Samuel Johnson on consumer demand, status, and positional goods*

Abstract

Samuel Johnson's ideas on consumer behaviour reflect his interest in the psychology of pleasure, in a society where middling groups were seeking to assert and enhance their standing. ‘[D]esires which arise from the comparison of our condition with that of others’, and desire for novel items of consumption are central elements in Johnson's thought. Advertising, sales of complementary goods, and the activity of collecting, provide examples and special cases. Johnson was aware of some key aspects of the concept of a positional good. ‘Owning a private island’ is identified as an important example of a positional good for Johnson.