How Does Belief in a Just World Relate to Materialistic Values in Adolescents? The Mediating Role of Meaning in Life and the Moderating Role of Peer Attachment

doi:10.12139/j.1672-0628.2026.05.009

Abstract

Abstract: Materialistic values have a negative impact on the psychosocial development of adolescents, and materialistic values themselves serve as a defensive strategy for individuals to cope with psychological threats. To explore the relationship between adolescent materialistic values, belief in a just world, and meaning in life, as well as the role of peer attachment, this study used a questionnaire survey with 2045 adolescents. The results indicated that belief in a just world negatively predicted materialistic values, with meaning in life playing a mediating role. Peer intimacy, a composite of the positive dimensions of peer attachment, moderated the associations of both belief in a just world and meaning in life with materialistic values. This study suggests that adolescents’ belief and meaning systems are associated with lower levels of materialistic values, and that positive peer relationships operate as a positivity enhancer, amplifying the mitigating effects of belief in a just world and meaning in life on materialistic values.

Key words: belief in a just world, meaning in life, peer attachment, materialistic values, adolescents

摘要： 物质主义价值观对青少年心理社会功能发展具有不利影响，物质主义价值观本身充当着个体应对心理威胁的防御性策略。为探究青少年物质主义价值观与公正世界信念和生命意义之间的关系以及同伴依恋的作用，本研究采用问卷法对2045名青少年进行调查。研究结果显示，公正世界信念可以负向预测物质主义价值观，生命意义在其中发挥中介作用，由同伴依恋积极维度所形成的同伴亲密调节公正世界信念和生命意义两者与物质主义价值观的关系。结果表明，青少年的信念和意义系统与较低水平的物质主义价值观相关，积极同伴关系可以增强公正世界信念和生命意义对物质主义价值观的缓解作用。

关键词: 公正世界信念, 生命意义, 同伴依恋, 物质主义价值观, 青少年

CLC Number:

B844

ZHANG Yaohua, XU Xiaohui, XU Min, XIN Sufei. How Does Belief in a Just World Relate to Materialistic Values in Adolescents? The Mediating Role of Meaning in Life and the Moderating Role of Peer Attachment[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2026, 24(5): 640-647.

张耀华, 徐晓惠, 徐敏, 辛素飞. 公正世界信念与青少年物质主义价值观的关系：生命意义的中介和同伴依恋的调节作用[J]. 心理与行为研究, 2026, 24(5): 640-647.

