Antecedents of materialism and compulsive buying: A life course study in Australia

Compulsive buying and materialism have become topics of increasing interest to researchers and policy makers, particularly because studies have shown that both can influence consumer behavior and well-being. However, a clear picture of how these phenomena arise has proven elusive. Using the life course paradigm as an integrative framework, the present research derives hypotheses from three theoretical perspectives (the stress, normative, and human capital perspectives), and uses a survey of young adults in Australia to test the hypotheses. The findings indicate that one’s experiences and circumstances in adolescence are related to both materialism and compulsive buying in early adulthood, but the processes involved in their development differ. These differences, as well as the framework used to elucidate them, have important implications for theory and practice.

► Different processes lead to materialism and compulsive buying in adulthood.
► Stress due to family disruption during adolescence leads to materialism.
► A family environment that hinders human capital development leads to materialism.
► Consumption-oriented norms learned during adolescence lead to compulsive buying.