Work

It’s Not Me, It’s You: The Downstream Effects of Identity Threat in the Context of Gift Giving

Year: 2010

Type: preprint

Abstract: Prior research has established that an external threat to an individual’s identity can be resolved via an identity-congruent product choice which bolsters his/her identity. In the context of gift giving, we examine how purchasing an identity threatening product can itself create an identity threat. We posit that purchasing such a product can threaten an individual’s identity, particularly when purchasing for a close (vs. distant) friend who is an integral part of the self. Five experiments show that givers choosing identity-incongruent gifts for close friends experience an identity threat and are subsequently more likely to engage in behaviors that re-establish their shaken identity.

Source: SSRN Electronic Journal

Authors: Morgan K. Ward, Susan M. Broniarczyk

Institutions: Southern Methodist University, The University of Texas at Austin

Language: English

Topic: Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification

Subfield: Marketing

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2222450617

Cites: 36

Cited by:

Related to: 10