Materialistic Orientation Research Articles

Charcot and hallucinations: A study in insight and blindness

ABSTRACT Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893) showed little interest in mental disorders, the domain of nineteenth-century alienists. But hallucinations are not confined to the field of psychiatry, and Charcot, who had once tested the hallucinogenic effects of hashish in his youth, went on to describe hallucinations in the course of various neurological conditions as just another semiological element. Most of his or his disciples’ writings on hallucinations can be found in his work on hysteria. Hallucinations and delusions were part of “grand hysteria” and occurred at the end of the attack (third or fourth phase). Hypnosis or chemical agents could also induce hallucinations. Charcot and his disciples did not go so far as to emphasize the importance of hallucinations when they evoked past trauma, especially sexual trauma. Charcot’s materialistic orientation led him and his disciples—especially D. M. Bourneville (1840–1909), G. Gilles de la Tourette (1857–1904), and the neurologist and artist P. Richer (1849–1833)—to seek hysteria in artistic representations of “possessed women” and in the visions of nuns and mystics. Finally, Charcot recognized the importance of hallucinations in neurological semiology, by means of precise and relevant observations scattered throughout his work. Preoccupied with linking hysteria to neurology, Charcot only scratched the surface of the possible significance of hallucinations in this context, paving the way for the work of his students Pierre Janet (1859–1947) and Sigmund Freud (1856–1939).

The mediating role of narcissistic behavior in the relationship between materialistic orientation and conspicuous online consumption behavior on social media

The mediating role of narcissistic behavior in the relationship between materialistic orientation and conspicuous online consumption behavior on social media

Revisiting tradition in Ahmad Fuadi’s Anak Rantau

Paradoxical as it may be, Anak Rantau both problematizes the practice of outmigration tradition in Minangkabau culture, yet campaigns for the perpetuation of Minangkabau tradition at the same time. By highlighting the darker side of the impact of outmigration, the novel advises returning to the religion-based tradition which works through the revitalization of the surau, as a learning center, and less-materially oriented outmigration for remedy. Although it is apparent that the meaning of outmigration is being rearticulated in the novel, it is also inevitable to notice that the novel perceives the ecological destruction, the waning tradition, and the spiritually corrupt village as a failure of modernity, creating a learning loss among the Minangkabau’s youngsters. This paper uses Bhabha’s perspective of modernity and his theory of the Third Space of enunciation to reveal how the meaning of outmigration has been rearticulated in the novel and how it intersects with the powerful discourse of modernity. This paper tries to show that, first of all, in the attempts to rearticulate the long institutionalized outmigration tradition of Minangkabau people by questioning the virtue of its materialistic orientation, and problematizing the concept of ‘home’ and ‘rantau’, the novel actually tries to closely adhere to the Minangkabau tradition. Secondly, it also tries to show that the problem of learning loss is pronounced well in the anxieties over the undermining of Minangkabau traditional values.

The Role of the Dark Triad and Materialistic Orientation in Evaluating an Ethically Unfounded Economic Decision

The authors consider the role of the Dark Triad traits in making an ethically unfounded economic decision caused by an artificial increase in prices against the background of forced consumer demand. They test hypotheses about the positive associations of dark traits with assessments of an ethically unfounded choice and the moderating (facilitating) role of materialistic orientation in the manifestation of these associations. It is assumed that the highest positive assessments of an unethical economic decision will be observed with a combination of high values in the dark traits and the materialistic orientation. The study involved 462 firstto fourth-year students aged 17 to 46 (M = 21.20; SD = 3.09), including 80 males (17.3%) and 382 females (82.7%). To diagnose moral choice in terms of economic behavior, the participants were asked to consider two situations, in each of which it was required to assess the degree of ethicality of financial decisions aimed at raising prices. In the first situation, this decision was justified, since it was aimed at compensating objective expenses, while, in the second situation, it was unjustified, since it had no objective economic prerequisites. The dark traits and materialistic orientation were measured by standardized questionnaires. The data were processed using correlation analysis (including partial correlations) and factorial ANOVA. It was found that, at high levels of the Dark Triad, there was a tendency to make ethically unfounded financial decisions, but the materialistic orientation did not increase this tendency. For the first time, it was revealed that the tendency to make ethically unjustified financial decisions manifests itself in a combination of high values of the Dark Triad (in particular, Machiavellianism) and low values of the materialistic orientation (in particular, the Acquisition centrality). Notably, that, for total indicators, this pattern can be traced only at the level of a statistical trend while, for Machiavellianism, it is at a statistically significant level. The results obtained indicate that the unethical economic decision of a ‘dark’ personality may be based on a non-utilitarian motivation, which manifests itself in the rejection of profit for the sake of the opportunity to cause harm.

