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Interpersonal influences on adolescent materialism: A new look at the role of parents and peers
Author(s) -
Chaplin Lan Nguyen,
John Deborah Roedder
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of consumer psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.433
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1532-7663
pISSN - 1057-7408
DOI - 10.1016/j.jcps.2010.02.002
Subject(s) - materialism , psychology , socialization , social psychology , self esteem , interpersonal communication , developmental psychology , perception , peer influence , consumption (sociology) , philosophy , epistemology , social science , neuroscience , sociology
What causes adolescents to be materialistic? Prior research shows parents and peers are an important influence. Researchers have viewed parents and peers as socialization agents that transmit consumption attitudes, goals, and motives to adolescents. We take a different approach, viewing parents and peers as important sources of emotional support and psychological well‐being, which increase self‐esteem in adolescents. Supportive parents and peers boost adolescents' self‐esteem, which decreases their need to turn to material goods to develop positive self‐perceptions. In a study with 12–18 year‐olds, we find support for our view that self‐esteem mediates the relationship between parent/peer influence and adolescent materialism.