Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the process of materialistic pursuits by applying the escape theory of materialism(Donnelly et al, 2016). Among the six steps of Donnelly’s model, the first step is falling short of high standards, as measured by external contingencies of self-worth. The second step is blaming the self and having high aversive awareness, as measured by self-discrepancy. The third step of high aversive self-awareness is measured by low stability of self-esteem. A total of 465(262 female) college students participated in the online survey. We found that the indirect effect of external contingencies of self-worth on materialism mediated by self-discrepancy and stability of self-esteem was significant. The direct effect of external contingencies of self-worth on materialism was also significant.