The “Shaken Self”: Product Choices as a Means of Restoring Self-View Confidence

Abstract

The present research shows that when a confidently held self-view (e.g., "I am an exciting person") is temporarily cast in doubt, individuals are motivated to choose products that bolster their original self-view (e.g., choosing brands with exciting brand personalities). The findings across three studies suggest that subtle manipulations can temporarily "shake" one's self-view confidence, resulting in an increased propensity of choosing self-view-bolstering products in a subsequent choice task. The consequences of the "shaken self' for product choices are examined in different self-domains. The findings also suggest that the effects of the shaken self are attenuated when individuals have the opportunity to restore their self-view confidence prior to the final choice task.The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action. (John Dewey)

Doing It the Hard Way: How Low Control Drives Preferences for High-Effort Products and Services

“…This belief can be seen in the way that individuals form different types of relationships and connections with brands (e.g., Aggarwal and McGill 2012;Deighton 1992;Escalas and Bettman 2005;Fournier 1998) and how they use products to signal desired traits, from high status to intelligence and beyond (e.g., Gao, Wheeler, and Shiv 2008;Rucker and Galinsky 2008;Wick-lund and Gollwitzer 1982). Importantly, while offering functional and symbolic assistance, products can also leave room for consumers to contribute their own hard work in pursuit of desired outcomes, which leads to feelings of empowerment (i.e., the sense that you can determine your own outcomes).…”

Impulsive consumption and reflexive thought: Nudging ethical consumer behavior

“…Wicklund and Gollwitzer show, for example, that business students who lack good qualifications display more material symbols than students with better career prospects. More recently, Gao et al (2009) show that threats to important selfimages can momentarily shake one's confidence in the respective self-image and thus alter consumer behavior. Shaken self-images induce individuals to choose goods that help them to restore their confidence in the threatened self-image.…”

“…Shaken self-images induce individuals to choose goods that help them to restore their confidence in the threatened self-image. When, for example, individuals write an essay about their intelligence with their non-dominant hand, their self-image of #1203 being intelligent is threatened and they tend to prefer pens over candy (Gao et al, 2009). …”

The self-concept life cycle and brand perceptions: An interdisciplinary perspective

“…If their self-view is shaken it can have a negative effect on individuals' psyche (Gao et al 2009). Such a negative effect may be the consequence of identity inconsistencies and be reflected in brand choice (Kirmani 2009).…”