RESEARCH PAPER
When does self-improvement undermine materialistic tendencies, and when does it strengthen them?
Submission date: 2016-12-09
Final revision date: 2017-04-02
Acceptance date: 2017-04-03
Online publication date: 2017-12-08
Publication date: 2018-02-01
Current Issues in Personality Psychology 2018;6(1):17-25
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
the role of personality in interpersonal relations and social behaviorsquality of life and well being
ABSTRACT
Background
In view of the fact that materialism may be caused by feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem, this paper attempts to answer the question of what the role of self-improvement is in the development of materialistic tendencies.
Participants and procedure
Two experiments were carried out (n = 144, n = 126). Half of the participants were exposed to self-threat (failure), which boosts materialistic tendencies, and the others were exposed to self-enhancement (success), which allows maintenance of good self-esteem. In both cases participants were given an opportunity to undertake self-improvement (i.e. redo a task that previously had turned out to be a failure/success). Analyses of materialistic tendencies were based on financial aspirations (study 1) and intentions to purchase luxurious good (study 2).
Results
The results show that people have lower fiscal aspirations (study 1) and want to buy luxury products less (study 2) when they undertake self-improvement in a self-threat (failure) situation. However, when people undertake self-improvement in a self-enhancement situation (success) they have higher fiscal aspirations (study 1) and want to buy luxury products more (study 2).
Conclusions
Self-improvement may be an antidote to materialistic aspirations if undertaken in a self-threat situation, but it may also be a source of materialistic aspirations if undertaken in a self-enhancement situation.
In view of the fact that materialism may be caused by feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem, this paper attempts to answer the question of what the role of self-improvement is in the development of materialistic tendencies.
Participants and procedure
Two experiments were carried out (n = 144, n = 126). Half of the participants were exposed to self-threat (failure), which boosts materialistic tendencies, and the others were exposed to self-enhancement (success), which allows maintenance of good self-esteem. In both cases participants were given an opportunity to undertake self-improvement (i.e. redo a task that previously had turned out to be a failure/success). Analyses of materialistic tendencies were based on financial aspirations (study 1) and intentions to purchase luxurious good (study 2).
Results
The results show that people have lower fiscal aspirations (study 1) and want to buy luxury products less (study 2) when they undertake self-improvement in a self-threat (failure) situation. However, when people undertake self-improvement in a self-enhancement situation (success) they have higher fiscal aspirations (study 1) and want to buy luxury products more (study 2).
Conclusions
Self-improvement may be an antidote to materialistic aspirations if undertaken in a self-threat situation, but it may also be a source of materialistic aspirations if undertaken in a self-enhancement situation.
REFERENCES (41)
1.
Bandura A., & Perloff, B. (1967). Relative efficacy of self-monitored and externally-imposed reinforcement systems. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 7, 111–116.
2.
Belk, R. W. (1979). Gift-Giving Behaviour. In J. Sheth (ed.), Research in Marketing (Vol. 2, pp. 95–126). Greenwitch, CT: JAI Press.
3.
Braun, O. L., & Wicklund, R. A. (1989). Psychological Antecedents of Conspicuous consumption, Journal of Economic Psychology, 10, 161–187.
4.
Brunstein, J. C., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (1996). Effects of failure on subsequent performance: The importance of self-defining goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 395–407.
5.
Burroughs, J. E., & Rindfleisch, A. (2002). Materialism and well-being: conflicting values perspective. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 29, 348–370.
6.
Carr, H. L., & Vignoles, V. L. (2011). Keeping up with the Joneses: Status projection as symbolic self-completion. European Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 518–527. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.812.
7.
Chang, L., & Arkin, R. M. (2002). Materialism as an attempt to cope with uncertainty. Psychology and Marketing, 19, 389–406.
8.
Chaplin, N. L, & John, D. R. (2007). Growing up in a material world: Age differences in materialism in children and adolescents. Journal of Consumer Research, 34, 480–493.
9.
Cutright, K. M., Wu E. C., Banfield, J. C., Kay A. C., & Fitzsimons, G. J. (2011). When your word must be defended: choosing product to justify the system. Journal of Consumer Research, 38, 62–77. doi: 10.1086/658469.
10.
Dittmar, H. (1992). The social psychology of material possessions: to have is to be. New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf, Hemel Hempstead and St Martin’s Press.
11.
Dow, G. T., & Mayer, R. E. (2004). Teaching students to solve insight problems. Evidence for domain specifity in training. Creativity Research Journal, 16, 389–402.
12.
Górnik-Durose, M. (2002). Psychologiczne aspekty posiadania między instrumentalnością a społeczną użytecznością dóbr materialnych [Psychological Aspects of Possession – between Instrumentality and Social Utility of Material Goods]. Katowice: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego.
13.
Green, J. D., Sedikides, C., Pinter, B., & Van Tongeren, D. (2009). Two sides to self-protection: self-improvement strivings and feedback from close relationships eliminate mnemic neglect. Self-and Identity, 8, 233–250.
14.
Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (1993). A dark side of an American dream: Correlates of financial success as a central life aspiration. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 410–422.
