Psychological Impact of Materialism

There is a close connection between psychological satisfaction and materialism. Proving the link between these two components is the burden of this paper. Quantitative Data is obtained through questionnaires distributed from randomly selected older and younger respondents. The data is presented in a table and graphical formats and analyzed to obtain standard deviations and, mean. This data is then compared with relevant and credible sources. The results are discussed and a conclusion arrived at supporting the thesis that materialism influences the human psychology.

Introduction 

We live in a world where we are engaged in a daily pursuit of happiness through the satisfaction of our needs. Sometimes these needs are met resulting in happiness or they remain unattended to which may cause sadness. The response to such stimulus varies among the younger and older generations. The older generations find a great attachment to the fulfillment of intrinsic qualities such as physical fitness, sense of belonging in a community, health, affiliation, and so forth. Younger generations, on the other hand, find themselves absorbed in frivolous activities that tend to concentrate on materialism. This causes them sorrow mostly when these needs are not met. This research paper conducts a questionnaire interview on twelve respondents on their intrinsic and extrinsic dispositions. The results indicate that there is a high preference for intrinsic motivations among older people while younger people exercise extrinsic motivations to a greater degree. The exercise of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations is influenced by stimuli, which are often collected from the environment and personal experiences. The stimulus influences the line of thought and action as either being constructive or destructive. The exercise of extrinsic motivations results in psychological distress among the youths while their older counterparts are relatively contented.

Research Methodology 

Data Collection 

Data Type 

The research involves the collection of qualitative data. Twelve participants are selected randomly from the younger and older classes in the community. This variation is selected because of the varied dispositions between the two ages and the change in preference for intrinsic and extrinsic attributes. The participants were requested to undertake the questioner after consenting to do so. The questions were scaled within the range of 1-25 and the participants requested to rate their view on each of the 32 questions. The questions are segmented into two major categories, intrinsic and extrinsic qualities. The data was collected within a single day since the study had a simple structure, involving questionnaires that can be distributed and answered simultaneously by the participants. The use of questionnaire enhanced anonymity and reduced the chances of manipulation (Gratton & Jones, 2010)

Data presentation 

Tables 

The collected data is presented in table format. The data from each participant are presented in independent tables. Thereafter, the data is narrowed down to two tables containing the modified data for the younger and older participants respectively. This data is analyzed to generate a standard deviation and mean through the use of excel. The second phase of data presentation is finally condensed to a format combining standard deviations and mean for both groups of participants to be used in the graphical presentation

Bar graph 

After the series of table breakdowns, the data is presented in a graphical format. The graphical representation is chosen since it is simple to execute and requires little effort to analyze. Graphs present a more beautiful depiction of data as compared to cold figures, which are less motivating to many. The visual presentation is also perfect for the purpose of ease in analysis given our brain’s efficiency in interpreting visual data as compared to numerical data (Sharma, 2010). The bar graph is also obtained through excel.

Results 

Sample: older 

N=6 

PARTICIPANT	1	2	3	4	5	6	MEAN	SD
Self-acceptance	69	65	92	84	90	69	78.1666667	11.8897715
Affiliation	86	89	108	101	93	86	93.8333333	8.93121866
Community feeling	97	99	101	92	94	97	96.6666667	3.26598632
physical fitness	98	102	111	114	93	98	102.666667	8.18942407
Financial success	40	44	36	34	27	40	36.8333333	5.94698803
Attractive appearance	88	93	69	46	81	88	77.5	17.5356779
Social recognition	70	74	34	60	29	70	56.1666667	19.7222379

Sample: younger 

N=6 

Participant	7	8	9	10	11	12	Mean	SD
Self-acceptance	49	33	42	31	36	33	37.3333333	6.8896057
affiliation	77	78	65	66	55	78	69.8333333	9.41098649
Community feeling	79	61	55	46	46	61	58	12.2963409
physical fitness	62	77	62	39	33	77	58.3333333	18.6511841
Financial success	87	86	86	94	93	86	88.6666667	3.77712413
Attractive appearance	107	108	110	116	108	108	109.5	3.33166625
Social recognition	89	78	80	89	78	78	82	5.47722558

