ON THE INFLUENCE OF INSECURITY ON MATERIALISTIC ORIENTATION

Abstract

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.

Keywords

• extrinsic aspiration
• self-determination theory
• theory of terror management
• social interest