Riesman's Three Character Types (1950)
In 1950, sociologist David Riesman published The Lonely Crowd — an analysis of how American character had shifted from the inner-directed to the other-directed type. He was describing something most people felt but couldn't name: the difference between living from your own center and living from the reactions of others.
The inner-directed person has what Riesman called a "gyroscope" — values instilled early that provide direction regardless of what others think. The other-directed person has a "radar" — finely tuned to social signals, constantly adjusting to what the environment rewards.
Neither is simply better. But only one of them is philosophically examined.
18 questions · About 4 minutes