The I that buys: narcissists as consumers
The I that buys: narcissists as consumers
Which people are most swayed by self-image motives and hence most likely to make consumer choices in line with those motives? We contend that the answer is narcissists, individuals who see themselves, and who want others to see themselves, as special, superior, and entitled, and who are prone to exhibitionism and vanity. We hypothesize that narcissists will, to validate their excessively positive self-views, strive to purchase the high-prestige products (i.e., expensive, exclusive, new, and flashy). In so doing, they will regulate their own esteem by increasing their apparent status and consequently earning others’ admiration and envy. We also hypothesize that narcissists will show greater interest in the symbolic than utilitarian value of products, and will exhibit, even controlling for self-esteem, more pronounced self-enhancement phenomena, such as endowment and self-signaling effects.
narcissism, consumerism
254-257
Sedikides, C.
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
Gregg, A.
1b03bb58-b3a5-4852-a177-29e4f633b063
Cisek, S.
10849294-02f2-4c1f-8359-8b9beb5bebaa
Hart, C.
e3db9c72-f493-439c-a358-b3b482d55103
2007
Sedikides, C.
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
Gregg, A.
1b03bb58-b3a5-4852-a177-29e4f633b063
Cisek, S.
10849294-02f2-4c1f-8359-8b9beb5bebaa
Hart, C.
e3db9c72-f493-439c-a358-b3b482d55103
Sedikides, C., Gregg, A., Cisek, S. and Hart, C.
(2007)
The I that buys: narcissists as consumers.
Journal of Consumer Psychology, 17 (4), .
(doi:10.1080/10577400701542346).
Abstract
Which people are most swayed by self-image motives and hence most likely to make consumer choices in line with those motives? We contend that the answer is narcissists, individuals who see themselves, and who want others to see themselves, as special, superior, and entitled, and who are prone to exhibitionism and vanity. We hypothesize that narcissists will, to validate their excessively positive self-views, strive to purchase the high-prestige products (i.e., expensive, exclusive, new, and flashy). In so doing, they will regulate their own esteem by increasing their apparent status and consequently earning others’ admiration and envy. We also hypothesize that narcissists will show greater interest in the symbolic than utilitarian value of products, and will exhibit, even controlling for self-esteem, more pronounced self-enhancement phenomena, such as endowment and self-signaling effects.
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Published date: 2007
Keywords:
narcissism, consumerism
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Local EPrints ID: 44865
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/44865
ISSN: 1057-7408
PURE UUID: cd79ab73-6056-4b08-8fdf-a4bf7af2dfbc
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Date deposited: 22 Nov 2007
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:24
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