TREATMENT OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE COMMON PEOPLE IN THE CREATIVE THOUGHTS OF RAINIS’S PLAYS

Rainis’s world outlook has been strongly influenced by the Marxist philosophy, yet his attitude towards this doctrine is rather complicated. On the one hand, the poet was attracted by the idea of changing the world, voiced by Marxism, and he was fascinated by the personality of Karl Marx, in whom he saw a brave and talented reformer of the society; yet, on the other hand, Rainis has severely criticised a number of ideas propagated by Marxism which have been proposed as the foundation of socialism. Firstly, the distinctly materialistic orientation of the Marxist doctrine and the social and political movements associated with it is incompatible with Rainis’s artistic endeavours and his conviction that the decisive role in the development of the society is played by the enhancement of the man’s spiritual world rather than by the economic conditions and their transformation. Secondly, Marxism is unable to solve the contradiction that occurs between the necessity to act in the name of the interests of the overwhelming majority and, simultaneously, to guarantee a free development of every individual. One could even assert that Marxism tries to bypass the potential conflict between the individual freedom and mass interests. On the other hand, Rainis, who had a high regard for the individuality and wanted to harmonise the collective potential for the development of the society with the free development of the personality, is particularly sensitive to the contradictions existing between the individual and the society and strives to address them in his literary works. The issues outlined above in relation to the treatment of the individual and the mass specific of Rainis’s literary works have been analysed in this article in the context of the working notes of Rainis’s unfinished play “Īliņš (Kurbads)”.

The impact of long-term orientation on compulsive buying behavior: A cross-cultural study.

The overall purpose of this study was to investigate the wider impacts of cultural values on consumer compulsive buying from a cross-cultural perspective. This study considers the long-term orientation as an extended antecedent to explore the moderating role of materialism value and money attitude on compulsive buying behavior in different cultures. Survey results from 313 Chinese and 309 U.S. consumers indicate that the higher materialistic values drive compulsive buying though some differences exist between consumers in both countries. To specify, American buyers had a higher materialistic orientation and higher compulsive buying tendencies than Chinese consumers. Furthermore, the results indicate that money attitudes are negatively related to compulsive buying behaviors among two countries' consumers. Lastly, this study found that long-term orientations were found to significantly influence money attitudes and compulsive buying among Chinese consumers.

Do Materialistic Consumers Buy More During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

This study investigates the mediated moderating relationship of self-concept clarity, materialism, and social consumption motivation in the context of Covid-19 pandemic based on the terror management theory. The findings suggest that Malaysian consumers have high self-concept clarity about their materialistic orientation. This materialistic orientation may be of hedonistic-utilitarian nature that is internally directed for self-satisfaction and not exclusively directed externally in material consumption to portray an image to others. Furthermore, this study posits that cultural factors like collectivism and uncertainty avoidance delimits the applicability of terror management theory in Malaysia, suggesting that the development of the theory draw heavily from Western ideology of individualism not directly relevant in the Asian context. Finally, this study offers an understanding of the self-concept clarity from the Asian context, addressing the the appeal by Dunlop (2017) to investigate the construct of self-concept clarity particularly in non-Western context.

Find me strength in things: Fear can explain materialism

AbstractIndividuals feel fear when they face potential dangers and threats. It causes individuals to take actions and make choices that help them face the threat, such as by seeking out others because there is “strength in numbers.” We conjecture that fear also increases materialism in individuals because there is “strength in things.” The results from four experiments illustrate that situationally felt fear can increase materialistic orientation (Study 1) because of a desire for safety (Study 2). Importantly, fear increases preference for material and not experiential goods (Study 3). Finally, consistent with our theoretical account, having more material products (vs. experiences) can reduce fear (Study 4). Together, our findings across four studies suggest that fear increases materialism. Our findings also offer unique insights into another precursor or antecedent to materialism, a human value related to both possessiveness and selfishness and that restricts individuals' pursuit of true happiness.

