Self Discrepancy and Consumption Attitudes
Why do the same consumers shop at Costco or Wal-Mart, buy private label dishwashers, drive a Mercedes, eat at Panera, and drink Starbucks coffee (Silverstein and Fiske 2003). Further, despite the negative impact of global recession on disposable incomes,
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w harsh their revealed self-concepts might be for them (Gómez et al. 2009). In self-enhancement strategy, individuals choose to associate with positive identities and outcomes (Brown et al. 1988). Individuals also rely on consumptions and possessions to reconstruct their self-identity and social identity (Kleine Iii and Kleine 2000). According to self-completion strategy, people acquire and display material possessions to compensate for certain inadequacies aspects of the self (Wicklund and Gollwitzer 1982). Thus, (non)consumption is used to narrow the gaps between ideal / ought self and actual self in self completion theory (Dittmar et al. 1996; Eisend and Möller 2007). The magnitude of self-discrepancies affects the symbolic, functional, or emotional values of the products and the impulse buying frequency (Dittmar et al. 1996). In addition, discrepancy between actual and ought self-motivates consumers to rely on the meanings inherent in products to construct their social roles, especially the novel ones (Solomon 1983). Intra-identity Negotiations Negotiation is “a complex decision-making task in which negotiators are faced with alternative courses of action and choices…that are determined by negotiator’s judgments of the task” (Thompson 1990; Thompson et al. 2010). Negotiation is a process by which two or more parties decide what each will give and take as an attempt to allocate gains among participants (Cross 1965). We propose that intra-identity negotiation is employed to resolve conflicts between actual self-perception and ideal/ought self-perception. This intra-identity negotiation process is internal focus, can be conscious or automatic, effortless or purposeful. The outcomes of intra-identity negotiation process are negotiated between the actual self and ideal/ought self. Negotiated outcomes Drawing on the works of Munson (1974) and Horney (1964), conspicuous products are preferred by the ideal self- and the inconspicuous products are preferred by the actual self- (Horney 1964). Thus, in negotiated outcome, the gap between ideal/ ought self- and actual self-concept will influence an individual’s preferences for (1) conspicuous products, namely extravagant consumptions, (2) rational consumptions, (3) frugal consumptions, and (4) anti-consumptions. 1. Extravagant Consumption The idea of extravagance can be traced back to Veblen (1899). Veblen (1925) states that, “in order to gain and to hold the esteem of men, it is not sufficient merely to possess wealth or power." The wealth or power must be put in evidence, for esteem is awarded only on evidence” (p.36). He posits that conspicuous consumption is a deliberate and conscious activity that individuals employ to enhance or achieve status and prestige (Bagwell and Bernheim 1996). Extravagant consumption is defined as living beyond what one can comfortably afford economically. Conspicuous consumption is defined as “visible consumption of goods as a mechanism to enhance one’s social standing” (Grace and Griffin 2009). Even though extravagant and conspicuous consumpt
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