FACTORS AND IMPACT OF MATERIALISM ON ADOLESCENTS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
Abstract
Materialism among adolescents has become an increasing concern in developmental psychology because adolescence is a critical period for identity formation, value internalization, and psychosocial development. Materialistic values, which emphasize material possessions, social status, and wealth as indicators of happiness and success, are increasingly reinforced by social media exposure and consumer culture. This study aims to systematically identify the determinants and psychosocial impacts of materialistic orientation among adolescents. A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Articles were searched from national and international academic journals published between 2015 and 2025. From 110 articles initially identified, 17 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed thematically. The findings indicate that adolescent materialism is shaped by both internal and external factors. Internal factors include low self-esteem, weak self-control, fear of missing out, psychological entitlement, and the need for social validation. External factors include parenting style, peer pressure, smartphone use, social media exposure, advertising, and consumer culture. The reviewed studies also show that materialism negatively affects adolescents’ psychological well-being, life satisfaction, prosocial behavior, social relationships, and identity development. This study contributes to the literature by integrating fragmented findings on the determinants and consequences of adolescent materialism into a multidimensional framework. The findings suggest the need for family-, school-, and community-based interventions that strengthen intrinsic values, gratitude, self-control, digital literacy, and psychosocial support among adolescents.
How to Cite
References
- 1. Battistella-Lima, S. V., & Veludo-de-Oliveira, T. M. (2024). Gratitude as an antidote to materialism in young consumers. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1352729
- 2. Bi, X., Cui, H., Pan, B., Liu, Z., Chen, W., & Ma, Y. (2024). The influence of positive parenting styles on adolescents’ materialism: Moderated mediating effect. Current Psychology, 43, 19747–19756.
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05821-z
- 3. Beccari, C., D’Urso, G., & Pace, U. (2024). The usefulness of a revised version of the Material Values Scale for adolescents. Behavioral Sciences, 14(6), 469. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14060469
- 4. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE Publications.
- 5. Chaplin, L. N., & John, D. R. (2007). Growing up in a material world: Age differences in materialism in children and adolescents. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(4), 480–493. https://doi.org/10.1086/518546
- 6. Chaplin, L. N., John, D. R., Rindfleisch, A., & Froh, J. J. (2019). The impact of gratitude on adolescent materialism and generosity. Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(4), 502–511.
- https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2018.1497688
- 7. Dávila, J. F., Casabayó, M., & Singh, J. J. (2017). A World beyond Family: How External Factors Impact the Level of Materialism in Children. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 51(1), 162–182.
- https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12103
- 8. Geng, J., Wang, H., Bao, L., Wang, J., Wei, X., Li, B., & Lei, L. (2023). Relationship between Materialism and Social Networking Site Addiction among Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model. Journal of Psychology, 157(4), 252–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2023.2198685
- 9. Gentina, E., Shrum, L. J., Lowrey, T. M., Vitell, S. J., & Rose, G. M. (2018). An Integrative Model of the Influence of Parental and Peer Support on Consumer Ethical Beliefs: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem, Power, and Materialism. Journal of Business Ethics, 150(4), 1173–1186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3137-3
- 10. Isham, A., Gatersleben, B., & Jackson, T. (2022). The problematic role of materialistic values in the pursuit of sustainable well-being. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 3673. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063673
- 11. Islam, T., Wei, J., Sheikh, Z., Hameed, Z., & Azam, R. I. (2017). Determinants of compulsive buying behavior among young adults: The mediating role of materialism. Journal of Adolescence, 61, 117–130.
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.10.004
- 12. Jain, V. K., Gupta, A., & Verma, H. (2024). Goodbye materialism: Exploring antecedents of minimalism and its impact on millennials’ well-being. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 26(8), 19779–19805.
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03437-0
- 13. Jiang, H., Sun, P., Liu, Y., & Pan, M. (2016). Gratitude and Late Adolescents’ School Well-being: The Mediating Role of Materialism. Social Indicators Research, 127(3), 1363–1376. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-1007-5
- 14. Karabati, S., & Cemalcilar, Z. (2010). Values, materialism, and well-being: A study with Turkish university students. Journal of Economic Psychology, 31(4), 624–633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2010.04.007
- 15. Kolańska-Stronka, M., & Gorbaniuk, O. (2022). Materialism, conspicuous consumption, and brand engagement in self-concept: a study of teenagers. Current Issues in Personality Psychology, 10(1), 39–48.
- https://doi.org/10.5114/CIPP.2021.110060
- 16. Li, J., Chen, Y., & Huang, X. (2015). Materialism Moderates the Effect of Accounting for Time on Prosocial Behaviors. Journal of Social Psychology, 155(6), 576–589. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2015.1024192
- 17. Liu, M., & Koivula, A. (2023). Greed doesn’t grow on trees: the indirect association between proenvironmental behaviour and materialism through adolescents’ psychological entitlement. Young Consumers, 24(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-09-2021-1388
- 18. Long, J., Wang, P., Liu, S., & Lei, L. (2021). Materialism and adolescent problematic smartphone use: The mediating role of fear of missing out and the moderating role of narcissism. Current Psychology, 40(12), 5842–5850. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00526-0
- 19. Lubis, R. (2024). Evolusi Remaja Usia 17–19 Tahun: Analisis Pertumbuhan dan Perkembangannya.
