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The Dark Side of the Gift
Abstract
Probing of the semiotic significance of gift exchange behaviors has recently been resumed. The symbolic exchange value of the gift is especially amenable to investigation via ethnographic methods and projective techniques. In this paper, negativity and ambivalence in gift exchange, a theme derived from a comparative ethnographic study of two midwestern American gift stores, are refined and elaborated through projective analysis. What emerges is a more balanced and comprehensive account of gift giving than presently available in the literature of consumer-object relations. Gift giving and receiving engender high levels of anxiety among consumers. Gifts create and exacerbate interpersonal conflict. They are frequently used as weapons, and consumers' responses to them are carefully canalized. The ways in which negativity is managed by donors and recipients are examined. Consumers, victims of sentiment and symbolism, are found to be entrapped in rituals and enjoined by cultural ideology from expressing discontent in most ways except fantasy. The impact of such fantasy on gift giving, and its relevance for marketers, is explored in this article.
... The psychology, sociology, and economics of gift-giving are complex, so studying it improves our collective understanding of consumer behavior more broadly. At its best, gift-giving brings consumers joy and happiness (Ganesh-Pillai & Krishnakumar, 2019;Goodman & Lim, 2014) and improves their relationships with friends and loved ones (Ruth et al., 1999), but at its worst, giftgiving does the opposite (Dunn et al., 2008;Sherry Jr. et al., 1993). Consumers in the United States alone spend hundreds of billions of dollars on gifts each year (National Retail Federation, 2021). ...
... Recipients also prize carefully chosen, sentimental gifts with deeper meanings-again illustrated in scholarship on "memorable gifts," the "best gift ever," and the "perfect gift" (Areni et al., 1998;Belk, 1996;-and these seem to, indeed, foster stronger relationships (Ruth et al., 1999). The weight recipients place on relationship-oriented thoughtfulness is also evident in the anthro-socio-based explorations of the "dark side of the gift" (Sherry Jr. et al., 1993). Terms that recipients use to describe the "wrong gift" include "does not contain caring," "impersonal," and "makes me feel unknown" (Sherry Jr. et al., 1993, p. 229). ...
... This suggests that gift-giving should have a net positive effect on economic value. However, multiple anthro-socio-based research programs have documented gift-giving failures (e.g., Sherry Jr. et al., 1993;Sinardet & Mortelmans, 2005), which implies that gift-giving can sometimes reduce economic value. Turning now to psychology-based work, as the prior section on gifting mismatches illustrates, much experimental research in this realm suggests that gift-giving is an inefficient endeavor from an economic standpoint. ...
In recent decades, scholars across all areas of marketing have studied consumer gift‐giving behavior. Despite the growing popularity of this research topic, no extensive review of the gift‐giving literature exists. To that end, this paper offers an expansive review of research on consumer gift‐giving, focusing primarily on work coming from within the marketing discipline, but also drawing on foundational pieces from other fields. We review extant scholarship on five of gift‐giving’s most important aspects—givers’ motivations, givers’ inputs, giver‐recipient mismatches, value creation/reduction, and the greater gift‐giving context. In doing so, we illuminate the literature’s key agreements and disagreements, shed light on themes that traverse ostensibly disparate gift‐giving findings, and develop deeper conceptualizations of gifting constructs. Moreover, we identify opportunities for improvement in the gift‐giving literature and use them to create key agendas for future gift‐giving research. In sum, this paper offers a single point of reference for gift‐giving scholars, improves academia’s current understanding of gift‐giving, offers several theoretical contributions, and generates multiple paths for future research.
... Although gift-giving is often a positive experience, the articles in the second cluster deal with its less pleasant side, otherwise known as the "dark side of the gift" (Sherry et al., 1993). Many of these articles explored mismatches between givers' expectations and recipients' true feelings. ...
... Otnes et al. (1993) outlined how many recipients are "difficult" such that they impede givers' attempts to express specific social roles. Sherry et al. (1993) Others, such as Caplow (1982Caplow ( , 1984 adopted a sociological perspective to study the ritualized nature of gift-giving and norms in gift-giving, setting the stage for later work on these topics Ruth et al., 1999). Cheal (1987) Fischer and Arnold (1990) investigated gender differences in giftgiving. ...
Gift‐giving is a typical consumer behavior with important implications for consumers and marketers. Accordingly, consumer gift‐giving behavior has received much attention from marketing scholars. We conduct a bibliometric analysis of 237 articles on gift‐giving from the Web of Science database. This analysis identifies the bibliometric attributes of the gift‐giving literature, including its publication trend, influential outlets, impactful articles, prolific scholars, international scope, state of collaboration, and featured topics and themes. Using content analysis, we identify three themes that categorize the consumer gift‐giving literature's key segments: (1) broad and nuanced outlooks of the social side of gift‐giving, (2) the less pleasant side of gift‐giving, and (3) the foundational research on consumer gift‐giving. This paper provides readers with a state‐of‐the‐art overview of consumer gift‐giving literature and identifies opportunities for future gift‐giving research.
... In these cases, the recipient is usually in good standing with the giver. However, sometimes social norms lead givers to face situations where they must purchase a gift for a recipient who they view in a negative light (Sherry et al., 1993). For example, consider a giver who is tasked with purchasing a holiday gift for an ornery in-law or a snobby co-worker. ...
... By exploring this moderator, our research is some of the first experimental work to investigate givers' decision-making when they are purchasing gifts for recipients they are less than fond of. While these kinds of situations Expensive gifts for affluent recipients have been explored at length by researchers of CCT gift giving (Otnes et al., 1993;Sherry et al., 1993), they are largely absent from the recent experimental research on gift giving [with one exception being Cheng et al.'s (2021) exploration of how givers choose for "picky" recipients]. Our work demonstrates that givers can make different choices depending on whether the giver-recipient relationship is positive or negative and thus advocates for future experimental research to take this into account. ...
Purpose
This study aims to add to the gift giving literature by examining how the wealth of a recipient impacts giver spending. The authors tested the hypotheses that givers spend more on wealthy (vs unwealthy) recipients, partially because givers anticipate a greater difference in gift-liking across expensive and cheap gifts when the recipient is wealthy, and partially because givers are more motivated to signal that they are of high financial status when the recipient is wealthy. The authors also tested whether givers’ tendency to spend more on wealthy (vs unwealthy) recipients attenuates when the recipient is someone with whom the giver has a negative (vs positive) relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Eight experimental studies tested the hypotheses. These studies had participants act as givers, consider giving a gift to either a wealthy or unwealthy recipient and indicate how much money they would spend on the gift. Some studies included additional measures to test potential mediators, while another included an additional manipulation to test a potential boundary condition.
Findings
Gift givers spend more on gifts for wealthy (vs unwealthy) recipients, for two main reasons. On the one hand, givers are influenced by an other-oriented motive – they wish for their gift to be well-liked by the recipient and anticipate a greater difference in recipient gift-liking across expensive and cheap gifts when the recipient is wealthy. On the other hand, givers are influenced by a self-oriented motive – they wish to signal to the recipient that they are of high financial status, but this desire is stronger when the recipient is wealthy. Critically, givers are relatively unlikely to spend more on wealthy (vs unwealthy) recipients when they have a negative (vs positive) relationship with the recipient.
Research limitations/implications
The authors studied how the wealth of the gift recipient influences givers’ gift expenditure, but they did not examine the recipient’s perspective. Future research could address this by exploring whether recipients’ gift preferences vary based on their wealth.
