Self‐Image Motives and Consumer Behavior: How Sacrosanct Self‐Beliefs Sway Preferences in the Marketplace

Abstract

This article reviews social cognitive research suggesting that people shape their beliefs and judgments of the social world to maintain sacrosanct beliefs of the self as a capable, lovable, and moral individual. This article then argues that consumer behavior might similarly be designed to bolster positive self‐views and then discusses the potential role played by these self‐image motives in recently documented consumer behavior phenomena (e.g., endowment, compensation, affirmation, and licensing effects). This article then articulates some questions for future research if one presumes that consumer decision making, at least in part, strives to harmonize preferences with bedrock beliefs that the self is an able and principled person.

Impulsive consumption and reflexive thought: Nudging ethical consumer behavior

“…The motivational aspects of reflexive thought are prominent in identity-related needs, commonly called self-image motives (Dunning, 2007;Sedikides and Strube, 1997). 6 Due to 5 Following Lades (2011), the motivation V (st) to consume a consumer good ct which is rewarding (r(ct) > 0) can be formalized as follows:…”

“…However, individuals are usually not aware of the fact that their decisions are partly driven by self-image discrepancies. Self-images can affect behavior implicitly in a way that is automatic, beyond the individual's control, and below the individual's conscious awareness (Devos and Banaji, 2003;Dunning, 2007;Rameson et al, 2010).…”

“…Motivational aspects of reflexive thought, on the contrary, can induce urges to consume impulsively. These motivational aspects are identity-related needs commonly called self-image motives (Dunning, 2007). When, for example, individuals perceive discrepancies between their actual self-images and their ideal self-images, they sometimes impulsively purchase goods that promise to reduce these self-image discrepancies (Dittmar and Bond, 2010).…”

Sentimental value and its influence on hedonic adaptation.

“…Similarly, prior work shows that although individuals' preferences can be easily influenced by environment cues (Lichtenstein & Slovic, 2006), individuals' evaluations of important events and times in their lives are quite stable (Dunning, 2007). For example, events such as graduation from college and getting married are likely to be considered as events or moments that are worth commemorating throughout one's life time.…”

The dynamics of consumer behavior and the transition to sustainable consumption patterns

“…Furthermore, cognitive activity also implies motivational forces of its own as, for example, consistency of self-image (Dunning 2007) and the pervasive need for high self-esteem (Gollwitzer and Kirchhof 1998). These motivations can trigger substantial consumer expenditures and seem to do so the more, the higher per capita income becomes (a striking example is the soaring growth of expenditures on cosmetic surgery).…”