Self gift Giving: A New Widespread Consumption Culture

Abstract

The meanings derived from consumption goods have an increasing impact on the psychological formation of individuals. Hence, to understand the complex nature of consumer behavior, a multidisciplinary approach is needed. Consumption goods become magical fetish objects which satisfy individual pleasures. The gift, in this concept, becomes a token that the individual gives her/himself, and evolves from being a collective system to an individual form of consumption. The aim of this study is to explore cross-cultural differences in self-gift giving behavior, which has been studied mainly in individualistic societies. This study will explore self-gift giving behavior in collectivistic cultures. Within this respect, this study investigates whether the seven factors of self-gift giving behavior identified by Mick (1991) are also valid in Turkish society. Based on these grounds this survey, investigating the behavior of self-gift purchases, also includes a measure of the attachment levels of individuals to traditions and an analysis of whether these levels significantly affect, purchasing behavior. The giving and receiving of gifts, being an interpersonal communication phenomenon, has within the popular culture system been seen as an individualistic act, in which the individual recipient receives gifts directed towards her/himself. Individuals satisfy needs for “affection, indulgence, getting rid of stress, self-reward, motivation and fighting loneliness” that are usually met through collective relationships by buying self-gifts. Western researchers have found that purchases are becoming more and more self-centered and that in this context self-giving has become more widespread. The present study investigates whether the seven categories of antecedents of the purchase of self-gifts put forward by Mick (1991) remain valid for practices in Turkish society.

Keywords

• Self-centered consumption,popular culture,culture of desire,self-gift.

SELF-GIFT GIVING: A NEW WIDESPREAD CONSUMPTION CULTURE

Abstract

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Keywords

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