Practical implications
Gift purchases account for a significant portion of worldwide consumer spending, making gift giving an important topic for consumers and marketers alike. The present research sheds light on a factor that has a notable impact on how much consumers spend on a gift when faced with a gift giving decision.
Originality/value
This manuscript contributes to the gift giving literature by exploring an important aspect that influences consumer gift expenditure (the wealth of the recipient), demonstrating a novel gift giving phenomenon [that givers spend more when giving to relatively wealthy (vs unwealthy) recipients], and shedding new light on the psychology of consumers in gift giving contexts (namely, how givers’ perceptions of recipient gift-liking, their desire to send signals of high financial status and their relationship with the recipient can influence their gifting decisions).
... Young people are typically driven more by social emotions [92] than by utilitarianism when they give gifts to their seniors [93]. As a result, the meaning of the gift must not be misconstrued or ambiguous, as this will impede the giver's expression of social identity [94]. Consumers might gain social recognition or enhance their social self-concept when they buy and use products or services, which is known as perceived social value [85]. ...
Digital endorsers are already utilized extensively in various businesses. The major objective of the current study was to find out the impact of image realism of digital endorsers on the purchase intention of gift products for the elderly. We investigated this issue through three online experiments. Study 1 (n = 205) found that cartoon digital endorsers (vs. realistic digital endorsers) generate higher purchase intention for the product. Study 2 (n = 175) showed that perceived social value plays a mediating role in the relationship between the image realism of digital endorsers and purchase intention. Study 3 (n = 127) demonstrated the moderating role of information framing in the relationship between the image realism of digital endorsers and purchase intention. In all, our research extends the previous literature on digital human endorsements and advertising of elderly products and provides several managerial implications for consumers and marketers.
... Just as with the gift (Sherry et al., 1993) or the common good (Frémeaux, 2020;, solidarity may have a dark side in that others may judge the culture of solidarity as idealistic, misleading, or even dangerous. Nevertheless, the hypothesis of real solidarity cannot be dismissed a priori; reinterpreting acts of solidarity in a systematic way as coerced, instrumental, or sacrificial actions, and thereby denying the very nature of solidarity, is potentially a source of dehumanization. ...
Solidarity is a principle oriented toward the common good that ensures that each person can have the necessary goods and services for a dignified life. As such, it is very often approached in a theoretical manner. In this empirical study, we explored the development of a culture of solidarity within an organizational context. In particular, we qualitatively investigated how a culture of solidarity can concretely spread within and beyond organizations by conducting 68 semi-structured interviews with members of three common good-oriented organizations located in the Philippines, Korea, and Paraguay. We found that a culture of solidarity develops through a three-step process that includes constructing the solidarity mission, sharing soli- darity, and disseminating solidarity, which together form a virtuous circle. We further found that solidarity is not supported by constrained, instrumentalized, or sacrificial actions, but can instead be a free, authentic, and fulfilling way for members of an organization to flourish while serving the mission of their company.
... Researcher Arnold and Reynolds [46] demonstrate that certain customers appreciate meeting people and being social with others during shopping. Shopping offers shoppers an opportunity to meet and create a bond with other customers [47]. ...
This research determines, how the customers intend on buying and how their perceptions of currency values are affecting their shopping experiences in Pakistan To do so, a questionnaire with a sample size of 360 respondents. To achieve the research objectives, a quantitative investigation was conducted. Information was gathered from malls and a few supermarkets in Multan. According to this study, a buyer’s repurchase represents found a key indicator of their status, amusement, idea, and level of satisfaction. The association between the study and the social value of the currency was found negative. However, no correlation was found between exploration and intention of purchase in the proposed study area. Furthermore, the outcome of this study showed that the value of the currency was positively influenced by repurchase objectives. This research presented novel perceptions on the nature of hedonism, repurchase intention, and the emergence of more engaging shopping strategies encouraging consumers to enjoy their goods in depth. Interventions of the study revealed an entertaining shopping mechanism with more valuable and happy footsteps. By providing a large variety of fresh things i.e., a greater selection of products, friendly sales employees, interesting shopping areas, regular access to shopping information, and a high level of service, it is recommended to boost the recreational and practical elements of shopping. The analysis showed the number of customers could steadily rise in future who repurchase the product.
... However, when they restrict sharing information with a small group of service providers, this possibility decreases. By sharing personal information with other people, people feel privacy risks (Acquisti & Grossklags,2005;Balaji, Khong, and Chong 2016;Kim & Kim, 2014) because the presence of third parties increases anxiety (Sherry, McGrath, and Levy 2013;Shmargad & Watts, 2016;Wooten, 2000). Determining information-sharing boundaries by setting linkage privacy control options decreases their anxiety. ...
Despite the diverse benefits of smart home Internet of Things (IoT) services, the biggest obstacle to the actual usage of those services is concern about privacy. However, little research has investigated the impact of privacy control on users' intention to use smart home services. Based on communication privacy management theory and privacy calculus theory, this study investigates how privacy control options affect users' perceived benefits and costs and how those perceptions affect individuals’ intentions to use smart home services by conducting an experiment. Our results showed that smart home privacy control options decreased perceived benefits and increased perceived costs. The perceived benefits and
costs significantly affected the intention to use smart home security services. More intriguingly, the effect of perceived benefit was found to be stronger than that of the expected cost. This research contributes to the field of IoT and smart home research and provides practitioners with notable guidelines.
... Moreover, Harman's Single Factor test was conducted for both samples, where calculated variance for the single factor was within the suggested value (<50%), confirming the absence of significant method bias (Podsakoff et al., 2003). We also assumed respondent fatigue to be minimum considering (1) respondents' spontaneous participation was ensured by explicitly asking their willingness to participate in the survey, (2) responses were collected at respondents' most convenience (home or office) with an online questionnaire (Sherry et al., 1993) and (3) the number of measurement items was fairly concise (Anselmsson et al., 2017), allowing respondents to complete the survey within a reasonable short time. ...
Purpose-End-of-life electronic products exchange (EEPE) program could be an effective approach to e-waste recycling that requires consumers' participation. Thus, it is highly recommended to study factors stirring consumer behavior with regard to EEPE programs, which is largely under-explored in the existing literature. Hence, grounding on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Attitude-Behavior-Context (A-B-C) model, this study attempts to understand the determinants of consumers' EEPE intention by adding contextual and non-cognitive factors to the proposed research model. Design/methodology/approach-Employing a purposive sampling technique, respondents were drawn from university students and general consumers of electronic products in a developing country. Factor analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM) and SPSS PROCESS were used to analyze the collected data.
Findings-Empirical results confirm that subjective norm has the strongest positive impact on EEPE intention. Following this, attitude toward EEPE and perceived behavioral control play positive mediating roles in determining EEPE intention. Moreover, government initiatives moderate the unsolicited "attitude-intention gap".
Practical implications-Drawing on this study's outcomes, the study urges to form comprehensive awareness-building campaigns, rules and regulations regarding proper e-waste management, promote "exchange offer" programs and educational programs to encourage EEPE.
Originality/value-This study makes two fresh contributions to the extant literature. First, by coupling the TPB and A-B-C theory, this study showed that both attitude (i.e. attitude toward EEPE) and context (i.e. government initiatives) are essential in eliciting individual-level post-consumption pro-environmental behavior (PEB) (i.e. EEPE). Second, government initiatives elucidate the attitude-intention gap in the reverse logistics context, especially in developing countries.
