From experience to critique: a psychobiography of Tibor Scitovsky in the age of the 4IR

This study is a psychobiography of Tibor Scitovszky (1910-2002), a Hungarian-born American welfare economist and author of <i>The Joyless Economy</i>. It explores the life experiences that led Scitovszky to question the dominant economic views of his time - among them the idea that economic rationality serves individual welfare, and that the individual always knows what is best for themselves. The study, based on Scitovszky's self-reflective writings (Scitovsky, 1991, 1992, 1997), interprets his developmental trajectory through the logic of the hermeneutic circle (experience - reflection - critique), within the framework of Levinson's theory of psychosocial development. By tracing the formation of Scitovszky's critical thinking from childhood onward, the study shows that this thinking did not originate from prior theoretical convictions, but from his own life experiences. It also offers insights - primarily related to the importance of self-reflection - that may contribute to a deeper understanding of the welfare challenges emerging in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), and to their constructive handling from the perspective of the consumer.