Regulatory Focus in Materialists and Its Consequences for Their Well-Being

Abstract

The article concentrates on regulatory focus (promotion and prevention) as a factor involved in the relationships between materialism and well-being alongside two personality traits—emotionality and grandiose narcissism. In an empirical study two types of materialists—one with high emotionality and low narcissism, the other with high narcissism and low emotionality—were compared in relation to their regulatory orientation and well-being. Additionally, regression commonality analysis was utilised in order to explain the complex relationships between variables. Materialists, characterised by the high level of emotionality and low narcissism, appeared to be also more prevention-oriented and less promotion-oriented than the materialists, characterised by a high level of narcissism and a low level of emotionality. Among the five variables explaining well-being promotion focus connected with grandiose narcissism played the most important role. However in the case of the type of materialism associated with the high emotionality level and low narcissism the problem with well-being was due to the lack of promotion orientation, whereas in the case of the type of materialism associated with the low level of emotionality and high level of narcissism the promotion orientation connected with grandiose narcissism seemed to protect well-being. Materialism was related to well-being (negatively) only in the case of the first type of materialism and sustained its unique effect despite multicollinearity with other predictors. Generally materialism served as a variable which accentuated the role of promotion focus and grandiose narcissism in shaping well-being in both groups.