... Consumer motivation is related to problem-solving or searching for arousal and sensory stimulation (Hirschman & Holbrook, 1982). This dichotomy has been studied in the shopping context as related to work (Fischer & Arnold, 1990;Sherry et al., 1993) or fun (Babin et al., 1994;Bloch & Bruce, 1984;Sherry, 1990). ...
This study aims to understand how utilitarian features of a mobile application moderate purchase motivations and intentions among users and non-users. Taking a case of cinema ticket purchase in the Iranian context, this study has collected empirical data through a questionnaire from 240 respondents. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze data. Motivational variables were grouped into four groups: functional motivations, convenience-based functional motivations, product motivations, and service motivations. In addition, the gender issue of the consumer was also considered. This study finds that such motivational factors significantly affect consumers' motivations, both male and female consumers. Analysis on gender shows no significant differences among male and female consumers. Therefore, these factors should be considered in formulating marketing communication strategy and media management, especially for non-users. Further research should consider other motivational factors, such as hedonic motivations, attitude, and situational factors, to understand consumer behaviors comprehensively.
... Motivasi utilitarian menunjukkan bahwa belanja dimulai dari misi atau tugas dan manfaat yang diperoleh. Tugas atau misi akan dikatakan sukses tergantung pada apakah misi selesai atau tidak, atau apakah misi selesai secara efisien selama proses (Batra & Ahtola, 1991;Sherry et al., 1993). ...
Tujuan paper adalah untuk memberikan kerangka kerja konseptual penelitian empiris tematis tentang perilaku adaptif konsumen (adaptive shopper) dalam menyesuaikan kebijakan physical distancing dari pemerintah selama masa pandemic covid 19 untuk melakukan belanja online dari rumah. Kerangka kerja koseptual diusulkan dengan mengajukan variabel motivasi berbelanja online yang sudah ada berupa motivasi utilitarian, hedonic dan faktor situasional. Kontribusi paper ini yaitu memasukkan variabel moderasi hubungan antara motivasi berbelanja dengan niat berbelanja online, yaitu tipe shopper journey dari konsumen yang beragam. Dalam model konseptual diungkap ada empat tipe shopper journey yang relevan muncul pada masa physical distancing yaitu classical journey, required journey, entertainment journey, dan oursourced journey.
... Shopping is portrayed as work from a utilitarian perspective, the sense that consumers emphasise buying goods in a fruitful and simple means to attain goals (Griffin, et. al, 2000;Sherry, et. al, 1993;Fischer and Arnold, 1990). Utilitarian values are rational and concerned with completing a mission or achieving a goal; they represent the fact that consumers purchase products out of need rather than desire (Scarpi, 2011). It demonstrates how consumers buy out of necessity professionally and thoughtfully (Babin et all, 1994). Consumers ...
Constructed upon female consumers' buying behaviour, this research study investigates the interrelationship of flow experience, hedonic values, utilitarian value, purchase intention and consumer buying behaviour. This study examines the role of purchase intentions as mediation and elaborated the study with the theoretical background of flow theory and consumer value theory. This study was conducted in the beauty & grooming industry, sampling 705 working women consumers of Pakistan and data was analyzed through SEM using Smart PLS. The findings supplement the creation of positive aspect in buying behaviour rather than letting consumer cashed by their psychological state and companies' tactics. Keywords: Flow Experience, Hedonic Value, Utilitarian Value, Purchase Intention, Consumer Buying Behavior
... This study did not specify how giver and receiver are related when considering gift-giving through the apps. This relationship can affect the type and appropriateness of the gift, as well as the rituals, cultural convention, and norms involved in gift-giving (Larsen and Watson 2001;Sherry et al. 1993). Future studies should consider various relationships (e.g., friendship, business, and parent-child) and cultures. ...
Service sector companies, like cafes and convenience stores, have introduced applications (apps) that permit customers (givers) to gift beverages to their acquaintances (receivers), who redeem the gift at a convenient outlet. Using social capital theory, affective forecasting theory, and hedonic-utilitarian duality, this study investigates adoption and (continual) use of gift-giving apps. The partial least squares analysis on 223 giver-users and 335 giver-non-users showed that bonding and bridging social capital encourage giver-non-users to use the apps. Bonding social capital encourages giver-users to continue using the apps. Additionally, giver-non-users and giver-users view the apps as hedonic and utilitarian, respectively.
... At the macrolevel, such gifts create deadweight losses in the economy (Waldfogel, 1993) and reinforce outdated social norms (Sherry, 1983). At the individual level, research has likewise illuminated a less rosy view of gift giving (Sherry et al., 1993), demonstrating that givers sometimes feel negative emotions when choosing gifts (Cheng et al., 2020;De Hooge, 2014, 2017Givi & Galak, 2017;Wooten, 2000) and possess conflicting preferences, mindsets, or motives compared to recipients' own (Aknin & Human, 2015;Baskin et al., 2014;Cavanaugh et al., 2015;Chan & Mogilner, 2017;Gino & Flynn, 2011;Givi & Galak, 2017;Goodman & Lim, 2018;Paolacci et al., 2015;Polman & Emich, 2011;Steffel & LeBoeuf, 2014;Ward & Broniarczyk, 2016;Yang & Urminsky, 2018; for a review, see Galak et al., 2016). In complement to these findings, our studies point to a unique case whereby giving even a "good" gift can have negative consequences for an interpersonal relationship. ...
How people choose gifts is a widely studied topic, but what happens next is largely understudied. In two preregistered studies, one field experiment, and an analysis of secondary data, we show that giving gifts has a dark side, as it can negatively affect subsequent interpersonal behavior between givers and receivers. In Study 1, we found that giving a gift to one's romantic partner changes givers' interpretation of which behaviors constitute infidelity. Specifically, we found that givers (vs. nongivers) classified their questionable behaviors (e.g., sending a flirtatious text to someone other than their partner) less as a form of cheating on their partner. In Study 2, we examined how politely participants behave when delivering bad news to a friend. We found that givers (vs. nongivers) wrote significantly less polite messages to their friend. In Study 3, we tested real gifts that people give to friends and found givers (vs. nongivers) subsequently made more selfish decisions at their friends' expense. In all, our research refines the oft‐cited axiomatic assumption that gift giving strengthens relationships and illuminates the potential for future research to examine how decision making can alter interpersonal, romantic relationships.
... Kılıçer vd., (2016) hediye satın alma davranışında kadınların erkeklere göre daha meyilli olduğu sonucuna ulaşmıştır. Sherry (1993) insanların hediye seçerken genellikle hediye alacakları kişi ile akrabalık dereceleine göre seçim yaptıklarını tespit etmiştir. Günümüzde insanların birbirine karşı gösterdikleri saygı ve değerin satın alınan ticari bir ürünle ölçülür hale geldiği görülmektedir (Ateş, 2013:3). ...
Bu çalışmanın amacı, özel günler için yapılan harcamaların tüketici bütçesindeki yerini tespit etmek ve özel günler için satın alınan üründe aranan niteliklerin demografik özelliklere göre değişiklik gösterip göstermediğini ortaya koymaktır. Özel günler için satın alınacak bir üründe erkeklerin markaya, kadınların ise modaya uygunluğa önem verdiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Benzer şekilde, gençlerin markaya, orta yaş ve üzerindekilerin ise modaya uygunluğa önem verdikleri belirlenmiştir. Gelir seviyesi yükseldikçe satın alınacak üründe kalite arayanların oranının yükseldiği, ayrıca kadınların erkeklere nazaran özel günlere daha duygusal baktıkları tespit edilmiştir.
