• Provide a lay summary of the project
This project examines the role of cultural orientation on individual materialism. We propose to prime four cultural orientations (horizontal individualism, vertical individualism, horizontal collectivism, vertical collectivism) and then assess materialism via scales and choices. We expect people primed for vertical individualism is most positively related to the level of materialism and horizontal collectivism the most negatively related to the level of materialism.
• Description of the project: Outline in lay language the theoretical, empirical and/or conceptual basis, background evidence for the research proposal with reference to the relevant literature (include at least four research citations). Note, that your study should be “ based on a thorough study of the current literature, as well as previous studies" (NS 1.1 c)”
The importance of cross-cultural differences on materialism has been recognised in some early work on materialism in marketing (Ger and Belk, 1996, 1999). Yet, relatively little research has explored the link between cultural orientation and materialism. Past research suggests that materialism is positively correlated with individualism and negatively correlated with collectivism (Wong, 1997; Clarke and Micken, 2002). Triandis and colleagues (e.g., Singelis et al., 1995; Triandis and Gelfand, 1998) have developed the conceptualisation of cultural orientations by distinguishing the vertical and horizontal aspects of individualist and collectivist cultures, which breaks the traditional two-group model into four groups (Vertical Individualists, Vertical Collectivist, Horizontal Individualists, and Horizontal Collectivists). We expect the inclusion of the vertical-horizont...
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...ill be randomly assigned to one scenario. They will be asked to read through and then be forced to write for 2 minutes on 1) how are you similar to Chris and 2) how would you wish to be more like Chris.
To measure the level of materialism, we will provide participants with product descriptions and images (may include Amazon-style customer reviews) of items that are high brand, low brand, look expensive, look cheap and ask how much they are willing to pay for this product, indicated on a sliding scale. Products to be chosen for the measurement: pens, cars, phones and tablet computers, umbrellas, USB stick, luggage. These subjects are commonly possessed and are comparatively gender-neutral. The purpose it to test if those primed for VI would like to pay more for prestigious brand name (reflected the success subscale of materialism), and HC the other way round.
In chapter seven of The Way We Never Were, Stephanie Coontz focuses on consumerism and materialism. In this chapter, Coontz claims that the root causes of consumerism is affecting Americans in a contemporary society is the mindset of people having an addiction to having the latest and greatest in terms of any goods. Coontz argues that “consumerism and materialism affect working adults and non working ones, both sexes and all ages, people who endorse new roles for women and people who oppose them” (page 223). In our society people buy what they want rather than what they need.
In response to the question set, I will go into detail of the study, consisting of the background, main hypotheses, as well the aims, procedure and results gathered from the study; explaining the four research methods chosen to investigate, furthering into the three methods actually tested.
...hat materialistic attitudes are harmful to one's well-being. “The psychological perspective attributes the development of materialistic values to family circumstances that create stress and self esteem issues that promote materialistic values,” (Hung Vu Nguyen.) Many people in our culture attribute material goods to personal achievement. Truth rings true with Bertrand Russell’s statement “It is the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else that prevents us from living freely and nobly.” Even at young ages children are competing and bragging to one another of who has more possessions. Past studies by Rindfleisch say that materialism developed over time as a response to stress due to family issues such as divorce, separation, and loss of loved ones. Materialism leads consumers to put a disproportionate amount of their resources into acquiring goods.
Individualism outlines the link between the ‘individual and the collectivity which prevails in a given society’ (Hofstede, 1980: 213). The main distinction amongst individualism and collectivism is the way that people of various cultures classify themselves (Di Cesare and Sadri, 2002). They recognize themselves as either an individual or a member of a group. Individualism is the extent in which societies look after themselves and their immediate family while in collectivist societies, individuals belong to groups that tend to them in exchange for wholehearted allegiance (Torrington, 1994; Hofstede, 2015). Individualist actions are motivated by their own attitudes and customs, while collectivists are focused by collective norms (Kulkarni et al, 2010). Also, individualists are more focused toward undertaking a personal task, while collectivists are driven more in the direction of achieving balanced relationships (Kulkarni et al, 2010). In certain societies, being an individualist is seen as an advantage while in other societies it can be viewed as isolating. The amount of individualism or collectivism in a particular society will influence the essence of the relationship among the individual and the organization they belong (Hofstede, 1980). From the viewpoint of the organization, individuality can be looked at as the worker’s independence in distinction to the organization. The level of
Economy and materialism are concepts that come up every day in the life of Americans. Those who are not from America may think the way Americans live is strange and wasteful and they’d be right in their thinking that. Americans are consumed by consumerism and the need to buy things because there is always some new and improved version of what was purchased two weeks ago. Although it is said that Americans are too materialistic, the truth is that materialistic does not quite cover the near obsession with the latest and greatest that Americans have.
