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Materialism: Changes In Psychological Well-Being

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Changes in materialism, changes in psychological well-being: Evidence from three longitudinal studies and an intervention experiment

Tim Kasser, Katherine L. Rosenblum, Arnold J. Sameroff, Edward L. Deci, Christopher P. Niemiec, Richard M. Ryan, Osp A ́ rnado ́ttir, Rod Bond, Helga Dittmar, Nathan Dungan, and Susan Hawks

Introduction:

• Examined how changes in materialistic values and goals related to changes in well-being, using varying time frames (12 years, 2 years, and 6 months), samples (US young adults and Icelandic adults), and measures of materialism (Likert- type surveys and measures of financial success goals) and well-being (psychopathology, life satisfaction, and affect)
• Hypothesis: declines (or increases) in materialism are associated with increases (or declines) in well-being
• Study 1 hypothesis: decreases (or increases) in the relative …show more content…
late adolescents/early adults, ages 18-30 years old, who were at risk for developing psychopathology --18 years old: participants completed the Aspiration Index to measure materialism in an hour-long interview, some completed it through a survey packet sent to their homes, and did an interview for the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents --30 years old: participants completed the AI in an hour-long phone interview
• Study 2: looked at whether the relationship between changes in materialistic priorities and changes in well-being is mediated by changes in psychological need satisfaction --Participants: 251 American seniors in college --Completed the Aspiration Index before graduation and a survey measuring well-being and psychological need satisfaction after graduation
• Study 3: looked at how changes in materialistic values and goals related to changes in well-being after an economic downfall --Participants: 515 people from Iceland --Completed surveys that measured materialistic values and

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