The economy of passion

The world values are changing at a fast pace and a recent sociological trend reflects the emergence of freedom in making life choices with the aim of achieving self-expression and well-being in the most economically developed countries (Inglehart & Welzel, 2005). Passion, as an expression of life satisfaction and self-realization, is becoming an important driver in determining life activity choices. Being the first study to apply the dualistic model of passion (Vallerand et al., 2003) in Italy, the present research addresses the inadequacy of managerial literature to deal with the increasing role of passion for activities by bridging psychological and managerial theories. The first exploratory case study builds on theory by proposing a new industry model, named “high passion intensity industries”. Passion as a main determinant of choices and authenticity are its main characteristics. The second study enriches the tribal marketing perspective (Cova and Cova, 2002) by introducing a new “tribal subject” in the theory: the “tribes of professionals”. The third article departs from the conclusions of the previous articles and analyzes managerial implications.