Can Powerless Consumers Achieve Happiness Through Luxury Compensatory Consumption? Exploring the Roles of Self-Esteem and Materialism
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Based on terror management theory and psychological reactance theory, this study determines the impact of powerlessness on consumers' luxury compensatory consumption and happiness and investigates the mediating role of self-esteem and moderating effect of materialism. Online survey responses collected from female consumers ( N = 283; aged 20s-40s) were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The study reveals that consumer powerlessness can lead to happiness through luxury reward consumption, with self-esteem and materialism playing key roles. While the full sample and low materialists group did not show self-esteem as a mediator, the results indicate that powerlessness reduces self-esteem among high materialists, which then drives luxury compensatory consumption. Additionally, this consumption induced both groups' happiness, with greater influence observed when materialism level was high. This study provides a foundation for understanding the mechanism of luxury compensatory consumption in a threatening environment.
Authors: Yunjeong Kim, Kyung Wha Oh
Institution: Chung-Ang University
Language: English
Subfield: Marketing
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4411355418