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Advances in Consumer Research Volume 17, 1990 Pages
182-185I!"A#I$% #&' '(('C# !( $!$-'C!$!)IC (AC#!R !$ #&'
*'V'"!P)'$# !( A C!$+)'R
C+"#+R' A C!)PARI!$ !( )A#'RIA"I) I$ #&' $'#&'R"A$* A$*
#&' +$I#' #A#'co *a.son, Porland ae +niversi/
%ar/ amoss/, Vrie +niversieiI$#R!*+C#I!$
*ierences in consum3ion culure are 4uie rans3aren .hen com3aring
he +nied aes o counries .ihsigniicanl/ dieren economic andor
culural s/sems 6c, el and r/ce 198: ;allendor and Arnould 1988s
3ossessionsB
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3erceive greaer dierences in o.nershi3 o maerial iems =e.een
hemselves and ohers .ih higher levels oincomeCorrelaions =e.een
maerialism and lie saisacion in he .o culures sho. ha env/ is he
onl/ maerialismsu=rai srongl/ and negaivel/ relaed o lie saisacion
In accordance .ih heor/, .hen individuals 3erceive alac o o.nershi3
o maerial iems .hen com3ared o ohers, he resul is eelings o env/
.hich are negaivel/relaed o evaluaions o lie saisacion #hough he
correlaion or he *uch sam3le is higher han or heAmerican sam3le
6-@2 versus E11, he dierence is no saisicall/ signiican
C!$C"+I!$ased on measures o rai maerialism, he resuls sugges ha
America shares an eu=eranc/ o consum3ionculure .ih a leas one oher
counr/ in he ;esern .orld #he dierences in social srucures =e.een
he .ocounries ma/ no =e grea enough o 3roduce dramaic dierences in
maerialisic values, or such values ma/ no =esrongl/ aeced =/ hese
social srucure characerisics #he resuls conirm Inglehar>s
61981< hesis ha ;esernculures share relaivel/ similar
maerialisic values!nl/ in he case o 3ossessiveness did signiican
dierences occur =e.een he $eherlands and +A, and here hemeans
indicae greaer 3ossessiveness among he *uch Americans ma/ =e less
3ossessive since he/ live in aculure in .hich los 3ossessions can
oen =e re3laced .ih ne. ones .hich are 3erceived as e4uall/ i no
moresais/ing )cCracen 61988< has suggesed ha 3aina, or he saus
inerred rom maerial iems .hich have3assed hrough generaions, has
los he value i once had in American culure aus in America a33ears
easil/encoded hrough 3urchase and o.nershi3 o ne. maerial goods In
conras, individuals in he $eherlands seemless liel/ o eiher sell or
=u/ iems in second hand mares #he 3henomenon o a Bgarage saleB is
oall/ a=sen
rom *uch culure and second hand mares such as s.a3 mees or lea
mares are rare a =es #hus, .hile Bne.Bmore easil/ re3laces BoldB in
he +A, 3ossession seems o have a sronger, more dura=le meaning o he
*uchAlhough 3ossessiveness a33ears lo.er in he +A han in he
$eherlands, his inding ma/ no necessaril/ im3l/ha he + has a less
advanced consum3ion culure In ac, one could argue ha he veloci/ o
consum3ion isgreaer in he +A han in he $eherlands, and ha in a
.orld o o33ed-o land ills, B3ossessivenessB ma/ nodeserve he
negaive connoaion oen associaed .ih BmaerialismB
R'('R'$C'agle/, Chriso3her 6197E
