The Influence of Self-Construal on Impulsive ConsumptionIn this article, we investigate the motivational component of willpower. We look at the possible influence of self-construal—both at the cultural level and individual level—on impulsive consumption.
Some correlational evidence indicates an interrelation between individualism–collectivism (independence–interdependence), trait buying impulsivity, and impulse buying behavior (Kacen and Lee 2002). That research suggests that members of individualistic societies may exhibit more impulsive consumption than do members of collectivistic societies. However, this effect is not because interdependents feel less impulse, but because they are more motivated to suppress their impulses than are members of individualistic societies.
Although the results are correlational, and thus vulnerable to alternative explanations, they also have a number of implications. For one, cultures should differ on the extent to which they engage in particular impulsive consumption behaviors. A second is that, to the extent that the self is malleable (Mandel 2003; Markus and Kunda 1986) and subject to situational changes (Trafimow, Triandis, and Goto 1991), such situational changes in self-construal should have corresponding influences on impulsivity. A third implication is that situations that affect the motivation to suppress impulsive consumption tendencies should interact with self-construal in influencing impulsive consumption tendencies.
Three studies are presented that tested these possibilities and investigated their underlying processes. Studies 1a and 1b present results from two secondary data sets that link cultural orientation with a behavior often associated with impulsive consumption (alcohol consumption). Following that, two experiments are presented that manipulated self-construal via priming procedures to determine its impact on impulsive consumption tendencies.
We also investigate the implications of our findings for previous research on the relation between peer presence and impulsive consumption, and the processes that mediate and moderate these effects.
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