Perceived Parental Upbringing and the Materialism of Young Adults

Magdalena Poraj-Weder

doi:10.1177/2158244014537499

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine whether the level and structure of young adults’ materialism varied depending on parental attitudes toward upbringing and whether a negative assessment of the family of origin’s material situation and a low level of meeting material needs in childhood contributed to the formation of materialistic attitudes. The sample comprised 453 individuals: 335 women (74%) and 118 men (26%). The results indicated that parental attitudes toward upbringing played an important role in forming materialistic orientations in young people. Materialism is associated with parental attitudes of rejection and over-protection. A hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to determine whether the level and structure of young adults’ materialism varied depending on their parents’ attitudes toward upbringing. The analysis revealed that groups with different perceptions of these parental attitudes viewed them solely within the scope of variables describing materialism as the importance of possessing and acquiring money to fulfill one’s main goals in life (that being the case for all its dimensions). The “traditional” understanding of materialism (and the most common one in specialist literature), that is, regarding the possession of material goods as a source of happiness and an indicator of success in life, was non-differentiating.

Highlights

Materialist and consumerist attitudes are becoming more present in our lives because we are setting life goals, building self-esteem, and forming beliefs about others
The study presented in this article considers the aspect of deprivation, and the analysis focuses on the relationship between parental attitudes toward upbringing and young adults’ materialism
Materialism understood as the importance of possessing and acquiring material goods to achieve one’s main goals in life, which are defined as success and happiness; and

Summary

Introduction

Materialist and consumerist attitudes are becoming more present in our lives because we are setting life goals, building self-esteem, and forming beliefs about others. Psychologists view these attitudes as an important topic within research into human functioning. It is expected that the family plays an important role in the process because its impact is the strongest and is present throughout a person’s life This claim seems to be justified by previous research (Flouri, 1999, 2004; GórnikDurose & Dziedzic, 2013; Kasser, Ryan, Couchman, & Sheldon, 2003; Kasser, Ryan, Zax & Sameroff, 1995). As most of this research was conducted in Western countries with developed consumer cultures, these questions should be studied in central and eastern Europe

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