Table 1 mean and standard deviations for the young and older participants 

PARTICIPANTS	YOUNGER		OLDER
	MEAN	SDEV	MEAN	SDEV
Self-acceptance	37.3333333	6.8896057	78.1666667	11.8897715
affiliation	69.8333333	9.41098649	93.8333333	8.93121866
Community feeling	58	12.2963409	96.6666667	3.26598632
physical fitness	58.3333333	18.6511841	102.666667	8.18942407
Financial success	88.6666667	3.77712413	36.8333333	5.94698803
Attractive appearance	109.5	3.33166625	77.5	17.5356779
Social recognition	82	5.47722558	56.1666667	19.7222379

Figure 2 : graphical presentation of the mean and standard deviations for intrinsic and extrinsic data from the young and older participants. N=12. The numerical 1-7 represents the intrinsic and extrinsic features.1= self-acceptance, 2= affiliation, 3=community feeling, 4= physical fitness, 5= financial success, 6=attractive appearance and 7= social recognition. 

The results from the younger and older participants manifested opposite preferences for the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations between the two groups. While the elderly were found to have a higher motivation for intrinsic factors, the younger generation preferred extrinsic motivation.

The mean values for self-acceptance were 78.1666667 for the older generation and for the younger generation 37.3333333; the mean for affiliation was 93.8333333for the older generation and for the younger generation 69.8333333. The mean for community feeling was 96.6666667 for the elder generation and for the younger generation, 58. The mean for physical fitness was 102.666667 for the elder generation and for the younger generation 58.3333333. The elderly registered a mean of 36.8333333, 77.5, and 56.1666667 for financial success, attractive appearance, and social recognition respectively while the young registered a mean of 88.6666667, 109.5, and 82 respectively for the same motivations

Similarly, the standard deviations illustrated a marked difference with that of the older generations being 11.8897715, 8.93121866, 3.26598632, 8.18942407, 5.94698803, 17.5356779, and 19.7222379. Those of the younger generation were 6.8896057, 9.41098649, 12.2963409, 18.6511841, 3.77712413, 3.33166625, and 5.47722558 respectively for the intrinsic motivations in their stated order. The younger generation registered a higher mean for extrinsic motivations indicating that they have a higher preference for financial status, physical appearance, and social recognition while the elderly prefer intrinsic motivations.

The graphical presentation simplifies the data. It can be observed that in all the motivations, the registered means are opposite.

Discussion 

Cognitive processes taking place within the human brain motivates the exercise of intrinsic values (Deci, 1972). This concept emphasizes the role of the human thinking in choosing what to engage in. The cognitive function of the brain is also controlled by stimulus collected from the environment and internally stored information. The stimulus helps in igniting a cascade of events beginning with the setting of a goal and terminating in a behavior (Deci, 1972). For example, if a stimulus is a lack of funds and a pressing problem that requires funds to solve, a person will set a goal of looking for money, which will be used in solving the problem. Alternatively, if the stimulus is a peer pressure, then one will set a goal to get money and use it in fickle gratifications. Either way, the stimulus has motivated both persons to get money and spend it in different forms of behavior.

Reeve (2014) argues that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations engage in a synchronized process with each one affecting the other. According to Reeve, extrinsic factors affect intrinsic motivation depending on the nature of their presentation as either informational or as controlling. The nature of the presentation will determine whether a person responds by manifesting a destructive or constrictive intrinsic response. The results from the younger and older participants manifested opposite preferences for the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. While the elderly were found to have a higher motivation for intrinsic factors, the younger generation preferred extrinsic motivation.

The exercise of intrinsic motivations is regulated by a person’s position in life and expectations (Ryan & Deci, 2017). While the adults have higher responsibilities to achieve as compared to the young generation, they obtain satisfaction from pursuing these objectives and therefore tend to pay less attention to extrinsic factors. On the other hand, the youths have little or no pressing duty may have time devoted for the fulfillment of extrinsic motivations (Reeve, 2014). Similarly, the standard this information augments the role of the environment in influencing the intrinsic and extrinsic behaviors manifested by the adults and the youths. Due to the varied environments under which youths and adults, find themselves, their intrinsic and extrinsic motivations manifests differently. The youths are more likely to develop tendencies such as being materialistic in nature, frivolous, and self-centered ( Furlong, 2016) . The habits are encouraged by their high attachment to materialistic views, which causes psychological distress if not satisfied (Sirgy, 2012). The older generations are more likely to obtain satisfaction from the exercise of actions motivated by true principles.

