The emperor’s new clothes

1. The emperor’s new clothes searching for the meaning of materialism Małgorzata Górnik-Durose Institute of Psychology, University of Silesia Katowice, Poland

2. Leadingpoints: • The concept of materialism by Richins and Dawson, widespread among researchers, does not explain psychological mechanisms which lie beneath the special concentration on material aspects of life. • Materialism is a working lay concept – an analysis of this concept can help to develop a deep understanding of the nature of materialism • Materialism appears to have some principal components whose existence has a strong empirical support, showing its deeper nature. • Taking into consideration the history of research into materialism and the lack of consistency in using the term a different name for the old phenomenon should be applied. • A new conceptualization of materialism requires a new methodological approach to its measurement and a new measurement tool. • The results of research conducted with a new measurement tool would uncover and explain certain aspects of materialistic orientation which was missing from studies based on traditional conceptualization of the construct.

3. Conceptualisations of materialism • The best known definition of materialism by Richins and Dawson (1992) describes it in terms of values, although in fact the authors measure it as an attitude. Belk (1985) claims that materialism is an importance people ascribe the their worldly possessions and relates it to personality traits of possessiveness, non-generosity and envy. • “Affluenza, n., a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more” (de Graaf, Wann, Naylor, 2005). Materialism is „a complication” of affluenza

4. Mainissues • People concentrate on possessions to a disproportionate extent. • People tend to possess much more than they really need. • People try, by acquiring possessions, to fulfill needs which could be much better fulfilled in a different way. • People strive to possess more than others. • People assess their own and other people’s worth and achievements on the base of acquired possessions. • People perceive having possessions as the final goal in their life.

5. Materialism as a working lay concept – study I • The method - an interview. The subjects were asked the three following questions: - Who would you describe as a „materialist”? Please finish the following sentence: A materialist is a person, who ….. - How to recognize a materialist? What sort of behaviours do you take into consideration while concluding that a certain person is a materialist? - What sort of behaviours indicates that a certain person is not a materialist? • The study involved finally 196 subjects – 96 men and 100 women. They were chosen from 4 age groups: 20-35, 36-50, 51-60, above 60. • As a result we obtained a set of about 600 statements on which a content analysis was run.

6. Results – categories of statement unfolding the term “materialist” • DRIVES AND DIRECTIONS OF ACTIVITY • CHARACTER OF ACTIVITY • RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OUTSIDEWORLD • EMOTIONS

7. Categories of statement unfolding the term “materialist” DRIVES AND DIRECTIONS OF ACTIVITY • VALUES What is important in the life of a materialist? Wealth / power / recognition / comfort / luxury / pleasure • GOALS What does a materialist want to achieve? Money / material possessions / a good look / social position • TYPE OF MOTIVATION What sort of needs does a materialist want to fulfill? “Showing-off” , distinction / high regard / pleasure / security

8. Categories of statement unfolding the term “materialist” CHARACTER OF ACTIVITY • DECISION-MAKING CRITERA What sort of rules does a materialist apply while making decisions? Never gets involved in activities which do not pay-off /Takes into consideration the material assets of a potential partner or acquaintance • SELF-PRESENTATION STYLE How does a materialist present him/herself? Talks mainly about money and possessions/Wears designer clothes and possesses expensive gadgets /Is highly fashion-conscious

9. Categories of statement unfolding the term “materialist”RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD • WORLD VIEWS How does a materialist perceive the principles of social and societal relationships? Thinks that ”money makes the world go round”/ Is convinced that only young, rich and beautiful people count/Believes that everything in the world has a material value • CHARACTER OF SOCIAL RELATIONS With what sort of people does a materialist make and maintain contacts and what rules lie beneath them? Believes that everything can be bought, even friends / Is convinced that it is worth to have only influential friends, just to make life easier

10. Categories of statement unfolding the term “materialist”EMOTIONS • SOURCE OF EMOTIONAL AROUSAL What causes emotions in a materialist? Others possessions and wealth / own possessions and wealth / money – a lot or not enough / competing for material assets • EMOTIONAL MODE What sort of emotions does a materialist experience? Greed / envy / fear / joy / pleasure / happiness / unhappiness

11. Principal components of materialism • Materialists are driven by certain motivational forces and are oriented towards a specific set of values and goals Kasser & Ryan, 1993,1996; Kasser, 2002; Kasser, et. al., 2003 • Such motivational forces correspond with certain views and beliefs as how to world is organized and what sort of principles apply to social life Richins & Dawson, 1992; Ger & Belk, 1999; Christopher & Jones, 2004; Christopher et. al., 2005 • The two mental phenomena are basics for the way decisions are made and social interactions taken on and maintained Kasser, 2002; McHoskey, 1999; Sheldon, Sheldon &Osbaldiston, 2000 • They also designate the style of self-presentation, i.e. the way people present themselves in social environment and the sort information about other people they want to obtain in social contacts. Richins, 1994, 2004; Christopher & Schlenker, 2004;Christopher, et. al., 2004 Christopher, et. all,2005 • Altogether the above listed processes and behaviours result in emotions which create the core of theexperiential aspect of materialism Richins & Dawson, 1992; Christopher & Schlenker, 2004; Wang, Wallendorf, 2006; Kasser, 2002; Solberg, Diener & Robinson, 2003

