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Consumer decision making in low‐income families: The case of conflict avoidance
Author(s) -
Hamilton Kathy
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of consumer behaviour
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.811
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1479-1838
pISSN - 1472-0817
DOI - 10.1002/cb.285
Subject(s) - purchasing , poverty , narrative , conflict resolution , consumption (sociology) , conflict avoidance , control (management) , marketing , sociology , social psychology , public economics , economics , psychology , business , economic growth , management , social science , linguistics , philosophy
This paper explores consumer decision making in low‐income families. The focus is on the issue of conflict avoidance within the family when making consumption choices. Whereas previous studies have focused on conflict resolution strategies, this paper considers the ways in which families prevent conflict from arising in the first instance. These include individual control in purchasing and budgeting decisions, giving in to the requests of children and ensuring open communication about the family's financial situation. Importantly, the connections between the poverty narrative and the family decision making narrative are considered as the decision making strategies employed are not only aimed at avoiding conflict but also making experiences of poverty more manageable. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.