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Abstract

In this study we use depth interviews and interpretive analysis to examine the experience of divorce from a consumer behavior perspective, and in so doing, we extend recent consumer research on role transitions and add a new and formerly neglected dimension to extant scholarship on divorce. We begin with a discussion of prior research on divorce and its likely implications for consumer behaviors. Following a discussion of the research method, we present findings suggesting that acts of disposition, acquisition, and consumption are not only altered by divorce, but that they also play key roles in the complex interplay of human emotions and relationships.
... culture (Rook and Levy 1983;Sherry 1983;Kehert-Ward, Johnson, and Louie 1985;Rook 1985;Solomon and Anand 1985;McCraken 1986McCraken , 1988Pollay 1987;Belk, et al. 1988;Belk 1990; Tetreault and Kleine III 1990;Belk and Coon 1991;Wallendorf and Arnould 1991;Schouten 1991;Adelman 1992;Levinson, et. al. 1992;Ozanne 1992;Holt 1992;Otnes and Lowrey 1993;McAlexander et. al. 1993;Gainer 1995;Gentry et. al. 1995;Otnes, Nelson, and McGrath 1995;Ruth 1995 ;Schmidt 1995;Otnes and Scott 1996;Goodwin and Gentry 1997;Noble and Walker 1997;Park 1997). ...
... ors (Rook 1985). Researchers in consumer studies have been interested in the types of consumption associated with ritual occasions such as Christmas (e.g. Belk 1989;Sherry and McGrath 1989), Thanksgiving (Wallendorf and Arnould 1991), Halloween (Belk 1990;Levinson et al. 1992), and rites of passage (Ozanne 1992;Escalas 1993;Fischer and Gainer 1993;McAlexander et. al. 1993;Noble and Walker 1997;Park 1997). Rook (1985) noted that these occasions are worthy of study because consumers often devote much time and effort to the purchasing of goods and services that enable them to participate fully in these events. Tetreault and Kleine III (1990) suggested that the power of ritual as an analytical category for co ...
... The previous researches on ritual in consumer behavior are divided into two groups; research related to ritualized situations and research related to ritualized behaviors. Rites of passage (Solomon and Anand 1985;Belk and Coon 1991;Bernard, et. al. 1991;Schouten 1991;Ozanne 1992b;Hill 1992;Otnes and Lowrey 1993;Escalas 1993;Fischer and Gainer 1993;McAlexander et. al. 1993;Gentry et. al. 1995;Goodwin and Gentry 1997;Park 1997), festival rituals (Pollay 1987;Belk 1990;Wallendorf and Arnould 1991;Levinson, et. al. 1992), and ritual situation effects (Kehert-Ward, Johnson, and Louie 1985;Kehret-Ward and Goldin 1988) represent research on ritualized situations. The research related to the ritualized behavior f ...
... Otros motivos conocidos son los compromisos sociales (bautizos, bodas, confirmaciones, entre otras), o el simple acto voluntario de dar un regalo a alguien para demostrar afecto. Hay quienes utilizan el regalo para pedir disculpas, considerándolos como compensatorios (McAlexander, et al., 1993) y cuya finalidad es disminuir la culpa que siente la persona que lo entrega. ...
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The research is oriented to deepen the behavior of the buyers of articles of social expression in commercial dates in the city of Zamora, in Ecuador, especially the stages of the purchase process which are more important for the consumer and the emotions experienced before, during and after purchase. The methodology used was the review of literature from a general framework of consumer behavior to the particular study of consumer behavior in the process of buying social expression items as well as the application of a correlational qualitative-quantitative cross-sectional research. For the study, surveys were applied to a representative sample of 376 young people - adults between the ages of 18 and 32, as well as direct observation techniques, focus group and life stories. Through the research carried out, it was empirically proven that the gift is part of the culture of the Ecuador and constitutes the emotional link to strengthen the relationships, especially in the stage of evaluation of alternatives, information that allowed the microenterprises city to strengthen the relationship between consumer and company through the personalization of the products.
... age, gender and disability/ability Baker et al. (2005), Rosenbaum et al. (2017)Individual states, can be permanent or temporary e.g. grief, transition and motivationBaker et al. (2005),Commuri and Ekici (2008),McAlexander et al. (1993) ...
