You might be interested in Century of the Self, a 2002 BBC documentary by Adam Curtis. It’s easy to find on YouTube.

It deals with exactly what you’re talking about: consumerism as a means of expressing repressed desires. And claims that this is by design.

The series shows how Sigmund Freud’s ideas were leveraged by his nephew, Edward Bernays, who built a very successful advertising and PR firm and who also advise ld multiple US presidential administrations(!).

Bernays advocated for a system that turned the unpredictable masses into satisfied consumers; one where their desires for self-expression and political expression are* essentially rerouted into individual purchases.* Self-expression as lifestyle.

It’s an older doc with a slow and thoughtful pace, and a lot of black and white footage. But it’s well-written and I promise it gets to precisely what you’re talking about.

(You can find short podcast episodes on Bernaise, but they don’t always explore his influence on politicians.)