In sociology, post-materialism is the transformation of
individual values from materialist, physical and economic to new
individual values of autonomy and self-expression. Post-
materialism is a tool in developing an understanding of modern
culture. It can be considered in reference of three distinct
concepts of materialism. The first kind of materialism, and the
one in reference to which the word post-materialism is used most
often, refers to materialism as a value-system relating to the
desire for fulfillment of material needs (such as security,
sustenance and shelter) and an emphasis on material luxuries in
a consumerist society. A second referent is the materialist
conception of history held by many socialists, most notably Marx
and Engels, as well as their philosophic concept of dialectical
materialism. The third definition of materialism concerns the
philosophical argument that matter is the only existing reality.
The first concept is sociological, the second is both
philosophical and sociological, and t