Limitations 

This study is limited to the scope of work involved. The interviewed respondents are few to warrant a reliable generalization. A consideration of a larger group of respondents may generate different results. The research was also limited in terms of the cultural diversity of the respondents. The cultural inclination may have an impact on the direction of intrinsic and extrinsic preferences. This was not tested by the sample. Finally, the data was analyzed comprehensively to obtain varied representations of the information. Perhaps if the data were classified into more details more information or generalization principles would have been obtained. This notwithstanding, the paper is informative and serves to justify the psychological impact of materialism.

Recommendation 

A further research and analysis of responses from a wider variety of respondents should be conducted to obtain a more reliable data that can be used to construct a general rule on the psychological impact of materialism.

Conclusions 

Materialism has a great impact on psychology. As observed through the questionnaire result collected from the young and older respondents, the younger generation exercise extrinsic motivations such as appearance, social class, and finance while the elderly have a greater predisposition to exercise intrinsic motivations. This is due to the environmental factors in which they find themselves. The external factors present themselves through informational or controlling modes, which determine the preeminence of either intrinsic or extrinsic qualities. The free indulgence of materialism in youths causes most of the youths to be depressed when these needs are not met. The adults, on the other hand, are found to be content through the exercise of intrinsic needs.

References

Deci, E. L. (1972). The Effects of Contingent and Noncontingent Rewards and Controls on Intrinsic Motivation. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 8 : 217--229

Furlong, A. (Ed.). (2016).  Routledge handbook of youth and young adulthood . Taylor & Francis.

Gratton, C., & Jones, I. (2010).  Research methods for sports studies . Routledge.

Reeve, J. (2014).  Understanding motivation and emotion. John Wiley & Sons.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017).  Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness . Guilford Publications.

Sharma, J. K. (2010).  Fundamentals of business statistics . Vikas Publishing House.

Sirgy, M. J. (2012).  The psychology of quality of life: Hedonic well-being, life satisfaction, and eudaimonia  (Vol. 50). Springer Science & Business Media.

APPENDICES 

RESULTS FROM TWELVE PARTICIPANTS 

Questionnaire 

Scale 

By choosing between 1-25 Express your feelings on the following subjects

Intrinsic 

Self-acceptance 

Are you happy about yourself? 

Would you want to be like others? 

Do you mind what others say about your image? 

Would you like someone to be like you? 

Affiliation 

Do you like socializing with others? 

Do you think socializing is very important? 

Do you have friends? 

Do you value your friends? 

Would you like to change anything in your friend? 

Community feeling 

Do you like the community in which you live in? 

Is the community making any contribution to your personal life? 

Is the community making significant development? 

Is the community a safe place to be? 

Would you like to change anything in your community? 

Physical fitness 

Do feel healthy? 

What priority do you give your health? 

Are you happy when others suffer? 

Do you go for regular checkups? 

Extrinsic 

Financial success 

Do you think wealth is important? 

If given an opportunity, what would you change about your financial status? 

Would you go to an extreme to obtain wealth? 

Do you like sharing your wealth with those who lack or have little finance? 

Attractive appearance 

Do you care about your appearance? 

Are you comfortable with what you have? 

Would you like to change your appearance? 

Do you read materials on appearance? 

Are you happy with your appearance? 

Social recognition 

Do you think the poor are worth socializing with? 

Do you socialize with all classes? 

Is the society fair in having social classes 

Can you do anything to change your social status 

Results for twelve participants 

Participant 1 group: older 

scale	items	Raw values	total	Modified totals
Self-acceptance	1a,1b,1c,1d	15,13,20,21	69	17.25
affiliation	2a,2b,2c,2d,2e	12,10,25,20,19	86	17.2
Community feeling	3a,3b,3c,3d,3e	14,18,23,17,25	97	19.4
physical fitness	4a,4b,4c,4d,4e	25,19,21,15,18	98	19.6
Intrinsic total			350	73.45	18.3625
Financial success	5a,5b,5c,5d	9,8,11,12	40	8
Attractive appearance	6a,6b,6c,6d,6e	19,18,20,15,16	88	17.6
Social recognition	7a,7b,7c,7d	15,14,20,21	70	17.5
Extrinsic total			198	43.1	14.3667

