The Fall of Public Man

Like Sennett, Lasch explores the shift from public-mindedness to a therapeutic, self-obsessed culture. It provides a scathing psychological counterpart to Sennett's sociological history of the decline of public life.

This classic work treats social interaction as a theatrical performance, a central theme in Sennett's analysis of the 18th-century public sphere. It offers a detailed look at how individuals manage their 'public' and 'private' faces.

Arendt provides the philosophical foundation for understanding the distinction between the public and private realms. Her defense of the 'vita activa' and the public square deeply resonates with Sennett's lament for the fall of public man.

This book serves as the historical and theoretical sibling to Sennett's work, tracing the rise and eventual decline of the 'bourgeois public sphere' as a space for rational-critical debate.

While Sennett focuses on the psychological and historical shift, Putnam provides the empirical data for the collapse of American community life. It is an essential read for understanding the modern consequences of the loss of public engagement.

Postman argues that the medium of television has turned public discourse into a form of entertainment, echoing Sennett’s concerns about the loss of meaningful, structured public interaction in favor of 'personality.'

Jacobs focuses on the physical urban spaces that make public life possible. Her defense of the 'sidewalk ballet' complements Sennett's interest in how urban design influences social behavior and public identity.

Riesman's study of the shift from 'inner-directed' to 'other-directed' personalities provides a mid-century sociological bridge to Sennett's theories on the changing nature of the individual in society.

Bauman explores how modern life has moved from 'solid' structures to a 'liquid' state where social bonds are fleeting, mirroring Sennett's observations on the erosion of stable public roles.

Gabler argues that life has become a series of performances meant to entertain, a direct evolution of the theatricality Sennett discusses as having been lost from the healthy public sphere and repurposed for private consumption.