Self gift Giving: A New Widespread Consumption Culture

Öz

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

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

SELF-GIFT GIVING: A NEW WIDESPREAD CONSUMPTION CULTURE

Öz

.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• xx

Kaynakça

1. AMPD (Alışveriş merkezi ve Perakendeciler Derneği), 2007 verileri. [The data of The Association of Shoping Malls and Retailers, 2007]
2. Belk, R.W. (1987). “A Child’s Christmas in America: Santa Claus as deity, consumption as religion”, Journal of American Culture, 10 (1):99-112.
3. Baudrillard, J. (1997). Tüketim Toplumu [Society of Consumption], Ayrıntı Yayınları, İstanbul, Turkey, Translated by Hazal Deliçaylı – Ferda Keskin.
4. Cheal, D. (1988). “The Gift Economy”, London:Routledge.
5. DPT [Governmental Planning Organization] (2003). İllerin ve Bölgelerin Sosyo-Ekonomik Gelişmişlik Sıralaması Araştırması, [Research of the provinces based on their sociological and economical development], Yayın No:2671, Pp.188-179.
6. Ergun, D. (1991) Türk Bireyi Kuramına Giriş, [Introduction to the theory of the Turkish individual], İmge Kitapevi Yayınları, Ankara, Turkey.
7. Freud, S. (1991). Düşlerin Yorumu [Interpretation of Dreams], Payel Yayınları, İstanbul, Turkey, Translated by Emre Kapkın
8. Freud, S, (2001). Haz İlkesinden Ötesinde Ben ve İd [The “I” and the “Id”], Metis Yayınları, İstanbul, Turkey,Translated by Ali Baboğlu.

9. Hassan, I, (1985). “The Culture of Postmodernism”, Journal of Theory, Culture and Society 2:123-124.
10. Inglehart, R–Baker and W.E (2000). “Modernization, Cultural Change, and the Persistence of Traditional Values,” American Sociological Review, 65: 26.
11. Kar, A, (2005), “Sembolik Değiş Tokuş İlişkileri ve Bir Örnek Olarak Armağan Olgusu”, [Symbolical relationships of exchange and the phenomenon of gift as an example] Doktora Tezi (Unpublished P.hd. Thesis), Mimar Sinan University, İstanbul, Turkey.
12. Kıray, M, (1999). Toplumsal Yapı Toplumsal Değişme, [Societal Structural and Change], Bağlam Yayınları,. İstanbul, Turkey.
13. Kongar, E, (1985). Toplumsal Değişme Kuramları ve Türkiye Gerçeği, [Societal change constructors and the reality of Turkey], Remzi Kitapevi, İstanbul, Turkey.
14. Kovel, J, (2000). Arzu Çağı [The Age of Desire], Ayrıntı Yayınları, İstanbul, Turkey, Translated by Ferma Lekesizalın – Abdullah Yılmaz.
15. Luomala H. and Laaksonen M (1997).“Mood-regulatory self-gifts: Development of a Conceptual Framework,” Journal of Economic Psychology, 18: 407- 408.
16. Luomala H. and Laaksonen M (1999). “A Qualitative Exploration of Mood – Regulatory Self-Gift Behaviors,” Journal of Economic Psychology, 20:148.
17. Mick, D.Glen. and DeMoss, M (1990). “Self-Gifts: Phenomenological Insights from Four Contexts,” Journal of Consumer Research 17:322.
18. Mick, D.Glen (1991). “Giving Gifts to Ourselves: A Greimassian Analysis Leading to Testable Propositions,” Marketing and Semiotics, Hanne Hartvig Larsen, D.Glen Mick and Christian Alsted (eds), Selected Papers from the Copenhagen Symposium.142 – 159.
19. Mick G., DeMoss. M. & R.Faber (1992). “A Projective Study of Motivation and Meanings of Self–Gifts: Implications for Retail Management,” Journal of Retailing, 68: 122 - 144.
20. Popcorn, F (1991). The Popcorn Report, Doubleday, NewYork.p.39., adapted by, D.Glen Mick. and Corinne Faure. (1998).“Consumer Self-gifts in Achievement Contexts: the role of outcomes, attributions, emotions, and deservingness,” Journal of Research in Marketing 15: 91.
21. Thayer, R.E. Newman, J.R. and Mc Clain, T.M. (1994). “Self-regulation of mood: Strategies for changing a bad mood, raising energy, and reducing tension,” Journal of Personalty and Social Psychology 67:.910-925.
22. Wright, Elizabeth (2002). Lacan ve Postfeminizm [Lacan and Postfeminism], İstanbul, Turkey: Everest Yayınevi, Translated by Ebru Kılıç.
23. Wesster, C. and Nottingham, L. (2000). “Gender Differences in the Motivations For Gift-giving”, American Marketing Association, ABI/INFORM Global, Conference Proceedings, 11.272.
24. Yavuz, H, (2000). Modernleşme, Oryantalizm ve İslam, [Modernism, Orientalism and Islam], Büke Yayınları, İstanbul, Turkey.
25. Zizek, Slavoj (2002). İdeolojinin Yüce Nesnesi [The Sublime Object of Ideology], Metis Yayınevi, İstanbul, Turkey, Translated by Tuncay Birkan.