- 20. Lv, M., Zhang, M., Huang, N., & Fu, X. (2023). Effects of Materialism on Adolescents’ Prosocial and Aggressive Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Empathy. Behavioral Sciences, 13(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13100863
- 21. Manolis, C., & Roberts, J. A. (2012). Subjective Well-Being among Adolescent Consumers: The Effects of Materialism, Compulsive Buying, and Time Affluence. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 7(2), 117–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-011-9155-5
- 22. Masood, A., Musarrat, R., & Mazahir, S. (2017). Increased Materialistic Trends among Youth. Journal of Educational, Health and Community Psychology, 5(3), 56. https://doi.org/10.12928/jehcp.v5i3.6167
- 23. Moldes, O. (2024). Unpacking the effects of materialism on interpersonal relationships: A cognitive approach. British Journal of Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12795
- 24. Ozimek, P., Brailovskaia, J., Bierhoff, H. W., & Rohmann, E. (2024). Materialism in social media–More social media addiction and stress symptoms, less satisfaction with life. Telematics and Informatics Reports, 13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teler.2024.100117
- 25. Park, J., & Chun, J. (2025). The consumer socialization process: How social media affects youth luxury consumption. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2024.2434870
- 26. Pieters, R. (2013). Bidirectional dynamics of materialism and loneliness: Not just a vicious cycle. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(4), 615–631. https://doi.org/10.1086/671564
- 27. Rahmadina, A., Nashori, F., & Andrianto, S. (2020). The mediating effect of self-esteem on emerging adults’ materialism and anxiety. Psikohumaniora, 5(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.21580/pjpp.v5i1.5484
- 28. Santos, S., & Cassidy, T. (2024). Materialistic values, health and well-being: The role of self-compassion.
- 29. Steinberg. (2013). Tenth Edition: Adolescence (Tenth Edit). McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
- 30. Triandini, E., Jayanatha, S., Indrawan, A., Werla Putra, G., & Iswara, B. (2019). Metode Systematic Literature Review untuk Identifikasi Platform dan Metode Pengembangan Sistem Informasi di Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Information Systems, 1(2), 63. https://doi.org/10.24002/ijis.v1i2.1916
- 31. Trzcińska, A., & Sekścińska, K. (2021). Financial status and materialism–The mediating role of self-esteem. Australian Journal of Psychology, 73(4), 557–568. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2021.1944315
- 32. Twenge, J. M., & Kasser, T. (2013). Generational Changes in Materialism and Work Centrality, 1976-2007: Associations With Temporal Changes in Societal Insecurity and Materialistic Role Modeling. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39(7), 883–897. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167213484586
- 33. Utami., N. S. (2019). Materialisme di kalangan remaja.
- 34. Wang, P., Lei, L., Yu, G., & Li, B. (2020). Social Networking Sites Addiction and Materialism Among Chinese Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model Involving Depression and Need to Belong. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.581274
- 35. Wang, P., Nie, J., Wang, X., Wang, Y., Zhao, F., Xie, X., Lei, L., & Ouyang, M. (2020). How are smartphones associated with adolescent materialism? Journal of Health Psychology, 25(13–14), 2406–2417.
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105318801069
- 36. World Health Organization. (2018). Handout for Module A Introduction. Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development, 403. World Health Organization. (2024). Adolescent health.
- https://www.who.int/health-topics/adolescent-health
- 37. Yang, Q., Xu, Y., & van den Bos, K. (2024). Social network site use and materialistic values: the roles of self-control and self-acceptance. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 55. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01546-7
- 38. Yang, Z., Fu, X., Yu, X., & Lv, Y. (2018). Longitudinal relations between adolescents’ materialism and prosocial behavior toward family, friends, and strangers. Journal of Adolescence, 62, 162–170.
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.11.013
- 39. Yepes-Nuñez, J. J., Urrútia, G., Romero-García, M., & Alonso-Fernández, S. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Revista Espanola de Cardiologia, 74(9), 790–799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.recesp.2021.06.016
- 40. Zawadzka, A. M., Iwanowska, M., Kondratowicz, B., Lewandowska-Walter, A., & Borchet, J. (2024). The Role of Teens’ and Parental Intrinsic and Materialistic Goals in Teens’ Activities in Four Domains of Activism. Young. https://doi.org/10.1177/11033088241266120
- 41. Zawadzka, A. M., Lewandowska-Walter, A., Borchet, J., & Iwanowska, M. (2023). Risk factors for materialistic attitudes and values of teenagers–role of parents and peers. Journal of Family Studies, 29(4), 1566–1583. https://doi.org/10.1080/13229400.2022.2060120
- 42. Zawadzka, A. M., Nairn, A., Lowrey, T. M., Hudders, L., Bakir, A., Rogers, A., Cauberghe, V., Gentina, E., Li, H., & Spotswood, F. (2021). Can the youth materialism scale be used across different countries and cultures? International Journal of Market Research, 63(3), 317–334. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470785320956794