Materialism: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Abstract

International audienceMaterialism has a generally held connotation that is associated with character deficiencies, self-centeredness, and unhappiness, and most extant research views materialism as having a negative influence on well-being. In this article, we review and synthesise research that supports both positive and negative outcomes of behaviours associated with materialism. We conceptualise materialism in terms of the motives underlying materialistic behaviour, and situate our review and synthesis of materialism research within this context. In doing so, we document the utility of a motives-based view of materialism and propose research agendas that arise from this motives-based perspective

Saying no to the glow: When consumers avoid arrogant brands

“…Self-threat may arise following a variety of events that reflect negatively on the self, either with regard to fundamental human needs, such as self-esteem, power and control, or with regard to more specific important aspects of the self, such as intelligence or performance (Kay, Gaucher, McGregor, & Nash, 2010;Park & Maner, 2009;Shrum et al, 2014). People are motivated to protect, maintain, or enhance the positivity of the self, and therefore act in ways to counter and minimize self-threat when they experience it (Campbell & Sedikides, 1999;Crocker & Park, 2004;Deci & Ryan, 1985;Lee & Shrum, 2012).…”

Asia’s materialists: Reconciling collectivism and materialism

“…Collective-oriented materialism manifests when the salient interpretation of the collective in each culture reduces materialistic pursuits of conspicuous consumption. Indeed, aside from dispensing self-promotional capacities, conspicuous consumption also offers others-signaling properties (Shrum et al, 2013(Shrum et al, , 2014) that allow collective-oriented materialists to grant status to their in-groups, enable compliance with social expectations, demonstrate belongingness, and fulfill their perceived social responsibilities.…”

“…While conspicuous consumption does not de facto indicate expressions of materialism, conspicuous purchases are naturally alluring for materialists for its signaling function (Shrum et al, 2013(Shrum et al, , 2014. Extant research argues that self-oriented materialists use conspicuous consumption for self-signaling purposes and to deliberately cause envy -such as through consumption of goods that demonstrate wealth or social power (Belk, 1985;Richins & Dawson, 1992).…”

“…However, conspicuous consumption also grants others-signaling properties, which allow people to signal desirable social attributes through means of consumption (Shrum et al, 2013). For example, people may perform altruistic acts in public (e.g., charity donation and sharing) to signal prosocial qualities such as kindness and generosity (Shrum et al, 2014). Thus, materialists from collectivistic societies may carry out conspicuous consumption to elevate the social standing of their relevant ingroups.…”

“…Meanwhile, members of individualistic cultures subscribe to transcendental collective-oriented values that emphasize a broader view of the collective (e.g., equality, social justice, and spirituality) without sharply distinguishing between the in-and outgroups. As such, even individualistic consumers may engage in collective-oriented materialistic consumption, such as gift-giving, public donation, and green consumption, to signal desirable qualities of altruism and social concern (Shrum et al, 2014;Strizhakova & Coulter, 2013). The global spread of prosocial awareness has also affected the state of international consumerism, with half of global consumers that they are willing to pay more for products and services from companies that are committed to positive social impacts (Nielsen, 2014).…”