Premium
The Compensatory Consumer Behavior Model: How self‐discrepancies drive consumer behavior
Author(s) -
Mandel Naomi,
Rucker Derek D.,
Levav Jonathan,
Galinsky Adam D.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of consumer psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.433
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1532-7663
pISSN - 1057-7408
DOI - 10.1016/j.jcps.2016.05.003
Subject(s) - psychology , consumer behaviour , escapism , value (mathematics) , compensation (psychology) , social psychology , consumer research , marketing , computer science , business , machine learning
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.