15.
Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (1996). Further examining the American dream: Differential correlates of intrinsic and extrinsic goals. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 280–287.
16.
Kasser, T., & Sheldon, K. M. (2000). Of Wealth and Death: Materialism, Mortality Salience, and Consumption Behavior. Psychological Science, 11, 348–351.
17.
Kasser, T. (2011). Cultural Values and the Well-Being of Future Generations: A Cross-National Study. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 42, 206–215. doi: 10.1177/0022022110396865.
18.
Kasser, T., Sheldon, K. M., Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2004). The Independent Effects of Goal Contents and Motives on Well-being: It’s Both What You Do and Why You Do It. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 475–486.
19.
Kasser, T., Rosenbleu K. L, Saneroff A. J., Deci E. J., Niemiec C. P., Ryan R. M., …Hawks S. (2014). Changes in materialism, changes in psychological well-being: evidence from three longitudinal studies an intervention experiment. Motivation and Emotion, 38, 1–22. doi: 10.1007/s1031-013-9374-4.
20.
Kurman, J. (2006). Self-enhancement, self-regulation and self-improvement following failures. British Journal of Social Psychology, 45, 339–356.
21.
Lea, S. E., & Webley, P. (2006). Money as tool, money as drug: the biological psychology of a strong incentive. Behavioral Brain Science, 29, 161–176. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X06009046.
22.
Ledgerwood, A., Liviatan, I., & Carnevale, P. J. (2007). Group-identity completion and the symbolic value of property. Psychological Science, 18, 873–878.
23.
Mazzocco, P. J., Rucker, D. D., Galinsky, A. D., & Anderson E. T. (2012). Direct and vicarious conspicuous consumption: identification with low-status group increases the desire for high-status goods. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22, 520–528. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.je....
24.
Mead, N. L., Baumeister, R., Stillman T. F, Rawn C. D., & Vhos, K. D. (2010). Social Exclusion causes people to spend and consume strategically in service of affiliation. Journal of Consumer Research, 37, 902–919.
25.
Mandel N., Petrova, P. K., & Cialdini, R. B. (2006). Images of success and the preference for luxury brands. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 16, 57–69.
26.
Mick, D. G., & Faure, C. (1998) Consumer self-gifts in achievement contexts: The role of outcomes, attributions, and deservingness. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 15, 293–307.
27.
Mick, D. G., & Demoss, M. (1990). Self-Gifts: Phenomenological Insights from Four Contexts. Journal of Consumer Research, 17, 322–332.
28.
Mochon, D., Norton, M. J., & Ariely, D. (2012). Bolstering and restoring feelings of competence via Ikea effect. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 29, 363–269. doi:10.1016/j.yresmar2012.05.001.
29.
Park, J. K., & John, D. R. (2011). More than meets the eye: the influence of implicit and explicit self-esteem on materialism. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 21, 73–87.
30.
Richins, M. L., & Dawson, S. (1992). A consumer values orientation for materialism and its measurement: Scale development and validation. Journal of Consumer Research, 19, 303–316.
31.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68–78.
32.
Rucker, D. D., & Galinsky, A. D. (2009). Conspicuous consumption versus utilitarian ideals: How different levels of power shape consumption. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 549–555.
33.
Rucker, D. D., & Galinsky, A. D. (2008). Desire to acquire: Powerlessness and compensatory consumption. Journal of Consumer Research, 35, 257–267.
34.
Taylor, S. E., Neter, E., & Wayment, H. A. (1995). Self-evaluation processes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 1278–1287.
.
35.
Wicklund, R. A., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (1981). Symbolic self-completion, attempted influence, and self-deprecation. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 2, 89–114.
36.
Wicklund, R. A., & Gollwizter, P. M. (1982). Symbolic self-completion. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
37.
Zawadzka A. M. (2014). The scale of readiness for self-improvement: an analysis of its internal consistency, theoretical validity and reliability. Acta Neuropsychologica, 12, 73–84.
38.
Zawadzka A. M., & Niesiobędzka M. (2010). Preferencje konsumenckie w kryzysie i rozwoju gospodarczym z perspektywy samoregulacji [Consumer Preferences in Time of Economic Crisis and Growth from Self-regulatory Perspective]. Czasopismo Psychologiczne, 16, 253–264.
39.
Zawadzka A. M., Strużyńska-Kujałowicz A., & Zawisza M. (2013). The effects of power on financial aspirations and expenditures on selected product categories in Poland and the UK. Journal of Social Research and Policy, 4, 41–58.
40.
Zawadzka A. M., & Iwanowska M. (2016). Explicit and implicit materialism vs. self-esteem and readiness for self-improvement in young people. Annals of Psychology, 19, 697–740. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18290/rpy....
41.
Zhou, X., Vhos, K. D., & Baumeister, R. F. (2009). The symbolic power of money. Reminders of Money Alter social Distress and Physical Pain. Psychological Science, 20, 700–706.
Copyright: © Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk This is an Open Access journal, all articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.
Share
RELATED ARTICLE
| eISSN: | 2353-561X |
| ISSN: | 2353-4192 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
