The Role of Materialism and Religion in the Spread of Global Consumption or Brands - Literature review Example

Discuss the role of materialism and religion in the spread of global consumption or brands Introduction Human behavior relates indirectly or directly to consumption of particular products. Human beings are deemed as consumers of products naturally (Mittal, 2006). However, the human consumption behavior basis solely on the survival needs of consumers especially the physical needs. If human behavior in their consumption were merely dominated by decisions made rationally, based on their natural driven needs, conspicuous consumption for consumers would not existent in the broad market. The desire of possessing materials and having money to spend precisely indicates that rational behavior in humans is not the sole factor, which prevails in consumer behavior. It means that many other factors that are inherent in man and affecting human consumption a terrific deal, therefore, transferring brand consumption. This paper concentrates in discussing the role of materialism and religion in the spread of global consumption or brands. A great example of materialism affecting consumption of brands is the complicating landscape of U.S. consumerism in the patterns of consumer consumption after the attack (Hanley & Mari, 1992). Communities in America at the time got worried, because of the ideal magnitude as well as the impact of the attacks of terrorism, that the enormous attack would ultimately initiate an economic recession in the country. American brand consumers, nevertheless, boosted the market economy of the country by buying, mortgages, motor engines, electrical appliances and luxury goods for instance television sets, RVs, and Jet Skis in absolute great quantities in the aftermath of the attacks of terrorism later in October (Hanley & Mari, 1992). A fascinating and overwhelming question in this case is what exactly, was the builder of the excessive pursuit of the many products by consumers showing clearly that a consumer materialism behavior was on the upsurge (Greenberg, Tom, Sheldon & Linda, 1994). On the same concept of materialism, better explanations emerge from many scholars. Insight on possible factors fueling the post-September 11 rise in consumer purchase can be drawn mainly from scholar’s arguments in the recent times of terror management theory (Greenberg, Tom, Sheldon & Linda, 1994). Terror Theory (TMT) is espoused as positing that events in consumer consumption, which remind people of the prospect of when they will die therefore develops in humans some anxiety that builds in a potential manner, often named existential anxiety (Mittal, 2006). TMT as a theory of consumption further argues that, when people have in mind the mortality belief, they tend to use many approaches for coping with the anxiety including enhancement of self-esteem and the cultural worldviews defense. All these coping strategies are excellent as ways of alleviating existential anxiety bringing in an element of materialism (Greenberg, Tom, Sheldon & Linda, 1994). Applying TMT particularly consumer behavior context (Arndt et al., 2004a, 2004b) allows scholars to literally argue that because the consumer materialism concept is a characteristic in the western cultures (Arndt et al., 2004b), and because having ownership of material objects develops some self-esteem, (Greenberg, Tom, Sheldon & Linda, 1994), this builds stronger consumer materialistic consumption particularly in a major market. These TMT discussions are on time given that self-realizations of human mortality have become very popular among the markets in America particularly in light of the attacks of terrorism and the earlier hurricane disaster. Even with successive speculations, which regard terror management in these markets accounts precisely of heavy consumption of materials brands by consumers, some studies developed tests to highlight the ideal impact of human mortality salience in empirical studies on heavy consumption of material brands (Ferraro, Baba, & James, 2005). This brings in the concept that religion and its beliefs in individuals bring in an element of preference to particular brands. It pushes us to two main domains of materialistic consumption including compulsive consumption and brand name consumption. Scholars have in the recent times, begun to understand some materialistic tendencies of human beings from the perspective of terror management (Crocker, Riia, Lynne & Alexandra, 2003). The concept of materialism is an ideal “set of held beliefs centrally about the relevance of possessions in an individual’s life” (Greenberg, Tom, Sheldon & Linda, 1994). Materialism as a concept of gaining symbolic is, considered a life value in human beings (Arndt et al. 2004b; Mittal, 2006). Providing evidence of the approaches that human beings go for objects materially to veil their fate and develop some inner feelings of security, Solomon et al. (2004) looked at history of humans