Word Fame 169

What Kind of Famous Person Would You Most Like to Be? 172

German and Beijing Surveys 174

Fame in Different Languages 176

Guinness Book of Records 178

Gender, Age, and Education Differences 180

Preferred Uses of Fame 185

Notes 187