12. Model of “new” materialism WORLD VIEWS AND BELIEFS “Money makes the world go round” and the world is a „zero-sum game” MOTIVATION VALUES LIFE GOALS Extrinsic Mental processes ??? EMOTIONS ??? RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORLD Based on cost – benefit analysis and „instrumental quasi-friendship” SELF-PRESENTATION PREFERENCES Towards the socially recognized image of the Young, Rich and Beautiful Behaviours

13. Emperor’s New Clothes – psychological mercantilism A psycho-behavioral complex of a multidimensional nature – its core is created by extrinsic values, accompanied by a perception of the world as a zero-sum game; it includes decision criteria used by people in relation to their everyday activity, which are based on a “cost-benefit analysis” and tend to secure material gains, as well as a style of self-presentation, which involves an exposition of socially approved signs of the material success, physical attractiveness and social recognition

14. Development of the Questionnaire of Psychological Mercantilism (QPM) • A complete indicator of materialism includes all four aspects of the phenomenon, i.e. values, world beliefs, relations with the world and self-presentation preferences. • The mercantile characteristics of an individual should be seen in the context of the wider system of values, beliefs and behaviors. Such an approach can show the relative importance of these characteristics and their weight in relation to other – also significant – psychological features (see Rokeach, 1978; Kasser, 2002). • Materialism is a personal characteristic heavily loaded with social approval. People, even if they have strong materialistic tendencies, tend to present themselves as non-materialists or justify/excuse such inclinations (see Ger & Belk, 1999). Thus, direct self-assessment has limited validity. Our approach is to ask questions mainly related to: (a) the world as a whole – how an individual perceives it, (b) general rules and principles – how much an individual agrees or disagrees with them, (c) a valuation of other people behavior – how much an individual approves or disapproves on that. The only direct question we asked was related to personal values.

15. Measuring psychological mercantilism- study II • Set A – QPM version A • 173-item questionnaire related to: - values (38) - motivation (7) - world beliefs (36) - relationship with the world (50) - self-presentation style (42) • Subjects: 338 – men(n=125) and women (n=213) aged 26 – 73 • Set B – QPM version B • 102-item questionnaire related to: - values (38) - world beliefs (20) - relationship with the world (20) - self-presentation style (24) • Subjects:335 – men (n=157) and women (n=178) aged 26 – 74 • The Principal Axis Factoring followed by Varimax rotation was used

16. Factor Analysis results

17. Factor Analysis results

18. Factor Analysis results

19. Factor Analysis results

20. Cronbacha for subscales of QPM – version C

21. What configuration of factors makes mercantile / non-mercantile complex? • Indicators of dominance (ID) - a difference between arithmetical means of mercantile and non-mercantile subscales. Their values indicated: • ID > 0 suggested a supremacy of mercantile aspects, i.e. materialistic values, mercantile vision of the world, mercantile relationships (pure pragmatism) and mercantile (peacock) self-presentation; • ID = 0 suggested perfect balance; • ID < 0 suggested a supremacy of non-mercantile aspects, i.e. humanistic and traditional values, idealistic vision of the world, non-mercantile relationships (chaste involvement) and non-mercantile self-presentation (abnegation). • A two-step cluster analysis was conducted on the results of 10 further independent studies with IDs as variables

22. Faces of psychological mercantilismResults of two-step cluster analyses • Definite mercantile versus definite non-mercantile types Based on study IV

23. Faces of psychological mercantilismResults of two-step cluster analyses • Balanced pragmatics Based on study III

24. Faces of psychological mercantilismResults of two-step cluster analyses • Heroic contesters Based on study II

25. Faces of psychological mercantilismResults of two-step cluster analyses • Heroic contesters again Based on study III

26. Conclusions • Psychological mercantilism could be treated as multidimensional construct related to various aspects of materialistic / non-materialistic “ways of being”. The aspects (dimensions) of mercantilism are related to: (a) general directions of an individual’s behavior in forms of terminal values, (b) ways of perceiving and understanding external world and principles by which it is ruled, in forms of world beliefs, (c) preferences of decision making in connection with behaviors in relationships with the world, (d) self-presentation tactics. • The profiles created with the four aspects of mercantilism were, however, not coherent in all cases. They were four definite clusters of subjects: (1) definite mercantile individuals –with positive indicators of every aspect of mercantilism (in certain cases with domination of not mercantile self-presentation), (2) definite non-mercantile individuals – with negative indicators of every aspect of materialism , (3) heroic contesters – with negative indicators in most aspects of mercantilism, except of the world beliefs , (4) balanced pragmatists – with average, approaching 0, indicators in every aspects of mercantilism. • A further investigation is needed to identify additional psychological characteristics of these four groups.

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