The Need for Safety and the Development of Consumerism in Poland

The development of consumerism in Poland falls on the last quarter of the century, the transition from controlled economy to free market economy. Elements of the consumer society, in which durables are becoming less and less important and the skillful manifestation of the social position by purchasing fashionable and, simultaneously, symbolic goods that quickly wear out despite their value is becoming more and more important, have reached us before. The essence of the process is that more and more frequently goods should be replaced by subsequent more updated goods-symbols. The position in such an altered society regardless of the country where changes take place depends not on the amount of financial resources but the ability to exchange them for goods of the appropriate meaning. Therefore, in the consumer society one of the driving mechanisms is anxiety and fear connected with the lack of appropriate skills to adjust to changeable conditions.