​“By possessing the property of buying everything, by possessing the property of appropriating all objects, money is thus the object of eminent possession. The universality of its property is the omnipotence of its being. It is therefore regarded as an omnipotent being. Money is the procurer between man’s need and the object, between his life and his means of life. But that which mediates my life for me, also mediates the existence of other people for me. For me it is the other person.” (Karl Marx, 1844)

​Psychologies of Monies
(2006-2020)

Money has become by convention a sort of representative of demand; and this is why it has the name “money” (“nomisma”)—because it exists not by nature but by law (nomos) and it is in our power to change it and make it useless, (Nicomachean Ethics, V.5.II33a).

Money may appear a matter too real, too objective or even too formal to explore from a psychological perspective. Few academic monographs in the psychological literature are dedicated to this unique but omnipresent phenomenon. 

Money needs to be recorded as an invention of the mind, our belief system. We invented money. The core concept of this invention is independent of any specific token we may identify as money today, or, in its long history. Actually, the concept of money as we use it today is as arbitrary as the tokens we used and still use for representing it. The concept of money we aim to develop in our psychology of money is detached from any token which may assist in money actions. 

Money is anything but an objective fact. The tokens we recognize and use as "money" are arbitrary. Some tokens may prove more practical for our money-actions than others, but this doesn't render them more or less natural. Money is simply what we (chose to) do with certain tokens, when we recognize them as money. Of specific interest must be the psychological mechanisms which constitute money - the belief systems which form the necessary condition for money to be recognized. However: what is money? 

The Money Changer (Rembrandt van Rijn, 1627)

From a strictly behavioral point of view, money is what makes us give what we are asked for our resouces. In line with this perspective, we dispose not just of economic monies, but also of a wide range of social psychological monies. The psychological processes which generate monies, have so far not been the object of scientific analysis. Even if it is well established that money is a social fact (see e.g. Searle, 1995), the scientific interest in social as well as psychological processes, which lead to the constitution of money, is almost bare. (Reasons for this lack of psychological work remains to be investigated.)

This research will be presented in comprehensive form on this site, since the subject of money is not just of scientific-, but even more of public relevance...