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Conceptually, materialism involves a lifestyle whereby happiness is achieved thorough the attainment of material objects, wealth or status. Previous research has related materialism to an external and fragile sense of self. The current study examined the relationship between materialism and self-concept clarity, self-efficacy, locus of control and self-monitoring, as they are likely to be central in the externality and fragility of the self. Using self-report measures from 243 university students, a set of structural equation models demonstrated that materialism is related to lower self-concept clarity, lower general self-efficacy, and a combination of high-self monitoring and external locus of control, locus from powerful others and chance factors.
Materialism has been defined as "...the devotion to acquisition and possession..." (Tatzel, 2002, p.110). Theoretically, materialism has been viewed either as a set of values consisting of success, centrality, and happiness (Richins & Dawson, 1992) or as a trait consisting of possessiveness, non-generosity and envy (Belk, 1984, 1985). Subjective well-being has been found to be lower in highly materialistic individuals compared to those that are less materialistic (e.g., Belk, 1985; Burroughs & Rindfleisch, 2002; Kashdan & Breen, 2007; Kasser & Ahuvia, 2002; Kasser & Ryan, 1993). One possible reason for lower subjective well - being is that there are social drawbacks to the pursuit of materialistic goals. This is likely to have consequences for the self, since materialistic individuals are stigmatized as being "less likable," and they have less desirable personality qualities, such as being self-centered, selfish, manipulative, and externally oriented (Van Boven, Campbell & Gilovich, 2010, p. 551).
While the relationship between materialism and low subjective well-being has been established, there are only a few studies examining the relationship between materialism and the self (e.g., Belk, 1988; Chang & Arkin, 2002; Gao, Wheeler & Shiv, 2009; Kashdan & Breen, 2007; Tian & Belk, 2005). These studies have found that the materialistic self is external and fragile; however, why materialism can impact the self in this manner requires further investigation. Self-concept clarity, self-efficacy, locus of control and self-monitoring are four important self-related concepts that are likely to be related to both externality and fragility of the self in materialism. The present study investigated the question of why the materialistic self is external and fragile.
Defining the self
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