The term limited good is a concept from anthropology

Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...

 describing the theory commonly held in traditional societies

Traditional society

In sociology, traditional society refers to a society characterized by lack of distinction between family and business, division of labor influenced primarily by age, gender, and status, high position of custom in the system of values, self-sufficiency, preference to saving and accumulation of...

, that there is a limited amount of "good" to go around. In other words, the amount of good luck

Good Luck

Good Luck may refer to:* Beneficial or positive luck* "Good luck", a parting phrase- Film and theatre:* Good Luck , a French film directed by Sacha Guitry* Good Luck , a film starring Gregory Hines...

, money

Money

Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...

, etc. available is held to be finite, so every time one person profits, another loses.

Societies that subscribe to this philosophy tend to display strong levels of equality among members and to be strongly resistant to social change

Social change

Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of a society. It may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution, the philosophical idea that society moves forward by dialectical or evolutionary means. It may refer to a paradigmatic change in the socio-economic...

.

The term was coined by George M. Foster

George M. Foster (anthropologist)

George M. Foster was an anthropologist at the University of California, Berkeley, best known for contributions on peasant societies and as one of the founders of medical anthropology....

 in his 1965 article, Peasant Society and the Image of Limited Good, "American Anthropologist." The concept has been described by Allen as the rural counterpart of the culture of poverty

Culture of poverty

The culture of poverty is a social theory that expands on the cycle of poverty. Proponents of this theory argue that the poor are not simply lacking resources, but also have a unique value system...

. The Mexican peasants (in Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán

Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán

Tzintzuntzán is a town and municipality located in the north of Michoacán state, 53 km from the capital of Morelia and 17.5 km from Pátzcuaro, located on the northeast shore of Lake Pátzcuaro. It is best known as the former capital of the Tarascan state until it was conquered by the...

) Foster studied were seen by him to lack interest in new opportunities because of their perception of the word as a "competitive game." This led to a high level of distrust and envy and fragile and constantly shifting patterns of alignment.

Sources

• Foster, George M. (1965) Peasant Society and the Image of Limited Good, American Anthropologist New Series, Vol. 67, No. 2, Apr., pp. 293-315
• Kennedy, John G. (1966) Peasant Society and the Image of Limited Good": A Critique, American Anthropologist New Series, Vol. 68, No. 5, Oct., pp. 1212-1225