Materialism

Materialism is a personal and cultural value that captures the importance of acquisition and ownership of material possessions in life. Paradoxically, although materialistic people believe that material acquisitions will bring them happiness, status, and social recognition, they tend to be less satisfied with life than their nonmaterialistic counterparts. Empirical evidence also indicates that materialistic people generally experience less satisfaction with their income and standard of living. That being said, some materialistic people experience higher levels of economic motivation and satisfaction with work life, especially when materialistic values are not in conflict with their other values. Hence, materialism is associated with both positive and negative behavioral outcomes. As such, it is important to understand how materialism develops and what the consequences of materialism are. This entry ...