Heightened interpersonal security diminishes the monetary value of possessions

Clark, Margaret S.; Greenberg, Aaron; Hill, E. Jeffrey; Lemay, Edward P.; Clark-Polner, Elizabeth; Roosth, David

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2010.08.001

Cited by 41 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…For instance, Zhou, Vohs, and Baumeister () found that handling money helped ease the pain of social rejection; conversely, Clark et al. () found that bolstering interpersonal security reduced the value participants placed on material objects. Furthermore, social rejection motivates consumption that promotes social connectedness (Mead, Baumeister, Stillman, Rawn, & Vohs, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To the extent that anxiously attached individuals' perceptions of necessity is an expression of an unfulfilled need for more meaningful social relationships, consumption may either substitute for or facilitate these relationships in a number of different ways. For instance, Zhou, Vohs, and Baumeister (2009) found that handling money helped ease the pain of social rejection; conversely, Clark et al (2011) found that bolstering interpersonal security reduced the value participants placed on material objects. Furthermore, social rejection motivates consumption that promotes social connectedness (Mead, Baumeister, Stillman, Rawn, & Vohs, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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What Do We Really Need? Goals and Values, Security, and the Perception of Consumer Necessity

Norris

Williams

2016

Psychology and Marketing

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There is a general trend for consumer goods considered luxuries to become thought of as necessities. Although the luxury/necessity distinction is central to the fields of marketing and economics, little research has examined the perception of necessity as a psychological phenomenon. Three studies examined the relationship of the perceived necessity of a variety of consumer goods to goals, values, and insecurity. In Study 1, the number of goods considered necessities as opposed to luxuries correlated negatively with intrinsic and positively with extrinsic goal pursuit. In Study 2, this pattern generalized to the distinction between needs and wants, the extent to which participants reported needing their possessions, and to materialistic values. In Study 3, the perception of necessity mediated the relationship between anxious attachment and materialism, suggesting that needing consumer products has in part a basis in interpersonal insecurity. In turn, it may facilitate materialistic consumption.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Do We Really Need? Goals and Values, Security, and the Perception of Consumer Necessity

Norris

Williams

2016

Psychology and Marketing

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show abstract

“…Likewise, people who recalled recent instances of being socially excluded felt more attached to their belongings for reasons of "reassurance and comfort" (Clark et al 2011;Keefer et al 2012). In a representative survey, tendencies to experience social insecurity were associated with higher levels of materialism (Rindfleisch, Burroughs, and Wong 2009).…”

Section: Loneliness: Coping Through Materials Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Bidirectional Dynamics of Materialism and Loneliness: Not Just a Vicious Cycle

2013

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This research is the first to test the hypothesis that consumers face a "material trap" in which materialism fosters social isolation which in turn reinforces materialism. It provides evidence that materialism and loneliness are engaged in bidirectional relationships over time. Importantly, it finds that loneliness contributes more to materialism than the other way around. Moreover, it finds that materialism's contribution to loneliness is not uniformly vicious but critically differs between specific subtypes of materialism. That is, valuing possessions as a happiness medicine or as a success measure increased loneliness, and these subtypes also increased most due to loneliness. Yet seeking possessions for material mirth decreased loneliness and was unaffected by it. These findings are based on longitudinal data from over 2,500 consumers across 6 years and a new latent growth model. They reveal how materialism and loneliness form a self-perpetuating vicious and virtuous cycle depending on the materialism subtype.

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“…This possibility is suggested by theorizing on the use of material objects to secure attention from close others (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2008), and by evidence that attachment anxiety increases the perceived value of material objects (Clark et al, 2011). Critically, however, experimental evidence shows that priming uncertainties about the self directly increases materialism (Chang & Arkin, 2002).…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%