Participant 2 group: older 

scale	items	Raw values	total	Modified totals
Self-acceptance	1a,1b,1c,1d	14,12,19,20	65	16.25
affiliation	2a,2b,2c,2d,2e	13,11,24,21,20	89	17.8
Community feeling	3a,3b,3c,3d,3e	15,19,24,18,23	99	19.8
physical fitness	4a,4b,4c,4d,4e	25,20,22,16,19	102	20.4
Intrinsic total			355	74.25	18.5625
Financial success	5a,5b,5c,5d	10,9,12,13	44	11
Attractive appearance	6a,6b,6c,6d,6e	20,19,21,16,17	93	18.6
Social recognition	7a,7b,7c,7d	16,15,21,22	74	18.5
Extrinsic total			211	48.1	16.0333

Participant 3 group: older 

scale	items	Raw values	total	Modified totals
Self-acceptance	1a,1b,1c,1d	20,22,24,25	92	23
affiliation	2a,2b,2c,2d,2e	18,20,22,25,23	108	21.6
Community feeling	3a,3b,3c,3d,3e	22,23,17,19,20	101	20.2
physical fitness	4a,4b,4c,4d,4e	22,23,15,25,26	111	22.2
Intrinsic total			412	64.8	16.2
Financial success	5a,5b,5c,5d	9,10,13,4	36	9
Attractive appearance	6a,6b,6c,6d,6e	16,18,12,13,10	69	13.8
Social recognition	7a,7b,7c,7d	5,8,10,11	34	8.5
Extrinsic total			139	31.3	10.4333

Participant 4 group: older 

scale	items	Raw values	total	Modified totals
Self-acceptance	1a,1b,1c,1d	19,20,21,24	84	21
affiliation	2a,2b,2c,2d,2e	15,20,23,24,19	101	20.2
Community feeling	3a,3b,3c,3d,3e	16,18,20,22,16	92	18.4
physical fitness	4a,4b,4c,4d,4e	25,24,20,22,23	114	22.8
Intrinsic total			391	82.4	20.6
Financial success	5a,5b,5c,5d	11,9,8,6	34	8.5
Attractive appearance	6a,6b,6c,6d,6e	15,4,8,10,9	46	9.2
Social recognition	7a,7b,7c,7d	10,12,18,20	60	15
Extrinsic total			140	32.7	10.9

Participant 5 group: older 

scale	items	Raw values	total	Modified totals
Self-acceptance	1a,1b,1c,1d	20,22,23,25	90	22.5
affiliation	2a,2b,2c,2d,2e	18,17,15,20,23	93	18.6
Community feeling	3a,3b,3c,3d,3e	20,21,20,18,15	94	18.8
physical fitness	4a,4b,4c,4d,4e	15,18,21,13,26	93	18.6
Intrinsic total			370	56.0	14.000
Financial success	5a,5b,5c,5d	10,9,5,3	27	6.75
Attractive appearance	6a,6b,6c,6d,6e	16,18,20,15,12	81	16.2
Social recognition	7a,7b,7c,7d	12,9,5,3	29	7.25
Extrinsic total			137	30.2	10.0667

Participant 6 group: older 

scale	items	Raw values	total	Modified totals
Self-acceptance	1a,1b,1c,1d	15,13,20,21	69	17.25
affiliation	2a,2b,2c,2d,2e	12,10,25,20,19	86	17.2
Community feeling	3a,3b,3c,3d,3e	14,18,23,17,25	97	19.4
physical fitness	4a,4b,4c,4d,4e	25,19,21,15,18	98	19.6
Intrinsic total			379	73.45	18.3625
Financial success	5a,5b,5c,5d	9,8,11,12	40	8
Attractive appearance	6a,6b,6c,6d,6e	19,18,20,15,16	88	17.6
Social recognition	7a,7b,7c,7d	15,14,20,21	70	17.5
Extrinsic total			198	43.1	14.3667

Participant 7 group: young 

scale	items	Raw values	total	Modified totals
Self-acceptance	1a,1b,1c,1d	14,10,12,13	49	12.25
affiliation	2a,2b,2c,2d,2e	10,15,18,20,14	77	15.4
Community feeling	3a,3b,3c,3d,3e	13,16,18,20,12	79	15.8
physical fitness	4a,4b,4c,4d,4e	10,8,13,20,11	62	12.4
Intrinsic total			267	32.05	8.0125
Financial success	5a,5b,5c,5d	20,21,22,24	87	21.75
Attractive appearance	6a,6b,6c,6d,6e	20,22,25,19,21	107	21.4
Social recognition	7a,7b,7c,7d	23,25,20,21	89	22.25
Extrinsic total			283	65.4	21.8