Outwardly strong but inwardly weak, pretensions to wealth? Exploring the impact of heterogeneous high self-esteem on materialism in a self-threat situation

<p id="p00010">Self-esteem, as a core individual variable, has a long-standing inverse relationship with materialism. However, some studies have found that people with high self-esteem have higher materialistic orientation than those with low self-esteem, which contradicts previous research. In this connection, researchers need to rethink the relationship between these two variables. The heterogeneity hypothesis of high self-esteem holds that there are secure high self-esteem and fragile high self-esteem in high self-esteem groups, which may guide our understanding of this contradictory relationship. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore whether materialistic orientation was associated with different sub-types of high self-esteem, that is, that high self-esteem is heterogeneous, and to explore whether the relationship would change under self-threat situations. <p id="p00015">The results of study 1 indicated that the relationship between high fragile self-esteem and materialism was positive, while the relationship between high secure self-esteem and materialism was negative. The materialism of people with high fragile self-esteem was significantly higher than those with high secure self-esteem. The results of study 2 suggested that attractiveness threat moderated the relationship between heterogeneous high self-esteem and materialism. Specifically, in the attractive threat scenarios, materialism of secure high self-esteem was low, while materialism of fragile high self-esteem was high. In the non-attractive threat situation, the difference in materialism measures between them was insignificant. This finding was further replicated in study 3 where intellectual threat moderated the relationship between heterogeneous high self-esteem and implicit materialism. Notably, in the context of an intellectual threat, implicit materialism of the secure high self-esteem group was low, while implicit materialism of the fragile high self-esteem group was high. In the non-intellectual threat situation, the difference in implicit materialism scores was not significant. <p id="p00020">Therefore, from the perspective of heterogeneous high self-esteem, this study essentially proved the low materialism level of those with secure high self-esteem and high materialism level of those with fragile high self-esteem. It signifies that the two conclusions of previous studies are reasonable. If there exists a greater number of secure high self-esteem individuals among a population of high self-esteem persons, the relationship between high self-esteem and materialism is negative. On the contrary, if there is a greater number of fragile high self-esteem individuals, the relationship is positive, thereby solving the puzzle of the contradictory relationship between high self-esteem and materialism. Furthermore, this study can urge educators to pay more attention to the cultivation of children's secure high self-esteem rather than unquestioningly cultivating high self-esteem. <p id="p00025">To delve deeper into the impact of high self-esteem on materialism orientation, three studies were conducted. In study 1, 420 college students from 4 universities were surveyed by questionnaire to explore the correlation between heterogeneous high self-esteem and materialism. Study 2 was aimed to verify the causal relationship, and used attractiveness threat to self-esteem to investigate whether the attractiveness threat played a moderating role in the relationship between different types of high self-esteem and materialism where participants with fragile high self-esteem and secure high self-esteem were randomly assigned either to the attractiveness threat group or the control group. They were asked to compare their own attractiveness to the most and the least attractive images of the same sex selected from pre-test, respectively. Study 3 used intellectual threat as a form of self-threat priming and measured materialism at the implicit level where heterogeneous high self-esteem participants were randomly assigned to the intellectual threat group or the control group. The former completed 13 difficult questions from Raven's Progressive Matrices and received negative feedback, while the latter completed 13 simple questions from Raven's Progressive Matrices and received positive feedback.

Rozum, wiara, tajemnica: Ralph Cudworth z angielskiej szkoły z Cambridge

The text introduces the figure of Ralph Cudworth, the leading representative of the Cambridge Platonist school. The presentation of the views of the English philosopher and theologian aims to draw attention to the original and almost completely forgotten intellectual tradition of 17th-century England – typically perceived as dominated wholly by the currents of empiricist and materialistic orientation.

Do Materialistic Adolescents Ruminate More About Their Social Media Posts?

Previous research suggests that ruminating on social media content is associated with greater mental distress (Yang et al., 2018). This study examined whether materialistic value orientation (MVO)—prioritizing values and goals related to consumerism, consumption, and social status—predicted social media rumination in a sample of diverse adolescents in a two-wave cross-lagged design. A cross-lagged analysis among 119 adolescents indicated that MVO at Wave 1 predicted greater social media rumination 4 months later at Wave 2, but social media rumination at Wave 1 did not predict MVO at Wave 2. Cross-lagged results suggested that MVO may lead to greater social media rumination over time for diverse adolescents. Adolescents with MVO could benefit from interventions to reduce the effects of their need for external validation and maladaptive rumination, as external validation and maladaptive rumination are linked to behaviors and thoughts that can be harmful to mental health.

