Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.5559/di.30.3.02

The Effect of Emotional Intelligence on Materialism and Compulsive Buying

Beata Šeinauskienė ; School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania
Aušra Rūtelionė ; School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania
Asta Tarutė ; School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania
Shahrokh Nikou ; Faculty of Social Sciences, Business and Economics, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
Rosita Lekavičienė ; Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania

Abstract

Drawing on the escape theory, we propose that emotional
intelligence is negatively linked to materialism and
compulsive buying. Our research demonstrates that the
ability to manage one's emotions is associated with lower
levels of materialism and compulsive buying. We also show
that materialism functions as the mechanism underlying the
emotional intelligence – compulsive buying relationship.
Similarly, the ability to understand one's emotions was found
to be negatively related to compulsive buying. Contrary to
expectations, the path between the understanding of one's
emotions and materialism was found to be non-significant,
suggesting that the link between emotional intelligence and
materialism might not always be direct. As expected,
materialism was positively linked to compulsive buying. Our
research contributes to the relevant literature with a new
antecedent of materialism, namely emotional intelligence.

Keywords

emotional intelligence; compulsive buying; materialism; escape theory

Hrčak ID:

263203

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/263203

Publication date:

6.10.2021.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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