Participant 8 group: young 

scale	items	Raw values	total	Modified totals
Self-acceptance	1a,1b,1c,1d	10,5,8,10	33	8.25
affiliation	2a,2b,2c,2d,2e	12,17,18,15,16	78	15.6
Community feeling	3a,3b,3c,3d,3e	15,10,9,13,14	61	12.2
physical fitness	4a,4b,4c,4d,4e	10,13,17,19,18	77	15.4
Intrinsic total			249	51.45	12.8625
Financial success	5a,5b,5c,5d	20,24,23,19	86	21.5
Attractive appearance	6a,6b,6c,6d,6e	21,20,25,23,19	108	21.6
Social recognition	7a,7b,7c,7d	21,20,19,18	78	19.5
Extrinsic total			272	62.6	20.8667

Participant 9 group: young 

scale	items	Raw values	total	Modified totals
Self-acceptance	1a,1b,1c,1d	11,12,10,9	42	10.5
affiliation	2a,2b,2c,2d,2e	13,15,18,14,5	65	13
Community feeling	3a,3b,3c,3d,3e	8,10,13,14,10	55	11
physical fitness	4a,4b,4c,4d,4e	10,13,18,12,9	62	12.4
Intrinsic total			224	46.9	11.725
Financial success	5a,5b,5c,5d	20,25,22,19	86	21.5
Attractive appearance	6a,6b,6c,6d,6e	22,24,25,20,19	110	22
Social recognition	7a,7b,7c,7d	22,13,25,20	80	20
Extrinsic total			270	63.5	21.1667

Participant 10 group: young 

scale	items	Raw values	total	Modified totals
Self-acceptance	1a,1b,1c,1d	9,9,8,5	31	7.75
affiliation	2a,2b,2c,2d,2e	10,12,13,15,16	66	13.2
Community feeling	3a,3b,3c,3d,3e	14,10,10,8,4	46	9.2
physical fitness	4a,4b,4c,4d,4e	5,7,8,10,9	39	9.75
Intrinsic total			182	39.9	9.975
Financial success	5a,5b,5c,5d	25,24,22,23	94	23.5
Attractive appearance	6a,6b,6c,6d,6e	24,25,20,20,19	116	23.2
Social recognition	7a,7b,7c,7d	22,23,24,20	89	22.25
Extrinsic total			299	68.95	22.9833

Participant 11 group: young 

scale	items	Raw values	total	Modified totals
Self-acceptance	1a,1b,1c,1d	7,8,9,12	36	9
affiliation	2a,2b,2c,2d,2e	14,13,10,10,8	55	11
Community feeling	3a,3b,3c,3d,3e	13,10,8,5,10	46	9.2
physical fitness	4a,4b,4c,4d,4e	5,8,3,10,7	33	8.25
Intrinsic total			170	37.45	9.3625
Financial success	5a,5b,5c,5d	23,25,20,25	93	23.25
Attractive appearance	6a,6b,6c,6d,6e	25,19,20,22,22	108	21.6
Social recognition	7a,7b,7c,7d	21,20,19,18	78	19.5
Extrinsic total			279	64.35	21.45

Participant 12 group: young 

scale	items	Raw values	total	Modified totals
Self-acceptance	1a,1b,1c,1d	10,5,8,10	33	8.25
affiliation	2a,2b,2c,2d,2e	12,17,18,15,16	78	15.6
Community feeling	3a,3b,3c,3d,3e	15,10,9,13,14	61	12.2
physical fitness	4a,4b,4c,4d,4e	10,13,17,19,18	77	15.4
Intrinsic total			249	51.45	12.8625
Financial success	5a,5b,5c,5d	20,24,23,19	86	21.5
Attractive appearance	6a,6b,6c,6d,6e	21,20,25,23,19	108	21.6
Social recognition	7a,7b,7c,7d	21,20,19,18	78	19.5
Extrinsic total			272	62.6	20.8667