To Self-Enhance or Self-Verify? How Cognitive Load Influences Product Preference for Low Self-Esteem Consumer

  • Hoi Ching Michelle CHAN (Speaker)

Activity: Talks or PresentationsOther Invited Talks or Presentations

Description

Individuals are motivated to self-enhance and to self-verify through consumption. Previous literature suggests that it is common for individuals to enhance and restore their self-esteem after threat with superior goods consumption (Dittmar, 2005; Sivanathan & Pettit, 2010). However, some recent scholars (e.g. Anika Stuppy, Nicole L Mead and Stijn M J Van Osselaer) argued that, low self-esteem consumers preferred inferior goods over superior goods to verify their pessimistic self-views. Motivated by these conflicting findings, this research aims to understand when do low self-esteem consumers prefer a superior good. Based on the perspective on goal system theory (Kruglanski et al., 2002), we propose that cognitive capacity is a critical factor in predicting their product choice.
Period11 May 2020
Event titlePostgraduate Seminar Series
Event typePublic Lecture