The purpose of this study is to determine the place of special days expenditures within the consumer budget and to show whether the qualifications sought in products purchased for special days vary according to demographic characteristics. Obtained results for a product purchased for special days have shown that, men attach importance to brand and women attach importance to modality. Similarly, it has been determined that young people attach importance to brand but middle aged and above to fashion suitability. It has been found that as the income level increases, the proportion of quality seekers increases, and women look more emotional to special days than men.
... It is rather interesting to note from these findings that utilitarian software product appeared to benefit the most from the interaction effects of different types of value on brand loyalty. Deriving functional benefits from products and services is represented in consumer behavior studies by the themes of consumption behavior "as work" (Babin et al., 1994;Fischer and Arnold, 1990;Sherry et al., 1993) versus the more enjoyable aspects of consumption behavior "as fun" (Babin et al., 1994;Lageat et al., 2003). Perhaps the tedium of work aspects (UV) of software product use is alleviated by the fun aspects of HV and social benefits of SV. ...
In this study, we investigate the salience of providing utilitarian, hedonic and social features on brand loyalty of three different types of software products-Flow (a utilitarian software), SnowRunner (a computer game) and TikTok (a video sharing social networking software). We found that while the focus on providing primary value is important, diversifying the features to provide secondary values such as hedonic and social values in utilitarian software had a significantly higher impact on brand loyalty due to the multiplier effect. Statement of Contribution This findings of this study empirically demonstrate that users are loyal to products that are useful, exciting and also socially engaging. Therefore, product managers should diversify features that provide all three types of values HV, UV and SV rather than specializing only on the one pertinent to the product type as the various values have additive as well as multiplicative effect on brand loyalty. 2
... From the utilitarian viewpoint, shopping motivation includes procuring the product or completes the task of shopping (Batra and Ahlota 1991;Babin et al. 1994). In case of utilitarian motivation, shopping begins with tasks and benefits achieved from completing that task (Batra and Ahlota 1991;Sherry et al. 1993;Babin et al. 1994). The utilitarian motivation is characterized by saving time, one-stop shopping place, lower cost of products and ability to choose from a wide range of products (Sheth 1983). ...
Evolution of the internet has generated enough scope for marketspace in the past 10–15 years. This digital reform in the way businesses are conducted has generated a need to reexamine the factors influencing purchase intention in the context of the online platform. This paper provides an understanding of the designing of marketspace and purchase behavior in the context of most vulnerable digital natives—millennials. Data collected from Indian millennials were subjected to regression analysis, ANOVA and t-test. Findings reveal that millennials are using marketspace rationally and seeking functionality in their purchase with skepticism towards privacy. Also, marketspace should be designed keeping in mind its functionality rather than emphasizing on fun element of marketspace. Marketers who have designed their marketspace and invested in look and feel may need to motivate millennials to consider it as a deterministic attribute.
... However, what is hidden underneath the seemingly affirmative bonding process is the sense of indebtedness as a result of the obligation to give something in return creating a state of reciprocal bondage, which can be seen as the 'irrational, self--centered, and calculating aspects of the dark side of the gift' (Sherry, McGrath, and Levy, 1993). The 'contractual systems' that the concept of gift can hide is similar in respect to the hidden power structures in the collaborative approaches of art making. ...
This PhD research explores the artists’ book as a process of cooperative art making. The practice-‐based research considers the relational potentials of the artists’ book – an artwork in a book form – through three library-‐focused social art projects. Each of the projects examines the book as a social medium by employing different participatory processes in the making and sharing of artists’ books. The relational potentials of the artists’ book provide for a more cooperative form of social art practice, where exchange with others is founded on the willingness to share rather than on reciprocal obligation. The research question considers how the relational and social capacities of the artists’ book extend our thinking around authorship and relationality in social art practice.
The art projects are founded on the idea of the library as a ‘gathering together’ (Derrida, 2005, p.7). This is set against the general understanding of the library to be an important and valued social space. The idea of the library is illustrated through the participatory process of the ‘library’ coming together as the artists’ books are made and shared. The forming of the ‘library’ also exemplifies the process of ‘shared action’. Tom Finkelpearl suggests ‘shared action’ (Finkelpearl, 2013, p.343) complicates the conventional notions of authorship by defining the aesthetic experience as ‘the modesty of power relations’ (ibid., p.348). The shift from a collaborative to cooperative social art situation asks for a more gentle form of art making where people come together to share what they can, rather than forcefully creating a non-‐hierarchical environment.
The research brings together a constellation of ideas around books, artists’ books, social art practice and libraries. The theory of the gift and gift exchange in anthropological studies provide useful perspectives on attitudes of generosity, reciprocity and sharing that allow us to reflect on the relational potentials of the artists’ book and cooperative art making. The research findings will be of most interest to artists’ book researchers and makers, social art practitioners, researchers of social and participatory art practice and art librarians.<br/
... Utilitarian consumer behavior is described from a functional or task-related standpoint and may be thought of as accomplishment of "work" (Babin et al., 1994). Consumers derive UV when the shopping mission or tasks are accomplished efficiently (Sherry et al., 1993). Later research established that consumption can take place for hedonic reasons too Lim and Ang, 2008). ...
In this study we assess the various values—utilitarian, hedonic and social—provided by online and instore shopping outlets and their impact on shopper outcomes such as the choice of outlets, loyalty to the outlet and purchase behavior. Building on existing literature in the domain we propose the characteristic aspects of values derived by shoppers in online versus instore shopping formats and their distinctive impacts on the psychology and behavior of shoppers. We test the hypotheses with data from actual online and instore shoppers and
find that as expected online shopping provided higher utilitarian value to shoppers and instore shopping provided higher hedonic and social values. Further, as expected, these values impacted shopper behavioral and psychological outcomes in complex ways. While
in general shoppers preferred online outlets, they demonstrated greater loyalty for instore outlets. Further, the purchase to visit ratio was found to be higher in instore than in online shopping. These findings have useful implications for retail outlets—online as well as instore.
... Utilitarian consumer behavior is described from a functional or task-related standpoint and may be thought of as accomplishment of "work" (Babin et al., 1994). Consumers derive UV when the shopping mission or tasks are accomplished efficiently (Sherry et al., 1993). Later research established that consumption can take place for hedonic reasons too (Hirschman and Holbrook, 1982;Lim and Ang, 2008). ...
In this study we propose that the value provided by an online shopping site will impact the loyalty of online shoppers. However, we also suggest that the utilitarian value provided by the site will have a higher impact on the consumers’ repetitive shopping at the site when compared with the hedonic and social values. However, once the utilitarian value is provided at a satisfactory level both hedonic and social values provided by the shopping site will have a higher impact on consumer loyalty. We test this model with actual online shoppers and found overall support for the model. These findings have useful implications for sellers in designing and upgrading their shopping websites.
Extant literature on the dark side of gift-giving has predominantly focused on the dark side of generalised or balanced reciprocity, and not on negative reciprocity or unequal exchange of goods and services for personal gains. However, by emphasising the negativities around generalised or balanced reciprocity, understandings of an exploitative relationship are limited. Drawing on textual data from various online sources on the topic of ‘son preference’, this article explores the dark side of gift-giving in terms of unequal exchange and how it can generate a vicious cycle of affective and social destructions in the lived experience of the exploited giver. Crucially, I illuminate how certain aspects of pre-exchange socialisation, gift-receipt disqualification, and gift-giving indebtedness unfold in the service of perpetuating a range of subject positions that foster sustained exploitation within the family consumption system.