ON THE INFLUENCE OF INSECURITY ON MATERIALISTIC ORIENTATION

Materialistic orientation has long been related to various aspects of personality development and subjective wellbeing. Literature and research overview provides evidence that a higher level of materialistic orientation is related to increased external motivation (lack of internalisation of goals), extrinsic aspirations (such as possessions, power and image), overall lower levels of subjective wellbeing and physical health. Materialistic orientation also prevents the future exposure to different situations where a person could fulfil basic psychological needs as defined by Ryan and Deci – autonomy, capability and connectedness. People with higher materialistic orientation are easier influenced by advertisement and media, which in itself leads to strengthening of their materialistic orientation. Research in different countries conducted by T. Kasser and Sheldon and colleagues indicates that the materialistic orientation’s influence is not limited only to people in developed countries and it could be far worse in developing and underdeveloped countries as the capitalistic models spread throughout the world through the processes of globalization. The current article presents the data from an experiment conducted in Bulgaria applying the protocols from Tim Kasser and Ken Sheldon’s experiments in 2001 in the USA. The levels of insecurity of the participants in the experiment group are manipulated by asking them to think and write about their own death. Then all participants are asked to solve a social case by choosing between their own financial benefits and security (greed and fear) or do what is best for the group and others including the environmental sustainability (social interest). The results from the experiment concur with all previous data collected in the USA.

Материалистична ориентация и психично благополучие при юношите в 11-12 клас

The aim of the current study is to look for theoretically and empirically grounded proof for the correlation between aspirations – extrinsic and intrinsic- determining the motivation – and the psychological wellbeing of adolescents in 11th grade. Materialistic orientation is expressed in the preferences of extrinsic goals such as fame, wealth and image, while the intrinsic aspirations are related to preferences of aspirations for personal growth, personal relationships and community contribution. High level of psychological wellbeing is measured through the six elements from K. Ryff’s definition: self-acceptance, positive interaction with others, autonomy, managing of environment, meaning and personal growth. The research includes a group of 50 students in two Bulgarian high schools.

Parenting and materialism in children

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between child-rearing styles of the mother and father, and their children's materialism. 346 subjects, aged 20-35, took part in the study. To measure the variables, the following scales were used: My Childhood Memories, designed by Arrindell et al. (2001); the Material Values Scale designed by Richins (2004); the Priorities in Life Scale (2001); and the Motives for Making Money Scale, designed by Srivastav, Locke and Bartol (2001). The study has shown that the formation of a materialistic orientation is facilitated by negative parenting attitudes: rejection in the case of the mother and excessive protection in the case of the father. Positive attitudes have a two-directional impact. The father's positive attitude hinders the development of the materialistic orientation, while a similar attitude on the part of the mother may foster it.

Psychological origins of the Industrial Revolution.

Since the Industrial Revolution, human societies have experienced high and sustained rates of economic growth. Recent explanations of this sudden and massive change in economic history have held that modern growth results from an acceleration of innovation. But it is unclear why the rate of innovation drastically accelerated in England in the eighteenth century. An important factor might be the alteration of individual preferences with regard to innovation resulting from the unprecedented living standards of the English during that period, for two reasons. First, recent developments in economic history challenge the standard Malthusian view according to which living standards were stagnant until the Industrial Revolution. Pre-industrial England enjoyed a level of affluence that was unprecedented in history. Second, behavioral sciences have demonstrated that the human brain is designed to respond adaptively to variations in resources in the local environment. In particular, Life History Theory, a branch of evolutionary biology, suggests that a more favorable environment (high resources, low mortality) should trigger the expression of future-oriented preferences. In this paper, I argue that some of these psychological traits - a lower level of time discounting, a higher level of optimism, decreased materialistic orientation, and a higher level of trust in others - are likely to increase the rate of innovation. I review the evidence regarding the impact of affluence on preferences in contemporary as well as past populations, and conclude that the impact of affluence on neurocognitive systems may partly explain the modern acceleration of technological innovations and the associated economic growth.

