Liminal mothers’ negotiation of conflicting service consumption

Abstract

Dr Andrea Tonner is a lecturer within the Marketing Department of the University of Strathclyde. With a background as a marketing practitioner within blue-chip FMCG organisations her research is situated within Consumer Culture Theory and focusses upon issues of consumption and identity. She has primarily explored this in a food context and this was the context for her PhD thesis. Andrea has recently researched how pregnant women and mew mothers construct identity and attain belonging through service consumption. 2Liminal mothers' negotiation of conflicting service consumption. AbstractPregnancy is a significant period of transition, transforming 'women' into 'mothers'. The mid or liminal phase of transition is particularly ripe for consumer researchers. Transformative services research (TSR) considers that services may deliver objective wellbeing outcomes (e.g. consumer health). This paper extends TSR into liminality and considers that services may also encompass hedonic (mood, satisfaction and happiness) and eudiamonic (mastery, autonomy, positive relations, and self-acceptance) dimensions. The paper unpacks women's service experiences to enrich and expand understanding of positive and negative consumption meanings. It identifies that unanticipated outcomes emerge as a feature of transformative services. It demonstrates that services situates new mothers at the centre of a multiplicity of consumption. This may both overwhelm and act as transitional resource developing mothers as postmodern bricoleurs.

Smart Devices, Smart Decisions? Implications of Parents’ Sharenting for Children’s Online Privacy: An Investigation of Mothers

“…Several risk factors contribute to mothers’ consumer vulnerability. These risk factors include biophysical changes during pregnancy and breastfeeding, psychosocial changes such as anxiety related to their inexperience and concern others will judge them as mothers, and their uncertainty as they adjust to their new role and seek to develop their new definition of self (Schoppe-Sullivan et al 2017; Tonner 2016; The VOICE Group 2010). Mothers’ new role and responsibilities in the face of inexperience can leave them feeling overwhelmed (Tonner 2016).…”

“…These risk factors include biophysical changes during pregnancy and breastfeeding, psychosocial changes such as anxiety related to their inexperience and concern others will judge them as mothers, and their uncertainty as they adjust to their new role and seek to develop their new definition of self (Schoppe-Sullivan et al 2017; Tonner 2016; The VOICE Group 2010). Mothers’ new role and responsibilities in the face of inexperience can leave them feeling overwhelmed (Tonner 2016). Whether they have left the workforce temporarily during parental leave or have opted to stay home full-time, first-time mothers (FTMs) can experience physical and social isolation and parenting stress more than experienced moms (McDaniel, Coyne, and Holmes 2012).…”

“…Further compounding the situation, women may feel the weight of being a “good mother” as they seek to learn the appropriate behaviors a “good mother” should exhibit and the beliefs she should espouse, especially regarding divisive topics such as breastfeeding and vaccinations (Tonner 2016). The “intensive mothering” framework (Schoppe-Sullivan et al 2017) presents a perspective that is “child-centered, expert-guided, emotionally absorbing, labor-intensive, and financially expensive” (Hays 1996, p. 8).…”

Consumption Coping and Life Transitions: An Integrative Review

“…The transition to parenthood includes events such as pregnancy, child birth, and adoption. The transition to motherhood represents a physiological, psychological and cultural process (AbiGhannam and Atkinson, 2016; Tonner, 2016) which can yield significant changes in individuals’ lives as consumers (Hemetsberger et al, 2015).…”

The interplay between liminality and consumption: A systematic literature review with a future research agenda

“…The boundaries of liminality are a fertile topic for further exploration. Guided by a rich body of consumer research on liminality, this systematic literature review answer calls for the “further development of liminal consumption theory” (Tonner, 2016, 116) by critically assessing this theoretical lens. The literature on liminality is fragmented, and at times it can be confusing because of the multifaceted relationship between liminality and consumption.…”