ABSTRACT
In contemporary society, the endeavor to create or sustain the self is often closely intertwined with consumption (Arnould & Thompson, 2005; Belk, 1988; Firat & Venkatesh, 1995; Kleine, Kleine, & Kernan, 1993; Wattanasuwan, 2005). Consumption can function as a mechanism generating meanings that we desire for self-creation. Individuals use the symbolic meanings embedded in their consumption choices to relate to the outside culturally constituted world, and to reflect their desired/accepted or undesired/rejected self (Belk, 1988; Berger & Heath, 2007; Solomon, 1983). This means that while we can accept symbolic meanings with positive connotations, we can also reject symbolic meanings that we find undesirable (Hogg, Banister, & Stephenson, 2009; Levy, 1959; Thompson & Haytko, 1997). Consumption objects can be used not only for impression management, but also to serve as stimuli in guiding an individual’s behavior in different social contexts (Solomon, 1983; Wright, Claiborne, & Sirgy, 1992). As consumers, we avail ourselves of consumption choices to help us through life transitions, manage social relationships, and facilitate a sense of wellbeing across social contexts (e.g., Elliott & Wattanasuwan, 1998b; Liu, Keeling, & Hogg, 2016; Schouten, 1991; Thompson & Hirschman, 1995). Past consumer research has often focused on understanding consumption choices from the perspective of the desired self (e.g., who I want to be). In this chapter, we seek to also draw attention to a growing research agenda that seeks to better understand the role of the undesired self (e.g., who I do not want to be) in driving consumers’ (anti-)consumption choices.
