The Effect of Social Comparison of Appearance on Compensatory Buying and Symbolic Consumption: The Mediating Role of Body Esteem

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Interest in the body from a psychological perspective has increaseddramatically in recent years. One of the central termsin this field, body image, was conceived to represent the“picture of our body which we form in our mind, that is, theway in which the body appears to ourselves” For many people,the body is the most obvious object with which theyidentify themselves. As the body becomes more significant asa means of recognizing and expressing the self, people focuson the body and try to improve it. This emphasis on outwardappearance has been popularized because of the developmentof mass media. Presumably, the more pervasive is media image,the more people feel that they must meet these unattainablestandards and the less positive about their bodies. Asthe interest in body image has been growing rapidly, many researchershave found that it is influenced by mass media. Togive implication to marketing researchers and practitioners, webrought a conception of body image, which was mainly examinedby medical and psychological researchers, to the marketingfield by investigating its influence on purchasing behavior.
This study examines how social comparisons of appearanceinfluence compensatory buying and symbolic consumptionthrough the mediating role of body esteem. Social comparisontheory has been suggested as a useful theoretical foundationfor associating the individual’s physical self with a social idealof physical appearance influenced by mass media. Festingersuggested that humans have a drive to assess their own opinionsand abilities, and meet it by comparing themselves withothers. Major, Testa, & Bylsma (1991) found that responses tothe self include changes in self-related emotions, perceptionsand behavior, and may involve emotions, changing self-esteem,expectations for self-capacity and efforts to better oneself.
Thus, we build hypothesis 1: consumer’s social comparisons ofappearance negatively affect their body esteem based on theseextant findings.
Body esteem is consumers’ attitudes and feelings about theirbodies and appearance. It is composed of three correlated factors—physical condition, general attractiveness, and physique appearance. Body esteem is distinct from self esteem. Self esteemcan be concerned with performance, social relations, andappearance (Heatherton & Polivy, 1991). Conceptually, bodyesteem is most strongly related to appearance esteem.
Compensatory buying is a means of compensation for stress,disappointment, despair, loss of autonomy, lack of self-esteem,and so on (Scherhorn, Reisch, & Raab, 1990). One is that lowbody esteem leads to higher consumer’s compensatory buying.
Grenmo (1989) suggested that compensatory buying comesfrom attempts to meet unsatisfied needs, including lack ofself-esteem or self-realization, by the way of purchasing, particularlywhere there is a lack of more appropriate ways tomeet the needs. Thus, we build hypothesis 2: consumer’s bodyesteem negatively affects compensatory buying.
In contemporary society, consumption activities are not simpleactivities of buying goods, but a signaling and communicationprocess based on certain codes in buying goods, as wellas a process of classification and social differentiation betweenoneself and others (Baudrillard, 1991). According to symbolicself-perfection theory, people with low self-esteem choose tobuy products as a symbolic means to “complete” themselves(Wicklund & Gollwitzer, 1981). Individuals with low body esteemshould see symbolic products as a means of bolsteringappearance and building self-esteem. We build hypothesis 3:consumer’s body esteem negatively affects symbolic consumptionbased on existing finding.
Our empirical results support all the hypotheses and offertheoretical and managerial implications for consumer purchaseintent. First, the research provides a useful framework in thedevelopment of empirical marketing strategies. The currentstudy can help companies to understand how societal idealsabout the...

참고문헌 (Reference)

