Changing values: Materialism in Iceland following the economic collapse

• Main Author: Jönsson, Jennie Maria Katarina, 1985-
• Other Authors: Háskóli Íslands
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Sálfræði; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/17295

The first chapter of this thesis is a literature review that serves as a background to the research presented in the second chapter. It discusses the concept of a value, its definitions, how values may be organised and measured, as well as value stability and the relationship between values and behaviour. This is followed by a discussion on a value of particular relevance to the discourse that followed the economic collapse in Iceland in 2008: materialism. It considers three of the most prominent approaches to materialism, their definitions and measures, as well as stability and change in materialism. The second chapter of this thesis presents a study where potential changes in Icelanders’ value priorities following a major social event were investigated, using the financial crisis as a backdrop. As expected, and in accordance with the literature, no significant changes in materialistic values of the Icelandic people, over a 17-month period following the collapse, were revealed. In addition, contrary to what the discourse that followed the collapse suggested, research conducted prior to 2008, along with the presented research, indicates that Icelanders consistently prioritise family and community values over materialistic values.