Using attachment theory to understand consumers' tensions between their sense of self and goal-pursuits in relationships

Abstract

Consumers face tensions in deciding which goal to pursue, who to be and which self to present in daily life. Yet we know little about these tensions consumers experience as they respond to distinct interpersonal contexts (e.g., perceived support, trust, conflict and sense of belongingness). To this end, we explore the consumption deliberations that consumers undertake for self-presenting when faced with varying interpersonal encounters. We used interview data with women aged 19-62 and Rabinovich and Kacen's (2013) qualitative coding methodology to examine interpersonal patterns of self-presentation. During the data analysis, attachment theory emerged as important in illuminating the tensions participants experienced in pursuing 4 types of goal-pursuit (intimacy, prevention, performance and authenticity) aided by their consumption choices for self-presenting in specific interpersonal contexts. Our findings show intrapsychic and interpersonal influences are not non-interacting entities, but rather need to be studied in conjunction when examining how people create desired social images/identities.

Dressing your soul: The role of brand engagement in self-concept

“…The sample of respondents belonging to two cosplayer communities helped to provide further insights into the literature on fashion. Adopting the view that individuals use cosplayer clothes to express themselves and communicate either who they want to be or who they should be (Liu & Hogg, 2018), the tendency to view a character as part of how they view themselves is mainly triggered by the strength of extrinsic aspirations. In other words, the higher is the individual's willingness to achieve financial success, gain social recognition and be appealing to others, the stronger is the propensity of the individuals to view characters as parts of themselves.…”

“…In the consumption setting, the literature establishes the importance of cultivating specific self-presentations through personal adornment as a means of achieving a variety of identity goals (Thompson & Haytko, 1997;Thomson, Whelan & Johnson, 2012). When consumers engage in consumption, they can use the product to express who they want to be, communicating their expression of the perceived authentic self, and who they should be, adhering to appropriate socio-cultural conduct (Liu & Hogg, 2018).…”

Retail atmospherics in times of disruption: a PLS modeling approach of the role of emotions in a pharmacy environment

“…For a very long time, almost since its first appearance, attachment theory has provided a very useful instrument by which relationships among peoples (Liu and Hogg, 2018), places (Chen and Dwyer, 2018), possessions (Wu et al, 2017) and brands or firms (VanMeter et al, 2018) have been described and explained. Brand attachment is defined as the strength of the bond connecting the brand with the self, resulting from peoples' cumulative experiences (Thomson et al, 2005).…”

Compulsive buying of branded apparel, its antecedents, and the mediating role of brand attachment

“…It is argued that stronger attachment indirectly induces a state of mental readiness that eventually influences individual's emotional, cognitive, and behavioral resources toward someone or something (Holmes, 2000). Since its inception, attachment theory has been widely used by psychology and marketing researchers in explaining the relationships among peoples (Liu and Hogg, 2018), places (Chen and Dwyer, 2018), possessions (Wu et al, 2017), and brands or firms (VanMeter et al, 2018).…”