Consumers often set budgets with the goal to minimize their spending. Contrary to this traditional interpretation, our research suggests that budgets can take on a different psychological meaning depending on whether the budget is for a personal or gift purchase. Across 11 studies, we find that consumers aim to spend below their budgets for personal purchases (budget minimizing) but aim to spend the entirety of their budgets for gift purchases (budget maximizing). We differentiate budget maximizing from spending maximizing, showing that gift purchasers are more likely to prefer “at-budget” than “above-budget” purchases. We also show that gift purchasers have weaker savings goals than personal purchasers—a difference that mediates the effect on their budget-minimizing and -maximizing tendencies. We explore multiple reasons that could explain why savings goals are less prevalent among gift purchasers and find an upstream role for price consciousness, guilt, and perceived specialness. Finally, we find that consumers’ preference for spending the entirety of their budgets on gifts was moderated by two separate factors: consumers’ budget slack and salience. Our research adds to the literatures on mental budgeting, gift giving, and self-other decisions.
Gifting is socially and economically important. Studies of gifting physical objects have revealed motivations, values, and the tensions between them, while HCI research has revealed weaknesses of digital gifting and explored possibilities of hybrid gifting. We report an ‘in the wild’ study of a hybrid chocolate gift deployed as a commercial product. Interviews reveal the experiences of receivers and givers, as well as the producer's friction points and tangible benefits. We reveal how in hybrid gifts the digital elevates the physical while the physical grounds the digital. We discuss how hybrid gifts bridge the tension between receiver-preference and relationship-signalling motivations, the need to further strengthen the exchange and reveal stages of hybrid gifting, and to manage the privacy of sensitive personal messages. We propose to extend the concept of hybrid wrapping to include a finer-grained interleaving of digital into complex packaging and multi-layered wrappings to create more holistic gifting experiences.
Bringing together a diverse collection of studies from a team of international scholars, this pioneering volume focuses on interactions in shops, exploring the dynamics of conversation between sellers and customers. Beginning with the emergence of a 'need' for a product before the request to a seller is actually made, all the way through to the payment phase, it explores the rich and deeply methodical practices employed by customers and sellers as they go about the apparently mundane work of buying and selling small items. It looks at how seller and customer interact both verbally, and by means of manipulating the material objects involved, across a range of different kinds of purchase. Providing new insights into multimodal human interaction and the organisation of the commercial activity, it aims to bring about a new understanding of the fundamental ways in which economic value, possession and ownership is achieved.
Gift giving is a ubiquitous phenomenon and a significant economic factor. Christmas alone, as the most important occasion for consuming gifts in Christian-based cultures, generates billions in sales for retailers. In addition, there are gifts for various traditional occasions such as birthdays and weddings, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day, as well as commercially invented gift occasions such as Valentine’s Day. But gift-giving is not only economically but also psychologically of extraordinary importance. For the processes of giving and receiving gifts that accompany us throughout the year and throughout life have an ambivalent character. On the one hand, they are voluntary acts that trigger strong positive emotions such as joy and gratitude. On the other hand, they are governed by a plethora of norms which, because of their obligatory character, cause uncertainty and frustration and, when rules are violated, strong negative emotions such as disappointment and anger.
Gifts are a particularly suitable form of expressing feelings of affection and intimacy and therefore play a major role in romantic relationships. This is especially true for the early relationship phase of ‘beginning love’, which is the focus of research interest, examining in particular occasions and motives for gift-giving, as well as the suitability of different characteristics and types of gifts to foster romantic bonds. In long-term stable relationships, initial passion transforms into a more companionate ‘lasting love’ and so does romantic gift-giving. While surprise and effort become less important as dimensions of a perfect gift, empathy, which continues to be important, is most evident in aspects of appreciation, the reframing of closeness, and concern for the partner’s well-being.
Traditionally software products have been classified as utilitarian or hedonic based on the value they provide to the users. In this cross-disciplinary study, we introduce another category of software products called social products i.e.those which provide symbolic value to its users.However, we also suggest these three types of software products are ideal types. In reality, most software products are likely hybrid. They providediffering magnitude of all three values: Utilitarian,Hedonic and Social. We use the different levels (high, medium and low) of these three values to classify products as predominantly Utilitarian ,predominantly Hedonic, predominantly Social and five types of Hybrids. This classification of products offers a fresh perspective into how users view different products in terms of the value they provide to them. The insights from the study can be used to assess software product positioning and to develop suitable product development strategies.
Traditionally software products have beenclassified as utilitarian or hedonic based on thevalue they provide to the users. In this cross-disciplinary study, we introduce another categoryof software products called social products i.e.those which provide symbolic value to its users.However, we also suggest these three types ofsoftware products are ideal types. In reality, mostsoftware products are likely hybrid. They providediffering magnitude of all three values: Utilitarian,Hedonic and Social. We use the different levels(high, medium and low) of these three values toclassify products as predominantly Utilitarian,predominantly Hedonic, predominantly Social andfive types of Hybrids. This classification ofproducts offers a fresh perspective into how usersview different products in terms of the value theyprovide to them. The insights from the study canbe used to assess software product positioning andto develop suitable product development strategies.
Live‐stream selling is becoming increasingly popular in e‐commerce platforms, where streamers sell products through real‐time interactions, while consumers make purchases during live‐stream time. We identify several important factors to evaluate the live‐stream selling: (1) the streamer's ability to sell, which brings an extra value to consumers through real‐time illustrations and social interactions; (2) whether the extra value is positively or negatively correlated to consumers’ preference value; (3) consumers’ cost to purchase through the live stream channel, since consumers have to participate the live‐stream show during a fixed time. We find that adding a live‐stream channel is profit‐enhancing only when the streamer's ability to sell is sufficiently high. If considering the switching demand to the traditional channel from consumers who would have purchased from the live stream channel during the live‐stream time, we find that (1) a single live‐stream channel can be optimal, and (2) a high streamer's ability to sell may result in a profit loss. We also find that regardless of the switching demand, the live‐stream selling is always more profitable when the extra value is negatively correlated to consumer's preference value than the scenario when the extra value is positively correlated. These findings not only contribute to the literature on live‐stream selling and price discrimination, but also offer guidelines for firms to make strategic decisions on live‐stream selling. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Traditionally software products have been classified as utilitarian or hedonic based on the value they provide to the users. In this cross-disciplinary study, we introduce another category of software products called social products i.e., those which provide symbolic value to its users. However, we also suggest these three types of software products are ideal types. In reality, most software products are likely hybrid. They provide differing magnitude of all three values: Utilitarian, Hedonic and Social. We use the different levels (high, medium, and low) of these three values to classify products as predominantly Utilitarian, predominantly Hedonic, predominantly Social and five types of Hybrids. This classification of products offers a fresh perspective into how users view different products in terms of the value they provide to them. The insights from the study can be used to assess software product positioning and to develop suitable product development strategies.
Driven by the ubiquity and strong context dependence of mobile app use, Internet companies are in a race of cross-industry expansion to build a seamless ecosystem incorporating various contexts. This paper offers several insights on improving app use in the era of mobile Internet. In contrast to PC Internet, in addition to hedonic and utilitarian states, we uncover a novel social state that is prevalent but transient, indicating mobile users have a fundamental need for frequent light-social activities. Thus, one strategy to increase use is to enrich an app’s social components, specifically on light-social functionalities. In addition, our results show that app use interdependence is the strongest under the hedonic state. This indicates the strategic value of boosting current app use is the highest in the hedonic state, providing guidance to companies on better spending of their limited marketing resources. Furthermore, we show that these internal states are interdependent of each other and their dynamic is affected by contextual factors that are distinct in the mobile context. Thus, companies should put more weight on tailoring their engagement strategies under different contexts in the ear of mobile Internet than the traditional PC context.