Money as a determinant for subjective well-being is influenced by several cultural influences. For example, Dittmar (2008) points out a study on UK and Croatian students that revealed more materialistic inclinations in UK students who were more subject to lower well-being in case of conflicts between material and community values. Based on this study, it is possible to make a conclusion that society defines the value of money and its effects on human psychology. If learning theories suggest that cognitive patterns and paradigms form during childhood when the child is exposed to and accepts external ideas, that explains how people from different cultural backgrounds can perceive the value of money differently and form different motivations for making money.
The beginnings of any type of dress code come from social structures around the world. Dress codes were very important in distinguishing the different classes of citizens in society. In the past, dress codes have changed and eventually became commonplace in our educational system. Private schools have set rules in place on what students need to wear and some girls’ schools expect their student body to wear uniforms and even went as far as inspecting socks and fingernails each morning before they started their day (Elizabeth Crook, 2004). The Long Beach Unified School District is recognized as the first public school system to implement a dress code in the United States. Many schools followed in their footsteps and the controversy over dress codes and people being ready to conform to these rules had begun.
A study comparing Hofstede’s dimensions of culture (Wall, Minocha & Rees, 2011) and Trompenaars dimensions shows the different levels of culture, which includes Individualism versus Col...
Now within the rest of this paper you will be finding a few different things getting discussed. Staring it off we will be discussing the articles that we have found to make our arguments and hypotheses. After wrapping up the literature reviews we will be discussing the hypotheses thus continuing onto our variables and indicators. Once we discuss our hypotheses we will be moving onto the research design. The research design will have our general issues, sampling, and methods.
Mooij, M.de. (2004). Consumer Behavior and Culture, Sage Publications, Page 102, Page 119, Page 274, Page 275
Culture forms the framework for our thoughts and behavior and is defined as sets of values and principles individuals have about how nature and society work, as well as the norms of behavior, derived from that set of values (Gorodnichenko & Roland, 2014). According to Heine (2012), cultures that are individualistic include a variety of customs that encourage individuals to place their own personal goals ahead of those of the collective. In contrast, cultures that are collectivistic include many cultural practices, institutions, and customs that encourage individuals to place more emphasis on collective goals. Furthermore, the dimensions of collectivism and individualism help us to understand cultural differences in a wide variety of psychological
collectivism is the degree “to which a society is based on satisfying the needs of the individual versus satisfying needs of the group” (Hofstede, 2001). U.S. scores higher (91%) than India (48%) in terms of individualism. Individualism (I) stands for a society where everyone is expected to look after themselves and their immediate family only. It also signifies that success is based on an individual’s achievement and people deliver their best performance when they work alone. In contrast, collectivism (We) stands for a society where people prefer to live in cohesive groups that take care of them in exchange of loyalty. They value the welfare of their group, sacrifice for them over their own individual needs and are actively attached to them throughout their life. Thus, the contradiction in the perception of this dimension significantly impacts work relationships between U.S. and
A century or 2 past, our society’s hierarchy was supported cash and land. Today’s new materialism determines your placement on the social ladder. In many high schools, if you don’t have an iPod or any other cool device, a replacement automotive or lots of cash, then the cool crowd typically doesn’t even notice a person. In nearly each organization, cash and things are the entire foundation, thus it is sensible that Americans would be thus materialistic.
Individualism and collectivism profoundly pervade cultures. Individuals simply take their lifestyle 's position for allowed. In the USA, everything from 'personal-function ' buffet tables to business framework to cowboy pictures to transaction card rules reveal the deeply ingrained individualism.
Individuals also learn to adopt materialistic values through social learning from family members, peers, and the materialistic messages that they are frequently bombarded with in television programs advertisements (Kasser et al., 2004). The materialistic lifestyle, According to Kasser (2002), is a process of acquiring material goods beyond the necessities to meet human needs. It is of high importance to the individuals to attain financial success, impressive possessions, an attractive image, and a replicable status. Materialistic people tend to use money as a mean of self-enhancement (Kasser et al, 2004). Similarly, Belk (1985) explains materialism as the importance a consumer places on the acquisition and ownership of possessions (Belk 1985) and the view that there is a ris...