Theory of Characteristics
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I. This theory, often referred to as the Theory of Qualitative Bundles or the Theory of Characteristics, finds its modern formalization in the work of economist Kelvin Lancaster, though the philosophical roots of this idea go back further.
1. Philosophical Background:
The core idea — that entities are bundles of attributes and differ by the proportion or intensity of these attributes — can be traced to bundle theories in metaphysics. This line of thinking is found in various philosophical traditions:
Western philosophy: David Hume and later philosophers considered the self or objects to be bundles of perceptions or properties, without a distinct underlying substance.
Indian philosophy: Vaiśeṣika metaphysics identifies entities through a combination of qualities (guṇa) and actions (karma), though it posits substances as carriers of these properties.
However, the specific notion that difference and resemblance are due to quantitative differences in attribute proportions takes a more scientific/mathematical form in modern economics.
2. Application to Economics - Kelvin Lancaster’s Theory of Consumer's Behaviour:
Kelvin Lancaster (1966) used this idea in his seminal work:
Title: "A New Approach to Consumer Theory" (Journal of Political Economy, 1966)
Core idea:
Consumers do not derive utility from goods per se, but from the characteristics or attributes that those goods embody.
Each good is a vector of attributes (e.g., a car = speed, fuel efficiency, comfort).
Different goods may offer different combinations of these characteristics.
Consumers make choices to maximize utility over characteristics, subject to a budget constraint.
Example:
Apple juice and orange juice are different goods, but both may offer similar characteristics like “vitamin C,” “sweetness,” or “refreshment.” Their degree of resemblance lies in how much they share these attributes in similar proportions.
3. Implications in Economics:
Lancaster's model allowed economists to:
Analyze substitution patterns more precisely.
Understand product differentiation and consumer choice based on characteristics.
Form the basis for hedonic pricing models (used in housing, automobiles, etc.).
Advance theories in marketing and product design.
II. Extension to Psychology
The theory of characteristics — or more generally, the bundle theory of identity through attributes — can be philosophically extended to explain Oedipus complex-like behavior or psychological phenomena such as seeking a parent figure in a spouse. Here's how:
1. Core Idea:
If a person is understood as a bundle of attributes (physical traits, voice tone, emotional warmth, behavior patterns, etc.), then:
A mother is experienced by a child as a complex bundle of soothing, nurturing, protective, affectionate characteristics.
Later in life, a partner (e.g., wife) may be sought out who resembles that same configuration or proportion of attributes, often unconscious.
2. Psychological Interpretation:
Freud’s Oedipus complex refers to a child’s unconscious sexual desire for the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent. But more generally:
The psychic imprint of the parent — especially the mother in early childhood — becomes a template of familiar comfort.
Later attraction may be driven by the recognition of similar bundles of attributes in others.
So, a man seeking his mother in a wife may not be literally trying to “replace” the mother, but responding to affective resemblance in attribute configuration — e.g., voice timbre, calm demeanor, caring touch, even scent.
This is not utilitarian in nature, as in Lancaster’s economic use, but structurally analogous.
3. Vice Versa:
Similarly, a woman may seek a partner whose traits echo those of her father (protection, approval, charisma, etc.).
This too can be seen as seeking familiar bundles of attributes in new relationships, driven by affective memory and psychic comfort rather than rational choice.
4. Philosophical Bridge:
From Economics to Psychology: Lancaster's theory models choice based on bundles of characteristics.
In Psychology: Attachment, desire, and aversion may also be guided by recognition of familiar bundles, even if unconsciously processed.
5. Limitations and Cautions:
Lancaster’s model is deliberately rationalistic and quantifiable, focused on economic agents.
The Oedipal explanation is psychoanalytic and symbolic, involving repression, fantasy, and unconscious processes.
So, they operate at different levels — but the structural idea of identity through attribute bundles links them.
Thus, the bundle-of-attributes theory can be abstractly applied to explain Oedipal attractions or partner choices based on resemblance to parents — not as a complete psychological model, but as a structural metaphor or partial framework.
For our friends Raj K Mishra and Yashvir Tyagi to consider.
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