consumption. From anthropology, the scholars came up with speculations and evidence that procurement of wealth comes from the human thirst for power to conquer death. Materialistic behavior in humans plays the role as an immortality ideology allowing people to veil death in this case developing personal feelings in a unique manner (Mittal, 2006). When the ideology developed in humans that the procurement of wealth by human beings leads to a happy life, which is meaningful nurtured in humans culturally, consumption signifies that one is enjoying a better life through complying specifically with the life standards in a particular culture. Such life continues existing symbolically after human deaths (Greenberg, Tom, Sheldon & Linda, 1994). Because of this, “To the point that the cultural message of materialism and brand consumption becomes internalized strongly at the individual level,” it is possible to understand humans’ internal desire and obsession for material objects (Arndt et al. 2004b). It is simple, existential of terror in United States increased materialistic behaviors, in persons in a particular culture where materialism as a human affecting concept is a pervasive value (Jennifer & James, 2003). Several scholars conducted experimental researches to give evidence and provide enough support that human mortality salience is what develops money appeal in human beings and the urge for material products (Jennifer & James, 2003). It is an indication that religious beliefs are internal and affect the brand consumption in individuals. Mittal (2006) found ideally that mortality salient in humans brought about excitement more about the prospects having $20 bill on hold more than people who were used as the control group were in his study. On the other hand, Jennifer & James (2003) in his study found that people elevated some expectations in the fiscal year literally following an ideal human mortality induction. The human zeal for material products driven by the human mortality salience a belief in respective religions even make individuals over-consume scarce resources (Ferraro, Baba, & James, 2005). Religion in many cultures encourages a spirit of cohesion. The spirit of cohesion is what encourages people in various aspects in consuming particular brands globally (Crocker, Riia, Lynne & Alexandra, 2003). Brand consumption in this case builds in an element of identity among particular religions (Jennifer & James, 2003). This is because the religious beliefs attributed to such products holds strong among members, therefore, encouraging consumption among the individual members (Faber & Thomas, 1992). It is from this concept that creates extent to which the mentalities and institutions of individuals are imbued as well as shaped by religion and promoting certain-brand consumption. An outstanding example is the Olive oil, which has symbolism in many religions and cultures particularly for healing and providing strength as well as to consecration. In Jewish observance, the oil is the only available and allowed fuel, which is used in the seven-branched Menorah (Belk, 1985). This, therefore, has played a significant role in which global consumption of the olive oil comes in eventually. Additionally, The Orthodox and Catholic Churches use olive oil mostly for Catechumens in use for blessing and strengthening particularly those who prepare for Baptism or as Oil of the Sick. The beliefs also contribute more to the demand for the brand of olive oil making it an identity and maintaining global consumption. Jennifer & James (2003) in their study used a forest-harvesting form of simulation finding that the concept in humans reported intent of cultivating more of the land acres available of forest than persons in the control did. Generally, in a culture ideally where material possession is held as having super value, objects acquisition of such kind can buffer anxiety in humans because an ideal culture of possession encouraging the relevance of possessions symbolically (Faber & Thomas, 1992). The income increase and a prevalence of many materialist goods, particularly in about 150-yearspast period in the America, has precisely allowed the population in masses to pursue the well-being through purchasing and consuming goods psychological (Belk, 1985; Maria & Mailer, 2004). The material goods possession is what drive in individuals increasing in most cultures within the Western societies (Jennifer & James, 2003), and the ideal trend has started spreading across other countries in the Eastern region, for example Japan (Elliott & Kritsadarat, 1998). Materialism is precisely considered a cultural value in many of these culture of the west (Lerman and Maxwell 2006), and a feature of ideal cultural worldviews of people in US (Arndt et al., 2004b). Among consumers in the American market, human mortality salience may likely develop consumer materialistic consumption. Additionally, Goods Consumption can be a communicative strategy bringing in a symbolic meaning (Crocker, Riia, Lynne & Alexandra, 2003). Precisely, each material object can ideally have great meaning including power or even signifying wealth among others and the respective meanings are created socially (Maheswaran & Nidhi, 2004). By possessing such material objects, individuals attempt to have symbolic meaning well attached to the object defining their identity (Belk & Richard, 1985). It is evident that in modern society branding mainly serves as a great way to imbue some uniqueness relevance to products (Faber & Thomas, 1992). While product names at times have practical marginal utility in showing their quality, at least they are also attaching devices to some cultural value to respective goods and signal social status or bring in some economic status (Jennifer & James, 2003). Marketing communications is therefore linked with advertising both playing a critical role in disseminating brand meaning or creating the same (McGregor, Lieberman, Sheldon, Jamie, Linda, & Tom, 1998). This is what creates a materialistic belief in individuals, therefore, building a stronger liking for particular brands (Dawn & Sarah, 2006). Through marketing communications of respective brands, the symbolic meaning of such products shares within members of the society (James, 2004). Therefore, this allows consensual meaning validation. As meaning attaches to a good symbolically and, therefore, that meaning is known and practices within members of a particular culture with the consumption of particular goods allowing for conspicuous consumption related to signs of wealth and human status (James, 2004; Mick, 1996). Because mortality threat in humans is what increases the need for immortality, also because consumption of particular goods is what allows people to eventually, obtain meaning, there is a greater possibility that the religious belief in mortality hailing as threats is what develops and increases the brand name consumption (Faber & Thomas, 1992). Additionally, the socially attributed meanings transfer particularly of a good to oneself, consumption of the good helps in maintaining a belief in persons that one meets the valued standards particularly in a society believing in possessions (Alain, 1990). Grubb & Harrison (1967) reflect that human consumption hails as another critical type of behavior, which has great relations to materialism. This is in definition “a repetitive purchasing, which becomes the first response to negative feelings or events.” Although the take and belief of compulsive buying varies in respective individuals, in general, this characterizes as a buying behavior, which is “impulsive, uncontrolled and excessive” (Jennifer & James, 2003). Individuals characteristically have varying compulsive buying levels of tendencies; when such behaviors are in excess over a particular point hailing more as repetitive behavior, the ideal consumer behavior refers generally as a clinical condition (Faber & Thomas, 1992). Many explanations on the causes of the buying good compulsively explain that such compulsive buyers have a tendency to be materialistic (Jennifer & James, 2003). Therefore, the concept of compulsive buying behavior is positively, related to the concept of materialism (Greenberg, Tom, Sheldon & Linda, 1994), and consumers with such compulsive behaviors literally have stronger beliefs in relation to symbolic ability of enhancing their individual self-esteem (Richard & Youjae, 1988). Conclusion It is arguable that materialism and religion play an exciting and supremely vital role in the spread of global consumption or brands. In history, human consumption behavior based solely on the survival needs of the individuals physically. However, if consumption behavior in people were based on decisions made rationally by human beings, based on their respective need naturally, over-consumption required in the market would not exist. This is to mean that there would be no explanation of the spread of brand consumption. The desire of humans for materials and money precisely indicates that human rational thinking is not the sole factor that consumption behavior. On the same note, respect for religious beliefs and a follow of these beliefs in adopting a particular lifestyle explains why some brands develop fame than others and are consumed globally. It means that many other factors that are inherent in man and affecting human consumption an immense deal, therefore, transferring brand consumption. Generally, materialistic cultures adopt particular brands globally to hold their self-esteem and on the same note, religious believes support the consumption of particular products globally. References Alain, D. (1990). An Inquiry into the Compulsive Side of 'Normal' Consumers. Journal of Consumer Policy, 13 (1), 15-31. Arndt, J., Sheldon, S., Tim, K. & Kennon, M. (2004a). The Urge to Splurge Revisited: Further Reflections on Applying Terror Management Theory to Materialism and Consumer Behavior. 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