Schenken ist ein allgegenwärtiges Phänomen und ein bedeutender Wirtschaftsfaktor. Allein das Weihnachtsfest als wichtigster Konsumanlass für Geschenke beschert dem Einzelhandel in Deutschenland einen Milliardenumsatz. Dazu kommen Geschenke zu verschiedenen traditionellen Gelegenheiten wie Geburtstag und Hochzeit, Vater- und Muttertag sowie kommerziell erfundenen Geschenkanlässen wie dem Valentinstag. Doch Schenken ist nicht nur ökonomisch, sondern auch psychologisch von außerordentlicher Bedeutung. Denn die uns das ganze Jahr und lebenslang begleitenden Schenkprozesse des Gebens und Nehmens haben ambivalenten Charakter. Einerseits sind sie freiwillige Akte, die starke positive Emotionen wie Freude und Dankbarkeit auslösen. Andererseits gilt für sie eine Fülle von Normen, die wegen ihres verpflichtenden Charakters Unsicherheit und Frust verursachen und bei Regelverletzung starke negative Gefühle wie Enttäuschung und Ärger.
Geschenke sind eine besonders geeignete Form, Gefühle der Zuneigung und Intimität auszudrücken und spielen daher in romantischen Beziehungen eine große Rolle. Das gilt vor allem für die frühe Beziehungsphase einer ‚beginnenden Liebe‘, die im Mittelpunkt des Forschungsinteresses steht, wobei insbesondere Anlässe und Motive fürs Schenken untersucht werden sowie die Eignung verschiedener Eigenschaften und Arten von Geschenken, romantische Bindungen zu fördern. In langfristig stabilen Beziehungen wandelt sich die anfängliche Leidenschaft in eine mehr kameradschaftliche ‚dauerhafte Liebe‘ und damit auch das romantische Schenken. Während Überraschung und Mühen als Dimensionen eines perfekten Geschenks an Bedeutung verlieren, zeigt sich das weiterhin wichtige Einfühlungsvermögen vor allem in Aspekten der Wertschätzung, der Neugestaltung von Nähe und der Sorge ums Wohlergehen des Partners.
ABSTRACT
Purpose-This paper examines the effects of cultural differences and the types of relationship closeness involved in recipients' emotional and behavioral reactions after receiving disliked gifts.
Design/methodology/approach-Collecting data from Thailand and the U.S., two experiments were conducted in a 2 (self-construal: independent/interdependent) x 2 (relationship closeness: close/distant) between-subjects design. Study 1 explores the recipients' feelings and reactions upon receipt of a disliked gift. Study 2 explores the disposition process for a disliked gift.
Findings-The results show that a recipient's emotions, reaction, and disposition process can be affected by cultural differences and relationship closeness: specifically, that close and distant relationships moderate the relationship between self-construal and gift-receiving attitudes and behaviors.
Research limitations/implications-Future research can investigate representative groups from other countries to broaden the generalizability of the findings.
Practical implications-This understanding can guide gift-givers when selecting gifts for close or distant recipients across cultures. Additionally, it can help retailers develop and introduce new marketing strategies by applying self-construal as a marketing segmentation tool for gift purchase and disposition.
Originality/value-This research is among the first studies to offer insights into how individuals in different cultures manage disliked gifts they receive from people in either close or distant relationships.
In this paper, we introduce the concept of saunascape. To that end, we
explore what kind of socio-material practices are carried out within sauna bathing, and thereby discover the elements of saunascape. We focus on interrelated practices of sauna bathing and address the agentic capacity of saunascape as it structures these practices. The data were generated through interviews that took place in sauna
departments at five different hotels in Finland. In total, 39 informants participated in interviews. The findings show four interconnected socio-material practices relating to sauna bathing: purification, nostalgization, medicalization and democratization. As saunascape emerges in the nexus of these practices, its spatially-constructed
elements (places, people, meanings and material processes) appear connected to practices. The study participates in discussions in which the spatiality and non-human agency in consumption practices are evolved. Furthermore, it showcases an example of how an understudied cultural-historical phenomenon may be linked to modern
consumption trends.
When a gift is given from a giver to a recipient, there is often an expectation that the recipient will reciprocate, for example, during the winter holidays. However, recipients do not always have gifts to return to their givers for such “reciprocatory occasions.” They might be unaware beforehand, for instance, that the giver will be giving them one. This research examines whether givers accurately assess how uncomfortable recipients feel when they fail to reciprocate a giver’s gift for a reciprocatory occasion. Several studies demonstrate that givers severely underestimate how uncomfortable recipients feel in such situations. This occurs in part because givers feel less strongly than recipients that the actions of the two parties imply an imbalance in appreciation. Moreover, in part because of this forecasting error, givers give gifts more often than recipients prefer when it is known before a reciprocatory occasion that a recipient would be unable to reciprocate.
Most gifts are occasion‐based as opposed to non‐occasion‐based. That is, most gifts are given in the presence of a special occasion, rather than in the absence of one. Across a series of scenario‐based studies, the present research demonstrates that, despite occasion‐based gifts being much more common, recipients anticipate that their happiness levels will be quite high when receiving non‐occasion‐based gifts, varying little with gift quality. In contrast, they anticipate that their happiness levels will not always be high when receiving occasion‐based gifts, varying greatly with gift quality. These diverging outcomes arise because the caliber of gift that is required to signal care and thus meet a recipient’s expectation is much lower for non‐occasion‐based gifts than for occasion‐based ones. Critically, givers misforecast recipients’ anticipated positive reactions to non‐occasion‐based gifts, helping to explain why these gifts are, unfortunately, rather rare.
Although gift giving, a catalyst of guanxi, plays an important role in doing business in China, few studies have examined how to give a proper gift within business-to-business guanxi. Drawing on guanxi and gift-giving literature, this study investigates gift acceptability in the light of gift type and guanxi in two dimensions (relational closeness and relative status) in a hierarchical Chinese business circle. We classify gifts into monetary and nonmonetary gifts. The findings from two scenario-based experiments indicate that a monetary gift versus a nonmonetary gift decreases gift acceptability through the increased level of perceived manipulation (PM) and face threat (FT) and these indirect effects are contingent on different guanxi types. The mediating roles of both PM and FT turn more significant when relational closeness (gift recipient's status relative to giver) increases. These findings help Western businesspeople select the right gift form to give to the right Chinese counterparts in the right way.
Hediyeleşmenin toplumsal bir kültür haline geldiği günümüz dünyasında insanlar, pek çok durumda ve pek çok sebeple hediye vermektedirler. Dünyada ve Ülkemizde, bebek doğumları, yıldönümleri, mezuniyet, yılbaşı, anneler günü, sevgililer günü, babalar günü ve daha birçok durumda hediye verilmesi olmazsa olmaz bir hal almıştır. Bunun sonucunda, hediyeleşmeyle ortaya çıkan ekonomik büyüklük, toplam tüketim harcamaları içerisinde çok büyük bir paya sahip olmaktadır. Pazarlama araştırmacıları, tüketicilerin hediye satın alma davranışlarını ve onları motive eden unsurları ayrıca ele alarak incelemektedirler. Ülkemizde bu alanda yapılan çalışmaların yetersiz oluşu nedeniyle öncelikle, hediyelerin hangi motivasyonlarla satın alındığına ilişkin, kapsamlı bir literatür taraması yapılarak hediye ve hediye satın alma motivasyonlarına ilişkin teorik bir çerçeve oluşturulmaya çalışılmıştır. Bu çalışmanın bu alana yönelik daha sonra yapılacak teorik ve ampirik çalışmalara öncülük etmesi ve kaynak oluşturması amaçlanmıştır.