References

董娅, 石雪. (2006). 拜金主义对青少年思想的影响及抵御对策. 中国青年研究, (7), 41–44
蒋奖, 曾陶然, 杨淇越, 于方静. (2016). 青少年物质主义的成因、测量与干预. 心理科学进展, 24(8), 1266–1278
李静, 郭永玉. (2009). 物质主义价值观量表在大学生群体中的修订. 心理与行为研究, 7(4), 280–283
陆学艺. (2002). 当代中国社会阶层研究报告. 北京: 社会科学文献出版社.
苏志强, 张大均, 王鑫强. (2012). 公正世界信念量表的修订及在大学生应用的信效度研究. 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志, 21(6), 561–563
王鑫强. (2013). 生命意义感量表中文修订版在中学生群体中的信效度. 中国临床心理学杂志, 21(5), 764–767,763
张迎黎, 张亚林, 张迎新, 王杰利, 黄存云. (2011). 修订版青少年依恋问卷中文版在初中生中应用的信效度. 中国心理卫生杂志, 25(1), 66–70
钟歆, 刘聚红, 陈旭. (2014). 青少年同伴依恋: 基于发展的视角. 心理科学进展, 22(7), 1149–1158
周浩, 龙立荣. (2004). 共同方法偏差的统计检验与控制方法. 心理科学进展, 12(6), 942–950
Armsden, G. C., & Greenberg, M. T. (1987). The inventory of parent and peer attachment: Individual differences and their relationship to psychological well-being in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 16(5), 427–454
Aruta, J. J. B. R. (2023). The quest to mental well-being: Nature connectedness, materialism and the mediating role of meaning in life in the Philippine context. Current Psychology, 42(2), 1058–1069
Brown, B. B., & Larson, J. (2009). Peer relationships in adolescence. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology: Contextual influences on adolescent development (3rd ed., pp. 74–103). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Christopher, A. N., Zabel, K. L., Jones, J. R., & Marek, P. (2008). Protestant ethic ideology: Its multifaceted relationships with just world beliefs, social dominance orientation, and right-wing authoritarianism. Personality and Individual Differences, 45(6), 473–477
Dalbert, C. (1999). The world is more just for me than generally: About the personal belief in a just world scale’s validity. Social Justice Research, 12(2), 79–98
Dalbert, C. (2001). The justice motive as a personal resource: Dealing with challenges and critical life events. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268
Feeney, B. C., & Collins, N. L. (2015). A new look at social support: A theoretical perspective on thriving through relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 19(2), 113–147
Fu, X. Y., Kou, Y., & Yang, Y. (2015). Materialistic values among Chinese adolescents: Effects of parental rejection and self-esteem. Child & Youth Care Forum, 44(1), 43–57
Gentina, E., Shrum, L. J., Lowrey, T. M., Vitell, S. J., & Rose, G. M. (2018). An integrative model of the influence of parental and peer support on consumer ethical beliefs: The mediating role of self-esteem, power, and materialism. Journal of Business Ethics, 150(4), 1173–1186
Goodman, E., Adler, N. E., Kawachi, I., Frazier, A. L., Huang, B., & Colditz, G. A. (2001). Adolescents’ perceptions of social status: Development and evaluation of a new indicator. Pediatrics, 108(2), e31
Gorrese, A. (2016). Peer attachment and youth internalizing problems: A meta-analysis. Child & Youth Care Forum, 45(2), 177–204
Hafer, C. L., & Rubel, A. N. (2015). The why and how of defending belief in a just world. In J. M. Olson & M. P. Zanna (Eds.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 51, pp. 41–96). Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier.
Hayes, A. F. (2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
Heerde, J. A., & Hemphill, S. A. (2018). Examination of associations between informal help-seeking behavior, social support, and adolescent psychosocial outcomes: A meta-analysis. Developmental Review, 47, 44–62
Heine, S. J., Proulx, T., & Vohs, K. D. (2006). The meaning maintenance model: On the coherence of social motivations. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10(2), 88–110
Igou, E. R., Blake, A. A., & Bless, H. (2021). Just-world beliefs increase helping intentions via meaning and affect. Journal of Happiness Studies, 22(5), 2235–2253
Kasser, T. (2016). Materialistic values and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 67(1), 489–514
Kruglanski, A. W., K?petz, C., Bélanger, J. J., Chun, W. Y., Orehek, E., & Fishbach, A. (2013). Features of multifinality. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 17(1), 22–39
Landau, M. J., Kay, A. C., & Whitson, J. A. (2015). Compensatory control and the appeal of a structured world. Psychological Bulletin, 141(3), 694–722
Lerner, M. J. (1980). The belief in a just world: A fundamental delusion. New York: Springer.
Liu, B. Y., & Platow, M. J. (2020). Chinese adolescents’ belief in a just world and academic resilience: The mediating role of perceived academic competence. School Psychology International, 41(3), 239–256
Mandel, N., Lisjak, M., & Wang, Q. (2021). Compensatory routes to object attachment. Current Opinion in Psychology, 39, 55–59
Martela, F., & Steger, M. F. (2016). The three meanings of meaning in life: Distinguishing coherence, purpose, and significance. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11(5), 531–545
Richins, M. L. (2004). The material values scale: Measurement properties and development of a short form. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(1), 209–219
Shrum, L. J., Chaplin, L. N., & Lowrey, T. M. (2022). Psychological causes, correlates, and consequences of materialism. Consumer Psychology Review, 5(1), 69–86
Steger, M. F. (2012a). Experiencing meaning in life: Optimal functioning at the nexus of well-being, psychopathology, and spirituality. In P. T. P. Wong (Ed.), The human quest for meaning: Theories, research, and applications (2nd ed., pp. 165–184). New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
Steger, M. F. (2012b). Making meaning in life. Psychological Inquiry, 23(4), 381–385
Steger, M. F. (2021). Meaning in life: A unified model. In C. R. Snyder, S. J. Lopez, L. M. Edwards, & S. C. Marques (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of positive psychology (3rd ed., pp. 959–967). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80–93
Vyas, S., & Kumaranayake, L. (2006). Constructing socio-economic status indices: How to use principal components analysis. Health Policy and Planning, 21(6), 459–468
Zhang, H., Tian, Y., Lei, B. R., Yu, S., & Liu, M. (2015). Personal relative deprivation boosts materialism. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 37(5), 247–259

