Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Examining the Effects of Self-Enhancement on Spending and Well-Being: An Experimental Analysis

Matthews, Mark Austin
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2431-3285
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1541091750539371

Abstract Details

2018, Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, Psychology, General.
The primary aim of this study was to determine if there is a causal association between self-enhancement and spending behavior. A secondary aim was to further examine the causal association between self-enhancement and well-being and whether it relates to spending behavior. A 3(self-enhancement, positive affect, control) between-subjects design was employed with spending and well-being as the dependent variables. Mechanical Turk Participants (N=156) completed pre-manipulation measures of self-esteem and affect followed by the experimental manipulation. Participants were randomly assigned to either self-enhance by writing about their most important characteristic in comparison to other college students, increase positive affect by writing about a positive memory, or to move directly on to the rest of the study as a control. Participants then completed post-manipulation measures of self-esteem and affect to determine if self-enhancing affected self-esteem and affect differently compared to the positive affect condition and the control. Participants then completed a measure of their shopping motivation, a hypothetical shopping task which was used to measure spending, and several well-being measures used to form a composite measure of well-being. The results were computed using separate one-way analyses of variance for both spending during the shopping task and the well-being composite. The results failed to support the primary hypotheses that a negative causal association between self-enhancement and spending compared to the positive affect and control conditions and a positive causal association between self-enhancement and well-being compared to the control condition would be found.
Erin O'Mara (Advisor)
Jack Bauer (Committee Member)
R. Monotoya (Committee Member)
62 p.
Social Psychology
self-enhancement; compensatory spending; spending and well-being; self-enhancement and spending

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Matthews, M. A. (2018). Examining the Effects of Self-Enhancement on Spending and Well-Being: An Experimental Analysis [Master's thesis, University of Dayton]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1541091750539371

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Matthews, Mark. Examining the Effects of Self-Enhancement on Spending and Well-Being: An Experimental Analysis . 2018. University of Dayton, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1541091750539371.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Matthews, Mark. "Examining the Effects of Self-Enhancement on Spending and Well-Being: An Experimental Analysis ." Master's thesis, University of Dayton, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1541091750539371

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

dayton1541091750539371
525
© 2018, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Dayton and OhioLINK.