The role of national identity in consumption: An integrative framework

In this paper, we propose an integrative national identity-based model of consumer behavior. This is accomplished by integrating several important concepts (e.g., self-concept, social identity, and intergroup relations) as roots for consumers' feelings, attitudes, and behavioral manifestations that are linked to national identification. We examine how citizens as consumers make sense of, interpret, and respond to what their nation and their national identity mean to them, not only in routine times but also in times of crises when others threaten their national identity. This analysis increases our understanding of how consumers position themselves in relation to national symbols or national rhetoric and how this helps shape consumption behavior.