Developmental Recognition of Consumption Symbolism

Belk, Russell W.; Bahn, Kenneth D.; Mayer, Robert

doi:10.1086/208892

Cited by 461 publications

(298 citation statements)

References 95 publications

(73 reference statements)

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“…Although past research has suggested that children in this young age group are unable to note the social significance of brands or merchandise (Belk, Bahn, & Mayer, 1982;John, 1999), more recent research suggests otherwise. For example, McAlister and Cornwell (2010) demonstrated that 3-to 5-year-olds, who were recruited from upper-middle class daycare facilities, were readily able to recognize brands.…”

Section: Social Identitymentioning

confidence: 87%

A Humanistic Approach to Understanding Child Consumer Socialization in US Homes

Atkinson

Nelson

Rademacher

2015

Journal of Children and Media

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Section: Social Identitymentioning

confidence: 87%

A Humanistic Approach to Understanding Child Consumer Socialization in US Homes

Atkinson

Nelson

Rademacher

2015

Journal of Children and Media

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“…People buy products for not only what they do but also what they symbolize (Levy 1959). Consumers use products to construct and express desired identities (Belk 1988;Escalas andBettman 2003, 2005;Kleine, Kleine, and Kernan 1993), and people infer aspects about others (e.g., identities and other preferences) based on their purchase decisions (Calder and Burnkrant 1977; for overviews, see Belk, Bahn, and Mayer 1982;Holman 1981). Tastes can act as markers of social groups (Douglas and Isherwood 1978) and signal a user's other preferences (Solomon 1988;Solomon and Assael 1987).…”

Section: Divergence To Avoid Signaling Undesired Identitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Where Consumers Diverge from Others: Identity Signaling and Product Domains

Berger

Heath

2007

Journal of Consumer Research

976

829

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We propose that consumers often make choices that diverge from those of others to ensure that they effectively communicate desired identities. Consistent with this identity-signaling perspective, four studies illustrate that consumers are more likely to diverge from majorities, or members of other social groups, in product domains that are seen as symbolic of identity (e.g., music or hairstyles, rather than backpacks or stereos). In identity domains, participants avoided options preferred by majorities and abandoned preferences shared with majorities. The social group associated with a product influenced choice more in identity domains and when a given product was framed as identity relevant. People diverge, in part, to avoid communicating undesired identities. (c) 2007 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..

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“…At a conscious level, stimuli often become linked to identities when they symbolize the consumer's own personality traits (Aaker, 1997), reflect a desirable self-image, or embody the "type" of person that the consumer aspires to think, feel and be like (Belk, Mayer, & Bahn, 1982). In these situations, the consumer's identity is the motivational impetus that drives him or her to form, hold, and express identity-oriented beliefs and behaviors that connect or separate him or her from real or imagined others (Escalas & Bettman, 2005).…”

Section: The Identity-relevance Principlementioning

confidence: 99%

Identity-based consumer behavior

Reed

Forehand

Puntoni

et al. 2012

International Journal of Research in Marketing

444

345

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Although the influence of identity on consumer behavior has been documented in many streams of literature, the absence of a consistent definition of identity and of generally accepted principles regarding the drivers of identity-based behavior complicates comparisons across these literatures. To resolve that problem, we propose a simple but inclusive definition of identity. Identity can be defined as any category label with which a consumer selfassociates that is amenable to a clear picture of what a person in that category looks like, thinks, feels and does. Building from this definition, we propose the following five basic principles that can help researchers model the process of identity formation and expression:(1) Identity Salience: identity processing increases when the identity is an active component of the self; (2) Identity Association: the non-conscious association of stimuli with a positive and salient identity improves a person's response to the stimuli; (3) Identity Relevance: the deliberative evaluation of identity-linked stimuli depends on how diagnostic the identity is in the relevant domain; (4) Identity Verification: individuals monitor their own behaviors to manage and reinforce their identities; and (5) Identity Conflict: identity-linked behaviors help consumers manage the relative prominence of multiple identities. To illustrate the potential usefulness of these principles for guiding identity research, we discuss new avenues for identity research and explain how these principles could help guide investigations into these areas.

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Developmental Recognition of Consumption Symbolism

Cited by 461 publications

References 95 publications

A Humanistic Approach to Understanding Child Consumer Socialization in US Homes

A Humanistic Approach to Understanding Child Consumer Socialization in US Homes

Where Consumers Diverge from Others: Identity Signaling and Product Domains

Identity-based consumer behavior

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