Although the concept of materialism has been operationalized several different ways, it captures the idea that consumer goods and services provide a significant source of satisfaction and dissatisfaction in life. Without the proper constellation of material products, the probability of a satisfactory self-definition through consumption diminishes. Similarly, a materialistic attitude would seem to increase the probability of a successful self-consumption definition, for materialistic individuals may be more likely to use a priori product symbolism to define their sense of self. These ideas lead to proposition 8.