Materialism, affective states, and life satisfaction: case of Croatia.

Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan,Zvjezdana Prizmić-Larsen,Tihana Brkljačić

doi:10.1186/s40064-015-1494-5

Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan, Zvjezdana Prizmić-Larsen + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40064-015-1494-5

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Journal: SpringerPlus	Publication Date: Nov 14, 2015
Citations: 33	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis

Abstract

In recent years, a number of studies have used Material Values Scale (MVS) to assess beliefs about importance to own material things. The aims of this study were to validate the MVS scale and to explore the relationships between materialistic values and well-being of Croatian citizens. The study was carried out on a representative sample of N = 1129 Croatian citizens. We used the short 9-item version of the MVS, life satisfaction rating, ratings of two positive (Positive affect) and four negative emotions (Negative affect) over the past month, and demographic variables (age, gender, income). The original dimensionality of the MVS was not confirmed; confirmatory factor analyses yielded two instead of three factors, Happiness and Centrality/Success. When controlled for income, gender and age, the Happiness dimension predicted Life satisfaction and both Positive and Negative affect, indicating that people who believed that the material goods in ones life leads to happiness reported to have lower life satisfaction, lower level of positive affect and higher level of negative affect over the past month. The Centrality/Success dimension was positively related to Positive affect, indicating that the belief that possessions play a central role in enjoyment leads to more frequent experiences of happiness and satisfaction over the past month.

Highlights

Materialism is generally considered a negative value, trait or behavior, being associated with greed, shallowness and lack of spiritual values
One dimension was labeled as Happiness as it captured beliefs that owing material goods and being able to acquire them leads to happiness, and another as Centrality/Success, capturing the believes that possessions are important for personal gratification
By the rated level of Happiness we suggest that perceptions of materialism in Croatian society may be different from the perception of materialism in societies that are more well off

Summary

Introduction

Materialism is generally considered a negative value, trait or behavior, being associated with greed, shallowness and lack of spiritual values. Collins English Dictionary defines materialism as “interest in and desire for money, possessions, etc., rather than spiritual or ethical values” (“Materialism” 2015). Studied within various disciplines materialism is defined from different perspectives: as a way of life, a value orientation, a cultural system, a personality trait, a second order value, an aspiration (Bindah and Othman 2011). Belk (1985) relates materialism to the personality traits of “possessiveness (the inclination and tendency to retain control or ownership of one’s possessions), non-generosity (an unwillingness to give possessions to or share possessions with others) and envy (displeasure and ill will at the superiority of another person in happiness, success, reputation, or the possession of anything desirable)”. At the highest levels of materialism, possessions take a central place in person’s life and are believed to provide the greatest sources of satisfaction (Belk 1984b)

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