From 2006, Journal of Happiness Studies by Emily L. Polak, Michael E. McCullough Materialism has been shown to harm psychological well-being, and so is a losing strategy for the individual. The authors then explore two development routes which give rise to the personality trait of materialism: 1.) Insecurity. Those who have not had “their basic psychological needs met – needs such as safety, competence, connectedness, and autonomy” are more likely to be materialistic. Three examples in particular are those who have high self-doubt, those who come from poor families, and those whose who had parents which failed to provide requisite levels of emotional support. 2.) Role models. Quite sadly, Americans are inundated with materialistic role models, every single day. From advertisements which highlight materialistic themes to celebrity culture which glorifies the rich and frivolous, to business culture in which we are told our dreams should be to be rich and powerful. The evidence is clear – while economic motivation is a prerequisite for a stable life (e.g. the unemployed have higher rates of depression), high economic motivation (e.g. materialism) is strongly correlated with reduced well-being and increased rates of mental disorder.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 03:59:03 +0000
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