The aim of the following essay is to analyse the models of consumption which have evolved in the American culture. In the course of the history of the American society several such models co-existed, some of them have always been popular, others emerged at a specific moment of history and evolved into specific forms. Three dominant models of consumption in American culture are discussed: the puritan model (formed under the influence of the protestant ethic), the veblenesque model (consumption as a way of signaling social status) and the model of contemporary hedonist (based on the theory of Colin Campbell). Additionally, each of these models has some variations. The Author describes certain social groups whose patterns of consumption are characteristic for a given model. The criterion used for differentiating the aforementioned models is the dominant motivation inducing an individual to consume in a specific manner.
The models of consumption described by the Author are characteristic not only for American culture but also for the cultures of advanced capitalism. One can also observe certain analogies in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, undergoing the process of transformation.