 Being sub-culturally authentic and acceptable to the mainstream: Civilizing practices and self-authenticationMichael John Healy and Michael B. Beverland Journal of Business Research, 2016, vol. 69, issue 1, 224-233 Abstract: The practices used by members of consumer tribes to achieve mainstream acceptance remain under-researched. Consumers seek tribal membership as part of a larger life theme or identity goal, yet the divergent nature of their tribe may hinder this desire for self-authentication. The research examines how members of one consumer tribe, Furries (or anthromorphs), “come out” with outsiders, thereby taking the ultimate transformative step. The findings demonstrate that Furries desire to disclose is framed around three competing concerns: being true to oneself, true to the tribe, and compassionate to outsiders. In balancing both egosystem and ecosystem goals Furries engage in three civilizing practices: reframing, spiritualizing, and playfulness. These practices enable members of consumer tribes to remain true to themselves but also expand the boundaries of their identities thereby gaining the mass acceptance they desire as part of a larger life theme. Keywords: Civilizing; Disclosure; Self-authentication; Transformation; Tribes; Zoomorphism (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:69:y:2016:i:1:p:224-233 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.07.035 Access Statistics for this article Journal of Business Research is currently edited by A. G. Woodside More articles in Journal of Business Research from Elsevier |
Is your work missing from RePEc? Here is how to contribute.
Questions or problems? Check the EconPapers FAQ or send mail to .
EconPapers is hosted by the
School of Business at Örebro University.