We reflect on two museum visiting experiences that adopted the strategy of interpersonalization in which one visitor creates an experience for another. In the Gift app, visitors create personal mini-tours for specific others. In Never let me go, one visitor controls the experience of another by sending them remote instructions as they follow them around the museum. By reflecting on the design of these experiences and their deployment in museums we show how interpersonalization can deliver engaging social visits in which visitors make their own interpretations. We contrast the approach to previous research in customization and algorithmic personalization. We reveal how these experiences relied on intimacy between pairs of visitors but also between visitors and the museum. We propose that interpersonalization requires museums to step-back to make space for interpretation, but that this then raises the challenge of how to reintroduce the museum’s own perspective. Finally, we articulate strategies and challenges for applying this approach.
The technology acceptance model (TAM) is widely recognized as one of the more influential information systems (IS) theories and a practical and parsimonious framework for IT adoption. However, TAM is not without its limitation. Numerous incremental additions in TAM due to easy publication possibilities have made the model unwieldly and theoretically impoverished (Bagozzi, 2007). As a result, TAM, even after years of development is able to explain only 30-40% of the variance in the dependent variables (Lee and Kozar, 2003; Venkatesh, Thong and Xu, 2012). In this study we suggest that using the value perspective in technology adoption can overcome the above limitations. The value perspective leads us to propose a General Theory of Technology Adoption (GTTA). This first version of GTTA addresses the limitations of direct and mediating variables in core and extended TAM used for explaining the behavioral intention of users to use a technology.
Ultra-processed food manufacturers have proposed that product reformulation should be a key strategy to tackle obesity. In determining the impact of reformulation on population dietary behaviours, policy makers are often dependent on data provided by these manufacturers. Where such data are “gifted” to regulators there may be an implicit expectation of reciprocity that adversely influences nutrition policies. We sought to assess Europe’s industry-led reformulation strategy in five countries deploying
critical policy studies as an approach. We found that interim results on industry-led food
reformulation did not meet their targets. Information asymmetries exist between food industry and policy makers: the latter are not privy to marketing intelligence and must instead rely on data that are voluntarily donated by food industry actors. These data represent a distorted snippet of the marketing intelligence system from whence they came. Because these data indeed bear all the hallmarks of a gift, regulatory and public health authorities operate within a gift economy. The implications of this “data gift economy” are strategic delay and goal-setting when the field is not visible. Ultimately, this could diminish the implementation of public health nutrition policies that are contrary to the commercial interests of ultra-processed food producers.
Purpose
The actual uses to which public art is put have been virtually ignored, leaving multifarious dynamics related to its esthetic encounters unexplored. Both audience agency in placemaking and sensemaking and the agentic role of place as more than a mere platform or stage dressing for transformation are routinely neglected. Such transformative dynamics are analyzed and interpreted in this study of the Derry–Londonderry Temple, a transient mega-installation orchestrated by bricoleur artist David Best and co-created by sectarian communities in 2015.
Design/methodology/approach
A range of ethnographic methods and supplemental netnography were employed in the investigation.
Findings
Participants inscribed expressions of their lived experience of trauma on the Temple's infrastructure, on wood scrap remnants or on personal artifacts dedicated for interment. These inscriptions and artifacts became objects of contemplation for all participants to consider and appreciate during visitation, affording sectarian citizens opportunity for empathic response to the plight of opposite numbers. Thousands engaged with the installation over the course of a week, registering sorrow, humility and awe in their interactions, experiencing powerful catharsis and creating temporary cross-community comity. The installation and the grief work animating it were introjected by co-creators as a virtual legacy of the engagement.
Originality/value
The originality of the study lies in its theorizing of the successful delivery of social systems therapy in an esthetic modality to communities traditionally hostile to one another. This sustained encounter is defined as traumaturgy. The sacrificial ritual of participatory public art becomes the medium through which temporary cross-community cohesion is achieved.
Abstract
When the money spent and the effort exerted by the consumers are considered, special days almost serve as an opportunity for the companies. However, the success of the campaigns designed for special days depends on properly identifying the factors affecting the purchasing behavior of consumers. Here comes into play the Planned Behavior Theory (PBT). In this theory, intention is the primary explanatory variable for the individuals to perform a behavior. On the other hand, the intention is explained by the attitudes towards behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. In this study, the purchasing behavior of consumers on special days was examined within the framework of PBT model. Within this scope, it was found that the consumers paid attention the most to the quality, aesthetics, and guarantee when purchasing gift on special days. According to the result of the PBT analysis, it was also found that the variable “Attitude Towards Behavior” made the highest contribution (=0,483) to the intention to purchase gift on special days. Furthermore, it was concluded that the variable of intention explained more the gift-purchasing behavior on special days (=0.402).
Keywords: Consumer, Purchasing Behavior, Special Days, Planned Behavior Theory
Through a field study of 229 men and women, the effect of gender-related variables on Christmas-gift-shopping patterns was explored. Survey results suggest that women are more involved than men in the activity. However, men are likely to be more involved if they hold egalitarian gender-role attitudes. Overall, the study indicates that, while Christmas shopping may be a "labor of love" to some, it is most widely construed as "women's work." Copyright 1990 by the University of Chicago.
This article reports the results of a study meant to portray a detailed picture of self-gift experiences in four contexts, focusing notably on reward and therapeutic self-gifts. Extending prior conceptual discussions, the findings suggest that self-gifts are a form of personally symbolic self-communication through special indulgences that tend to be premeditated and highly context bound. Discussion centers on theoretical implications and future directions for self-gift research. Overall, self-gifts represent a complex class of personal acquisitions that offer intriguing insights on self-directed consumer behavior. Copyright 1990 by the University of Chicago.
Two processes at work in contemporary society are the secularization of religion and the sacralization of the secular. Consumer behavior shapes and reflects these processes. For many, consumption has become a vehicle for experiencing the sacred. This article explores the ritual substratum of consumption and describes properties and manifestations of the sacred inherent in consumer behavior. Similarly, the processes by which consumers sacralize and desacralize dimensions of their experience are described. The naturalistic inquiry approach driving the insights in this article is advanced as a corrective to a premature narrowing of focus in consumer research. Copyright 1989 by the University of Chicago.
Naturalistic inquiry as an ethnographic approach is explained and utilized for exploring emergent themes in buyer and seller behavior at a swap meet. Components of the method used include purposive sampling, triangulation across researchers, emergent theme analysis, autodriving, memoing, member checks, and auditing. Four emergent dialectical substantive themes are discussed: freedom versus rules, boundaries versus transitions, competition versus cooperation, and sacred versus profane.
Gift giving is a universal behavior that still awaits satisfactory interpretation by social scientists. By tempering traditional consumer research with an anthropological perspective, our understanding of gift exchange can be enriched. A model of the gift exchange process intended to stimulate comprehensive research on gift-giving behavior is presented in this paper.
