Based on the life course paradigm used in this study, young adults’ materialism is triggered by numerous factors. Family disruptions and concept-oriented family communica- tions seem to promote the development of materialism in early life. However, our results do not support the relation- ship between communication in peer groups during adoles- cent years and the strength of materialistic values expressed in early adulthood, a finding that contradicts conclusions reached for other countries such as the U.S. (Moschis, 1987), Thailand (Nguyen et al., 2009) and Hong Kong (Chan and Prendergast, 2007).