The spillover effect of incidental social comparison on materialistic pursuits

PurposeThis paper aims to examine whether social comparison in a prior, nonconsumption circumstance (e.g. in an academic setting) affects consumers’ materialism and subsequent spending propensity, and explores the incidental feeling of envy as the underlying mechanism.Design/methodology/approachFour experiments have been conducted to test these hypotheses. Study 1 manipulated social comparison in an academic domain, and measured undergraduate students’ materialism after they compared themselves to a superior student or to an inferior student. Study 2 used a recall task to manipulate social comparison and examine the mediating role of envy. Study 3 examined which of the two types of envy (benign or malicious) affected materialism. Study 4 examined the downstream consequences on spending propensity in both public and private consumption contexts.FindingsThe results suggest that consumers place greater importance on material goods and are more likely to spend money on publicly visible products after making upward social comparisons than after making downward social comparisons or no comparisons. Furthermore, envy acts as the mediator for the observed effect of incidental social comparison on materialism.Originality/valueFirst, this study improves our understanding of the consequences of social comparison and envy by demonstrating that incidental envy (both benign and malicious) experienced in a prior, unrelated social comparison can motivate materialistic pursuits. Second, the present research contributes to the compensatory consumption literature by revealing that, in a social comparison context, envy is the affective underpinning that gives rise to the motivation to engage in compensatory consumer behavior. Third, the findings also enrich materialism research by exploring an important situational antecedent in driving materialistic orientation.

Overabundance and privation as predictors of materialism in young adults

The aim of the present study was to determine how the social and material status of the family of origin and the degree of satisfaction of material needs during childhood (excessive vs. insufficient) engender materialism in young adults. The participants in the study were 346 individuals aged 20 to 35. To measure materialism, the following scales were used: the Material Values Scale by Richins; the Priorities in Life Scale; and the Motives for Making Money Scale by Srivastav, Locke, and Bartol. Socioeconomic variables were measured with the author’s own tool. The results indicate that the low socioeconomic status of the family of origin and the experience of privation in early life increase the attractiveness of material goods and money, and thus contribute to the formation of the materialistic orientation. The experience of overabundance during childhood, by contrast, is negatively correlated with materialism. This, however, does not mean that being spoiled has no negative consequences. It appears that people who were showered with material goods in childhood lose the ability to appreciate their abundance. They feel they do not have enough material goods, even if they have more than others.

Identyfikacja regionalna mieszkańców pogranicza polsko-niemieckiego

According to the author about a half of the Polish-German borderland inhabitants are “the winners” of the systemic transformation, they are pragmatic individualists and materialists. In their case identification with any other person than themselves and members of the closest family is rare. The otherhalf are members of enclaves and “tribes”. Solidarity, which may be found in their system of values, is however limited to their “fellows of the same mind”, thus it has a particular character. These are the “losers” of the transformation. The feeling of material deprivation, their identification particularism generates and enhances a reluctant attitude to the reconstruction of the German cultural heritage in the Polish western borderland. According to the author, the reconstruction of this heritage creates the feeling of non-obviousness as to the possession of the western borderland, thus evoking a negative attitude to everything that is German or, generally, ethnically “strange”. The first ones treat land in a materialist, instrumental manner (as “plots of land” for development), they may recognize it as a subject of a profitable transaction, not making it the subject of a moral dilemma whether the achievement of their interest reduces the economic strength of the Polish state. For the other ones, land has got a symbolic value. In the Author’s opinion, the inhabitants of the western borderland, though in many objective aspects similar, are not subjectively close to one another. Dichotomously divided, they create a territorial group, not a community. On account of the individualistic, pragmatic and materialistic orientation of one half of the inhabitants, in this paper the Polish – German borderland is called a space of identification vacuum, whereas on account of the enclave-like and tribal orientation of the other half of its inhabitants it is called a space of identification failure.

Spiritually inspired creativity in business

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relation of spirituality and creativity in business context.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents practical examples of spiritual-based creative business models in different faith traditions (Hinduism, Christianity and Anthroposophy).FindingsSpirituality and a deep sense of connectedness are essential to enhance creativity and care in business. Spirituality creates free space and openness to allow the future to emerge organically. It creates a distance between the self and the pressures of the market and the routines of business and daily life. This distance is a necessary condition for developing creative, ethical and responsible solutions to the complex challenges around us.Originality/valueSpiritually inspired creative business models overcome the instrumental rationality and materialistic orientation of today’s business management which produces large scale ecological, social and ethical “ills.” The paper shows that alternative business management practices need a spiritual foundation to be more creative and caring.

Blurring production-consumption boundaries: Making my own luxury bag

Leather crafting of leather wallets or bags exhibiting similar designs as prestige brands is an emerging hobby among fashion-forward Korean consumers. This study examines the motivations of this emerging craft consumer. Data collected using in-depth interviews and participant observations support the following observation. A conspicuous or materialistic orientation and traditional values of crafting drive consumer participation in leather crafting. The study's findings identify this group of people, labeled neo-craft consumers, as exhibiting Homo Faber (Bergson, 1983) and Homo Ludens (Huizinga, 1950) characteristics. Neo-craft consumers create a new type of consumer culture which blurs production and consumption boundaries.