Take me back to the past: the impact of social identity conflict on nostalgic consumption

Menglin Li (), Sining Kou (), Jun Pang () and Wangshuai Wang ()
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Menglin Li: Shantou University
Sining Kou: Renmin University of China
Jun Pang: Renmin University of China
Wangshuai Wang: International Business School Suzhou, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Marketing Letters, 2024, vol. 35, issue 2, No 10, 289-301

Abstract: Abstract Social identity conflict (SIC) is a common experience that evokes undesirable emotions. Considerable research has examined how consumers think and behave in light of SIC, but it remains unclear how people cope with SIC as a negative experience. In this research, we examine whether nostalgic consumption can compensate for SIC as a means to restore threatened self-authenticity. In three experiments with real behavioral consequences, we find that SIC increases nostalgic consumption. This effect is mediated by self-authenticity threat and negatively moderated by consumers’ dialectical thinking. Our research advances knowledge about how SIC shapes consumer behavior and provides actionable suggestions for nostalgia marketing.

Keywords: Social identity conflict; Nostalgic consumption; Self-authenticity; Compensatory consumption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s11002-023-09696-1

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