Journal
JOURNAL OF CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY
Volume 27, Issue 1, Pages 133-146Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcps.2016.05.003
Keywords
Self concept; Social comparison; Materialism; Conspicuous consumption; Self regulation; Self discrepancy
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Consumer goods and services have psychological value that can equal or exceed their functional value. A burgeoning literature demonstrates that one source of value emerges from the capacity for products to serve as a psychological salve that reduces various forms of distress across numerous domains. This review systematically organizes and integrates the literature on the use of consumer behavior as a means to regulate self-discrepancies, or the incongruities between how one currently perceives oneself and how one desires to view oneself (Higgins, 1987). We introduce a Compensatory Consumer Behavior Model to explain the psychological consequences of self-discrepancies on consumer behavior. This model delineates five distinct strategies by which consumers cope with self-discrepancies: direct resolution, symbolic self-completion, dissociation, escapism, and fluid compensation. Finally, the authors raise critical questions to guide future research endeavors. Overall, the present review provides both a primer on compensatory consumer behavior and sets an agenda for future research. (C) 2016 Society for Consumer Psychology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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