• 1 Kaiser, S. B., "The social psychology of clothing: Symbolic appearance in context" Macmillan 1990
• 2 Bearman, S. K., "The skinny on body dissatisfaction : A longitudinal study of adolescent girls and boys" 35 : 217-229, 2006
• 3 Solomon, M. R., "The role of products as social stimuli : A symbolic interventionism perspective" 10 (10): 319-329, 1983
• 4 Reed, C. L., "The psychological reality of the body schema : A test with normal participants" 21 (21): 334-343, 1995
• 5 Thompson, J. K., "The media’s influence on body image disturbance and eating disorders: We’ve reviled them, now can we rehabilitate them?" 55 (55): 339-353, 1999
• 6 Richins, M. L., "The material values scale : Measurement in properties and development of a short form" 31 (31): 209-219, 2004
• 7 Schilder, P., "The image and appearance of the human body" International Universities Press 1950
• 8 Mahoney, E. R., "The dimensionality of body cathexis" 92 (92): 277-279, 1976
• 9 Baudrillard, J., "The consumer society : Myths and structures" Routledge 1991
• 10 Franzoi, S. L., "The body esteem scale : Multidimensional structure and sex differences in a college population" 48 (48): 173-178, 1984
• 11 Franzoi, S. L., "The body esteem scale : A convergent and discriminant validity study" 50 (50): 24-31, 1986
• 12 Wolf, N., "The beauty myth : How images of beauty are used against women" William Morrow 1991
• 13 Secord, P. F., "The appraisal of body cathexis : Body cathexis and self" 17 : 343-347, 1953
• 14 Baron, R. M., "The Moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research : Conceptual strategic and statistical considerations" 51 (51): 1173-1182, 1986
• 15 Wicklund, R. A., "Symbolic self-completion, attempted influence, and selfdeprecation" 2 (2): 89-114, 1981
• 16 Piacentini, M., "Symbolic consumption in teenagers’ clothing choices" 3 (3): 251-262, 2004
• 17 Anderson, J., "Structural equation modeling in practice : A review and recommended two step approach" 103 (103): 411-423, 1988
• 18 Kilbourne, J., "Still killing us Sofly: Advertising’s image of women" Cambridge Documentary Films, Inc. 1987
• 19 Noh, H. J., "Social research analysis : SPSS/AMOS" Hyung Sul Publication 2005
• 20 Major, B., "Social comparison: Contemporary theory and research" Lawrence Erlbaum 237-260, 1991
• 21 Richins, M. L., "Social comparison and the idealized images of advertising" 18 (18): 71-83, 1991
• 22 Hermann, A. D., "Self-doubt and self-esteem : A threat from within" 28 (28): 395-408, 2002
• 23 Higgins, E. T., "Self-discrepancy : A theory relating self and affect" 94 (94): 319-340, 1987
• 24 Sirgy, M. J., "Self-concept in consumer behavior : A critical review" 9 (9): 287-300, 1982
• 25 Rodin, J., "Psychology and gender" University of Nebraska Press 267-307, 1984
• 26 Belk, R. W., "Possession and the extended self" 15 (15): 139-168, 1988
• 27 Banister, E. N., "Negative symbolic consumption and consumers’ drive for self-esteem-the case of the fashion industry" 38 (38): 850-868, 2004
• 28 Rosa, J. A., "Keeping the body in mind : The influence of body esteem and body boundary aberration on consumer beliefs and purchase intentions" 16 (16): 79-91, 2006
• 29 Dittmar, H., "Gender identity and material symbols : Objects and decision considerations in impulse purchases" 16 : 491-511, 1995
• 30 Henriques, G. R., "Gender and ethnic differences in the relationships between body esteem and self-esteem" 133 (133): 357-368, 1999
• 31 Collins, R. L., "For better or worse : The impact of upward social comparison on self evaluation" 199 (199): 59-69, 1996
• 32 Itzin, C., "Feminist social psychology: Developing theory and practice" Open University Press 119-134, 1986
• 33 Grabe, S., "Ethnicity and body dissatisfaction among women in the United States : A meta-analysis" 132 (132): 622-640, 2006
• 34 Halliwell, E., "Does size matter? The impact of model’s body size on women’s body–focused anxiety and advertising effectiveness" 23 (23): 104-122, 2004
• 35 Heinberg, L. J., "Development and validation of the sociocultural attitudes towards appearance questionnaire" 17 : 81-89, 1995
• 36 Heatherton, T. F., "Development and validation of a scale for measuring state self-esteem" 60 (60): 895-910, 1991
• 37 Grubb, E. L., "Consumer self-concept, symbolism and market behavior : A theoretical approach" 31 (31): 22-27, 1967
• 38 Valence, G., "Compulsive buying : Concept and measurement" 11 (11): 419-433, 1988
• 39 O’Guinn, T. C., "Compulsive buying : A phenomenological exploration" 16 (16): 147-157, 1989
• 40 Grenmo, S., "Compensatory consumer behavior: Elements of a critical sociology of consumption" Humanities Press International 1989
• 41 Holman, R.H., "Clothing as communication: An empirical investigation" 7 (7): 372-377, 1980
• 42 Faludi, S., "Backlash : The undeclared war against American women" Crown 1991
• 43 Brown, T. A., "Attitudinal body-image assessment : Factor analysis of the body-self relations questionnaire" 55 (55): 135-144, 1990
• 44 Lennon, S. J., "Attitudes toward gender roles, self-esteem, and body image : Application of a model" 17 (17): 191-202, 1999
• 45 Stice, E., "Adverse effects of the media portrayed thin ideal on women and linkages to bulimic symptomatology" 13 (13): 288-308, 1994
• 46 Scherborn, G., "Additive buying in West Germany : An empirical study" 13 : 355-387, 1990
• 47 Festinger, L., "A theory of social comparison processes" 7 : 117-140, 1954
• 48 Cho, I. C., "A study on sex-based differences in body awareness and body esteem" 13 : 121-128, 1997
• 49 Oliver, R. L., "A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction decision" 27 : 460-469, 1980