How loving parents unintentionally foster materialism in their children

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-03/uocp-dby030415.php

Public Release: 4-Mar-2015
University of Chicago Press Journals

Can loving and supportive parents unintentionally encourage their children to define their self-worth through possessions? According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, children who receive more material rewards from their parents grow up to be more materialistic as adults.

"Using material possessions to express love or reward children for their achievements can backfire. Loving and supportive parents can unintentionally foster materialism in their children despite their best efforts to steer them away from relying on material possessions to find happiness or to judge others," write authors Marsha L. Richins (University of Missouri) and Lan Nguyen Chaplin (University of Illinois at Chicago).

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Parents should be cautious about using material goods to express their love and reward their children for good behavior. An overemphasis on material possessions during childhood can have long-lasting effects. Adults who received many material rewards as children are likely to continue rewarding themselves with material goods and defining themselves through their possessions.

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