The violent fantasies of such figures as Mark David Chapman, killer of John Lennon, and John Hinckley, would-be assassin of President Reagan, have commonly been interpreted, by professionals and public alike, as socially aberrant--as the result of psychological instability. John L. Caughey's provocative study shows not only that such fantasies are shaped by enculturation, but also that they are closely linked in content and form to the more benign imaginative constructs of "normal" Americans.A new departure in the study of American society, this book takes a cultural approach to imaginary social experience, viewing the imaginary social interactions in dreams, fantasies, memories, anticipations, media involvement, and hallucinations as social processes because they involve people in pseudo-interactions with images of other people. Drawing on his anthropological research in the United States, Pakistan, and Micronesia, Caughey explores from a phenomenological perspective the social patterning that prevails in each of these imaginary worlds. He analyzes the kinds of identities and roles the individual assumes and examines the kinds of interactions that are played out with imagined persons.Caughey demonstrates that imaginary social relationships dominate much of our subjective social experience. He also shows that these imaginary relationships have many important connections to actual social conduct. Moreover, cultural values dictate the texture of the mental processes: imaginary conversations both reflect and reinforce the basic beliefs of the society, imagined anticipations of the reactions of real other people can serve social control functions, and media figures affect actual social relations by serving as mentors and role models.Caughey's arresting reappraisal of the world of fantasy is, in the words of James P. Spradley, "an outstanding job of scholarship" and "a unique contribution to the field of anthropology in general, to the study of culture and cognition, and to the study of American culture specifically."
Consumer behavior depth interviews are grouped with other kinds of story telling-fairy tales, novels, psychological test responses, and myths-as imaginative statements that can be qualitatively interpreted for their functional and symbolic content. Drawing upon the Claude Lévi-Strauss approach to the analysis of myths, a structuralist interpretation illustrates application to the age, sex, and social status dimensions of food consumption.
The ritual Christmas gift giving in Middletown involves virtually the entire population and is governed by elaborate unwritten rules that are remarkably well enforced without obvious means of enforcement. Most gifts are scaled to the formal relationship between giver and receiver. It is proposed that ritualized gift giving in this society, as in others, is a way of reinforcing relationships that are highly valued but insecure.
sampling of many of the frameworks that have been used in the cross-cultural study of personality and pathology
relationship of assessment to theory
how to select a measurement procedure
overview of viable cross-cultural measures of personality/pathology / Adjective Check List / California Psychological Inventory / Locus of Control (I-E Scale) / Eysenck Personality Questionnaire / Edwards Personal Preference Schedule / Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
projective techniques
comments on the study of schizophrenia across cultures
comments on the study of depression across cultures (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Documents the process of gift selection from the perspective of a retail gift store, through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and photography. Perspectives are described that consumer gift shoppers and retailers involved in the gift-giving process have of themselves and of each other. The resulting ethnography details a description of the site, highlights documented changes over 3 yrs, and offers interpretive insights into the consumer gift selection and retailer socialization processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
With growing interest in qualitative research beyond its popular use in focus groups, a greater appreciation of the potential of projective techniques is recommended. Examples are given to illustrate the variety of methods available, and how they may be practically applied in research projects to elicit rich information about perception of products and brands, and about characteristics of respondents.
The functional equivalence of products and consumer activities across cultures is a largely unexplored area. Yet, the lack of functional equivalence that exists may suggest the need for modification of some concepts and theories of consumer behavior. The study reported in this paper explores the functional equivalence that exists between U.S. and Japanese consumers in an important consumer activity—gift giving. The results suggest a lack of functional equivalence of this activity and illustrate how researchers should give explicit consideration to this issue in the development and testing of consumer concepts and models.
The Poison in the Gift is a detailed ethnography of gift-giving in a North Indian village that powerfully demonstrates a new theoretical interpretation of caste. Introducing the concept of ritual centrality, Raheja shows that the position of the dominant landholding caste in the village is grounded in a central-peripheral configuration of castes rather than a hierarchical ordering. She advances a view of caste as semiotically constituted of contextually shifting sets of meanings, rather than one overarching ideological feature. This new understanding undermines the controversial interpretation advanced by Louis Dumont in his 1966 book, Homo Hierarchicus, in which he proposed a disjunction between the ideology of hierarchy based on the "purity" of the Brahman priest and the "temporal power" of the dominant caste or the king.
Ph. D. (Marketing)--Northwestern University, 1983. Vita.
Ph.D. (Marketing) - Northwestern University, 1988. Vita.
The ethnographic case study presented in this article illustrates the institutional complexity and sociocultural significance of a midwestern American flea market. A conception of market place structure and function that incorporates informal and festive dimensions of consumer behavior is advanced. The article explores the relationship of primary and secondary economic activity. Buyer and seller behavior, marketplace ambience, the social embeddedness of consumption, and experiential aspects of consumption are considered at length. Copyright 1990 by the University of Chicago.
Phase transitoire du cycle de vie, l’adolescence se caractérise par une période de construction de l’identité. En permettant aux individus de transmettre un message sur soi aux autres, la consommation symbolique participe à la construction identitaire des 12-18 ans. Afin d’optimiser les campagnes publicitaires à leur intention, il convient alors de déterminer les capacités respectives de la marque et du produit à véhiculer les signes que les adolescents souhaitent diffuser auprès des tiers. Ce papier apporte des éléments de réponse à cette problématique grâce à la présentation d’un cadre théorique et des résultats d’une étude qualitative et d’une étude quantitative menées respectivement auprès de 12 et de 208 adolescents.
Coming to Our Senses; Body and Spirit in the Hidden History of the Wesr Simon and Schuster rJ BtiSN RES 1 9 9 3 : ~ S : 2 : ! 5 - 2 . u Gift Exchange 243 Bird-David. Nurit. The Giving Environment: Another Perspective on the Economic System of Gatherer-Hunters
- Berman
- Morris
Berman. Morris. Coming to Our Senses; Body and Spirit in the Hidden History of the Wesr. Simon and Schuster, New York. 1989. rJ BtiSN RES 1 9 9 3 : ~ S : 2 : ! 5 - 2 . u Gift Exchange 243 Bird-David. Nurit. The Giving Environment: Another Perspective on the Economic System of Gatherer-Hunters. Curro Anthropol. 31(2. 1990): 189-196
Imagining Social Worlds: A Culwral Approach The Gift Economy, Routledge
- Caughey
- John
Caughey, John. Imagining Social Worlds: A Culwral Approach, University of Nebraska Press, Uncoln. NE. 1984; Cheal, David. The Gift Economy, Routledge. New York. 1988
A Naturalistic Inquiry into Buyer and Seller Behavior at a Swap Meet The Sacred and Profane in Consumer Behavior: Theodicy on the Odyssey
- J Busn
- J F Sherry
J BUSN RES 1993:2X:225-?&l J. F. Sherry et al. References Belk, Russell, Sherry, John F., Jr., and Wallendorf, Melanie, A Naturalistic Inquiry into Buyer and Seller Behavior at a Swap Meet. J. Consumer Rex 14 (4, 1988): 449470. Belk, Russell, Wallendorf, Melanie, and Sherry, John F., Jr., The Sacred and Profane in Consumer Behavior: Theodicy on the Odyssey. J. Consumer Res. 16 (1, 1989): l-38.
Thematic Apperception Tt!SC .lIfanuaL
- Henry Murray
Murray, Henry. Thematic Apperception Tt!SC.lIfanuaL, Harvard University Press. Cambridge,
MA 1943.
Intimate Communications: EfZtics and the Study of Culture, Columbia University Press
- Herdt
- Gilben
- Roben Stoller
Herdt. Gilben, and Stoller, Roben, Intimate Communications: EfZtics and the Study of
Culture, Columbia University Press. New York. 1990.
.
Gift Giving and Receiving: Implications and Limitations of the Exchange Perspective in Consumer Behavior
- Mary Mcgrath
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