Cognitive anthropology and the problem‐solving behaviour of green consumers

Abstract

*This paper examines the contextual aspects of problem-solving behaviour of 'green', environmentally oriented consumers. It is argued that by profiling the consumer in cognitive terms, a more robust understanding of green consumer behaviour can be provided. *To illustrate this, we draw upon the cognitive anthropological concepts of practical thinking and bricolage. These are used to integrate 'context' into a model of cognition via qualitative, interview-based research which examined how consumers assess the environmental friendliness of supermarket products. *In order to increase external validity two respondent groups were compared, British and German consumers. Different levels of successful and unsuccessful practical thinking and bricolage were identified.

The tripartite model of responsible consumption

“…Thus, scarce community resources may be better used by reducing costly social marketing advertisements aimed at passive responsible behaviours and by utilising local means and guerrilla marketing to raise awareness and cooperation. Previous studies note that social marketers have not recognised, let alone leveraged, word-of-mouth communications, which determine much of consumer exposure and commitment to CRB (Collins, 2004;McKenzie-Mohr, 2000;Wagner-Tsukamoto & Tadajewski, 2006). By substantiating the importance of projecting a "green image" as part of responsible identity negotiation, our findings add to the extant evidence that communication strategies relating CRB to consumer membership in various social groups can encourage and extend CRB.…”

‘If it makes you feel good it must be right’: Embodiment strategies for healthy eating and risk management

“…Our study adds to that of Brunel and Pichon by applying an anthropological/ethnographic approach focusing more on subjective experience and negotiation of context (cf. also Wagner‐Tsukamoto and Tadajewski, ). Furthermore, we are going beyond the Brunel and Pichon taxonomy by adding the consumer body as a pivotal instrument in contemporary strategies of food‐oriented risk and health assessment among consumers.…”

Narratives of ‘green’ consumers — the antihero, the environmental hero and the anarchist

“…The stories indicate that there is a genuine danger that the fragmented, piecemeal and individualistic notion of green consumerism is disempowering. Every act of consumption is fraught with risk and degrades the environment, while 'contextually pragmatic' (Wagner-Tsukamoto and Tadajewski, 2006) solutions are often unavailable. In this context, the moralistic focus on young people's favourite consumption items such as fashionable clothing may need to be reconsidered, as raising such concerns may invoke defensiveness and denial if realistic alternatives (from the young person's perspective) are unavailable.…”

“…Stern, 2000;Bamberg and Möser, 2006). Moreover, recent research has started to uncover contextual factors influencing the relation between environmental concern and consumer behaviour (Bhate, 2002;Thøgersen, 2005;Grønhøj, 2006;Wagner-Tsukamoto and Tadajewski, 2006).…”