Theorizing self‐repairers' worldview–personhood to advance new thinking on extended product lifetimes

Abstract

The ecological and societal problems caused by product obsolescence and consumerism in modern economies constitute a “wicked human‐made problem” of significant magnitude. Current (old) ways of thinking cannot address these problems. Accordingly, in this paper, we critically explore the novel idea of integrated personhood and worldviews to theorize research on self‐repairers and their repair behaviours to extend product lifetimes. We conducted a structured and systematic review of published work (n = 183) to identify the conceptual content of the field to inform our theorization. Our findings highlight three key issues. First, constricted theorization undermines understanding of self‐repairers and their product lifetime extension (and spillover) behaviours. Second, the underlying conceptual complexity is typically underestimated. Third, the dominance of voluntarist and deterministic studies impedes new directions in research. From our review, an integrated worldview–personhood framework emerges that can deepen understanding of avant‐garde self‐repairers’ engagement with product lifetimes.

Critiquing a Utopian Idea of Sustainable Consumption: A Post-Capitalism Perspective

“…Additionally, it offers novel insight on the influence of pro-environmental self-identity on under-researched product lifetime extension and environmental activism behaviours. The need for this contribution is identified by Bovea, Pérez-Belis, and Quemades-Beltrán (2017), Dermody, Nagase, and Berger (2020) and Dono, Webb, and Richardson (2010). The protest with societal, political and business forces (Paço and Rodrigues 2016; SGuin, Pelletier, and Hunsley 1998) highlights the importance of the macro context to understanding these identity-product lifetime and identity-activism relationships.…”

“…There is also strong potential for product lifetime extension and environmental activism to contribute to this transformation. For example, through enhanced consumer engagement and rejection of a throwaway culture (Dermody, Nagase and Berger 2020). Hence, all three behaviours can facilitate our post-capitalism utopian vision.…”

“…extending product lifetime) can trigger consumers’ protective belief-systems to resist change. Hence, the disposition towards new purchases (Bovea, Pérez-Belis, and Quemades-Beltrán 2017; Dermody, Nagase and Berger 2020). This helps explain barriers to consuming sustainably, even when consumers are aware and concerned about environmental problems (Dermody et al 2015; Polonsky, Kilbourne, and Vocino 2014).…”

“…It is valuable because it reduces resources, pollution and waste levels in the production and consumption of products. Transitioning to this behaviour is, however, challenging because consumers typically favour new product purchases over reused, repaired or pre-owned (Bovea, Pérez-Belis, and Quemades-Beltrán 2017; Dermody, Nagase and Berger 2020). Thirdly, environmental activism reflects consumers’ dynamic engagement with political, societal and business systems to achieve environmental change (Paço and Rodrigues 2016; Sguin, Pelletier, and Hunsley 1998).…”

“…However, while there has been a recent upsurge in climate-change protest, historically this behaviour has been very niche. This combination of difficulty and infrequency has resulted in an underdeveloped scholarship on product lifetime extension and environmental activism (Bovea, Pérez-Belis, and Quemades-Beltrán 2017; Dermody, Nagase and Berger 2020; Dono, Webb, and Richardson 2010). This paper therefore makes an important contribution to conceptualising these less well-understood behaviours, from a post-capitalism perspective.…”