[1]	GE Wenjing, FANG Yansu, ZHANG Yilin, NIU Gengfeng, SUN Xiaojun. Family-School Collaboration: The Bidirectional Relationship Between Parent-Child Relationship and Adolescents’ Psychological Literacy and the Moderating Role of School Connectedness [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2026, 24(5): 616-623.
[2]	LI Jiaojiao, YUAN Hailong, LIN Xiaokang, WU Lianning, HU Xiaojuan. The Relationship Between Scarcity Mindset and Ego Depletion in Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2026, 24(5): 648-654.
[3]	WANG Yuetan, YAN Xianle, HE Liang, ZHANG Yan, DING Xiaobin. Predictive Effect of Covert Narcissism on Adolescent Social Anxiety and Intervention [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2026, 24(5): 713-720.
[4]	Pinchao LUO, Jiaxian LUO, Zixiu LU, Xianzhe LI. The Effect of Social Exclusion on Perceptual Sensitivity to Emotional Expressions in High and Low Aggression Adolescents [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2026, 24(3): 312-319.
[5]	Haibo YANG, Yikang LI, Yawen GUO, Bingjie LIU. Differences in Attentional Bias Toward Game Information Among Adolescents with Varying Levels of Internet Gaming Addiction [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2026, 24(3): 401-409.
[6]	Lupei LIU, Gang QIN, Caihua FENG. Relationship Between Meaning in Life and Depression in College Students: The Chain Mediating Effect of Rumination and Self-Esteem [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2026, 24(3): 418-424.
[7]	Huihui WANG, Shenpei TANG, Shuangyou ZHAO, Xiangyuan HUANG, Song LAN. The Inner Self and External Perspectives: The Impact of Self-Appraisal and Reflected Appraisal Consistency on Adolescents’ Mental Health Issues [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2026, 24(2): 187-194.
[8]	Anming HE, Haiyan MEI, Yuchen MA, Qiuping HUI. The Relationship Between Middle School Students’ Materialistic Values and Sense of Gain: The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital and the Moderating Role of Technoference [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2026, 24(2): 227-233.
[9]	Yilin ZHANG, Gengfeng Niu, Xuqing BAI, Sufei XIN, Xiaojun SUN. The Bidirectional Relationship Between Perceived Chronic Social Adversity and Social Media Addiction Among Adolescents: The Role of Sense of Control [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2026, 24(2): 258-264.
[10]	Yuhan ZHANG, Fengqin DING. Awe and Prosocial Behavior in Junior High School Students: The Mediating Role of Meaning in Life [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2026, 24(1): 130-137.
[11]	Chunmei ZHANG, Yubing LUO, Dongxue WEN, Hang ZHENG. Psychological Reactance and Deviant Behaviors in Adolescents: The Chain Mediation Effect of Deviant Peer Affiliation and Deviant Group Identity [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2025, 23(5): 645-652.
[12]	Haiqing WANG. The Relationship Between Perceived Discrimination and Social Withdrawal of Community-Correction Subjects: A Chain Mediation Model [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2025, 23(5): 706-713.
[13]	Xin LIU, Yanling LIU, Jinyi ZENG. The Longitudinal Relationship Between Psychological Need Frustration and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Psychological Suzhi [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2025, 23(4): 496-503.
[14]	Zhenzhou BAO, Hua LIU, Mingshen YU. The Relationship Between Adolescents’ Bystander Behaviors in School Bullying and Anxiety-Depression Symptoms: Based on Longitudinal Network Analysis [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2025, 23(4): 504-512.
[15]	Qingji ZHANG, Fengbo GUO, Yeman TU, Zaihua QING, Feng SONG. The Impact of Labor Values on the Latent Categories and Transitions of Adolescent Mental Health: A Dual-Factor Model Perspective [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2025, 23(4): 569-576.