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This paper examines the relationship between family stressors and subsequent financial behavior of young individuals in Croatia. Previous research indicates that family stressors are associated with increased levels of financial stress, resulting in impulsive purchases, risky financial behavior, and increased debt. More specifically, family stressors during youth are shown to significantly affect an individual's financial behavior later in life. Research has shown that youth family stressors, such as poverty, parental divorce, and parental unemployment, can lead to financial stress and affect financial behavior in adulthood. This paper provides an illustrative review of the Family Stress Model (FSM) framework to understand how family stressors influence youngsters in the financial domain. Using regression modeling, we estimate that family stress significantly impacts the financial behavior of young individuals in Croatia. Specifically, the study finds that family stress is negatively associated with responsible financial behavior. These findings have important implications for policymakers and practitioners, particularly those involved in financial education and family support programs, highlighting the need to address family stress as a potential risk factor for poor financial outcomes among young individuals. It is important to recognize the relationship between youth family stressors and financial behavior and work on managing both to improve financial well-being in adulthood.
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Although divorce, which is one of the major social issues of the 21th century, so far, is a widespread and highly stressful event, little research has been done on the effect of family structure on consumers’ selfesteem, materialism, and compulsive buying tendencies. Some studies show that divorce positively affects the materialist and compulsive buying tendencies of young adults, while self-esteem negatively. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of divorce on young adults’ self-esteem, materialistic and compulsive buying tendencies. Data were gathered from 362 university students, aged between 18 and 25 years, by face-to-face survey method. Results demonstrates that young adults with divorced family structure have lower selfesteem than those with non-divorced family structure, but higher in materialistic and compulsive buying tendencies. However, it has also been found that materialism partially mediated the relationship between self-esteem and compulsive buying tendencies. Finally, the effec of materialism on compulsive buying tendencies was found higher in females than males and in young adults with divorced families than non-divorced families. The findings of this study were discussed in the light of the literature, the limitations of the research were stated, and some suggestions were made to future researches and practitioners.
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Consuming during life transition: how services encounters affect consumer in mourning Personal and social identities of consumers are emphasized during service encounters, especially during staff interactions. However very few is known about the perception of these encounters during life transitions. To gain more insight into this issue, a qualitative study was carried out that involved 28 in-depth interviews conducted with consumers in mourning. This research identified four elements of the service encounter with a positive and / or negative impact on the consumer’s well-being and role transition : (a) the explanatory discourse and (b) the emotional contact ; (c) coordination of services interfaces ; (d) and relationships with other consumers. These issues are discussed and managerial implications toward service providers are proposed.
Chapter
The material presented in the previous chapters suggests that the life course paradigm could be employed to study consumers over the course of their lives. Nearly every form of consumer behavior that entails stability and change or development over time and is influenced by previous life experiences and future expectations can be studied within the life course framework. Thus, consumer behaviors that are time- and context-dependent may be viewed as duration-dependent events where the onset or development, stability, and change in cognitions and overt behaviors can be considered with respect to the length of time a consumer has been in a particular state and has been embedded within certain contexts.
Chapter
Research efforts in the field of personal finance are yet to benefit from recent theoretical and methodological developments in behavioral and social sciences that have advanced the life course paradigm as the leading research framework for studying behavior over time (e.g., Colby 1998; Elder et al. 2003; George 2003; Mayer and Tuma 1990). For example, although this multi-theoretical paradigm is mentioned as a viable research framework for the study of behavioral and mental changes that surround the critical life event of retirement and the impact of these changes on psychological well-being (Hershey and Henkens 2013), there is limited research on the experienced and expected consequences of this transition on the individual’s financial behaviors. Similarly, models of financial behavior that attempt to incorporate life course theory and concepts (e.g., Hershey et al. 2010) are void of many key elements of the life course paradigm. For example, although the life course “principles” of time and timing have important implications for the development of financial solvency (Hershey and Jacobs-Lawson 2012), they are absent from recent multi-theoretical formulations (e.g., Hershey et al. 2010). Another drawback in previous research efforts is inherent in the analytic methods commonly used (e.g., regression, probit, logit, discriminant), as such methods not only are inferior to more recently developed analytic models, collectively known as “event history analysis” (EHA) (e.g., Frazer et al. 1994; Mayer and Tuma 1990), but also inappropriate for analyzing development and changes of behavior. The latter methods have facilitated the development of the life course approach as the leading research framework (Mayer and Tuma 1990) that is considered one of the most important achievements of social science and behavioral sciences (Colby 1998).
Chapter
Researchers have long recognized the need to study consumers over the course of their lives and to identify the factors responsible for changes in consumer behaviors over time, but they have had inadequate theories and methods for accomplishing such objectives. This book has argued for the employment of the life course paradigm as a research framework to help study and understand consumers over their life span. The present chapter summarizes previous efforts to study consumers over the course of their lives and the main issues related to these efforts. Next, it highlights the merits of using the life course paradigm as a research framework and how its employment could help overcome shortcomings inherent in previous efforts. Furthermore, the chapter illuminates the life course paradigm’s potential contributions to the field of consumer behavior and points out challenges for researchers who employ the life course approach. Lastly, it offers recommendations to researchers who wish to study consumers over certain periods of their lives.
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