COLLECTIVE POSSESSION AND OWNERSHIP: A STUDY OF ITS JUDGED FEASIBILITY AND DESIRABILITY

The purpose of this study was to chart the psychological dimensions of collective ownership, thereby opening this topic to further systematic inquiry. It was an exploratory study examining (a) the meaning or mechanics of collective possession, and (b) evaluations of collective possession. Interview questions about collective possession were administered to (a) 150 Americans, 30 at each of five age levels (kindergarten, second, fifth, and eleventh grades, and 40- to 50-year-old adults), and (b) 120 Israelis, 60 from the kibbutz and 60 from the city (in each case, 30 of kindergarten age and 30 of fifth-grade age). A content analysis was performed on the interview responses. The resulting dimensions both of the meaning of collective possession and of evaluations of collective possession are presented, and the relative saliences of these dimensions for the different age and cultural groups are discussed.