The Compensatory Consumer Behavior Model: How Self Discrepancies Drive Consumer Behavior
Consumer goods and services have psychological value that can equal or exceed their functional value. A burgeoning literature demonstrates that one source of value emerges from the capacity for products to serve as a psychological salve that reduces various forms of distress across numerous domains. This review systematically organizes and integrates the literature on the use of consumer behavior as a means to regulate self discrepancies, or the incongruities between how one currently perceives oneself and how one desires to view oneself (Higgins, 1987) We introduce a Compensatory Consumer Behavior Model to explain the psychological consequences of self discrepancies on consumer behavior. This model delineates five distinct strategies by which consumers cope with self discrepancies: direct resolution, symbolic self completion, dissociation, escapism, and fluid compensation. Finally, the authors raise critical research questions to guide future research endeavors. Overall, the present review provides both a primer on compensatory consumer behavior and sets an agenda for future research.