Consumer materialism and human values orientations

Why are some persons more materialistic than others? Consumer materialism researchers, Richins and Dawson (1992, p. 307), found some believe strongly “possession of things is the ultimate source of happiness” in life, leading to a “lifestyle” that makes a “religion. . .of things.” Browne and Kaldenberg (1997, p. 32) described the underlying causes of materialism as “a cluster of related traits, attitudes, and values focusing on possessions and guiding” consumer behavior. One observer wrote “other cultures sometimes see” Americans “as obsessively materialistic or devoid of spiritual values” (Kleespie, 2002, p. 1). Researcher Shalom Schwartz (1994, p. 21), described human values as “desirable. . .goals. . .that serve as guiding principles in the life of a person.” Can individual values orientations help to explain and predict levels of materialism in each consumer?