for example, the other-directed person is easy to identify. This defined the middle class that no longer had the material needed to cling to past life standards to form a cohesive society. But since the other-directed could only identify themselves through references to others in their communities (and what they earned, owned, consumed, believed in) they inherently were restricted in their ability to know themselves. Riesman's book argues that although other-directed individuals are crucial for the smooth functioning of the modern organization, the value of autonomy is compromised. The Lonely Crowd also argues that society dominated by the other-directed faces profound deficiencies in leadership, individual self-knowledge, and human potential. The book's title was chosen by the publisher, not by Riesman or his co-authors, Nathan Glazer and Reuel Denney. References External links (reprint) Geary, Daniel. "Children of The Lonely Crowd: David Riesman, the Young Radicals, and the Splitting of Liberalism in the 1960s," Modern Intellectual History, Nov., 2013, Vol. 10, Issue 3, pp. 603–633 1950 non-fiction books American middle class Social class in the United States Sociology books Political science books Conformity