Motivation I

Main Topic or Phenomenon This paper addresses how deep-seated evolutionary motives continue to influence modern consumer behavior and decision-making processes. The authors examine consumption and choice through the lens of ancestral psychological adaptations, arguing that seemingly contemporary consumer decisions are fundamentally connected to the same motivations that drove our ancestors’ survival and reproductive behaviors.

Main Topic or Phenomenon Addressed This paper investigates how self-regulatory goals (promotion vs. prevention focus) influence information processing and persuasion, moderated by the accessibility of different self-views (independent vs. interdependent). The core phenomenon is the matching effect between regulatory focus and self-construal on persuasive effectiveness.

Paper: “Possessions and the Extended Self,” Journal of Consumer Research, 15 (2), 139–68. Main Topic or Phenomenon The paper examines how material possessions become incorporated into our sense of self and identity.

Main topic or phenomenon addressed This paper addresses the phenomenon of consumer-brand relationships - specifically, whether and how consumers form meaningful, relationship-like bonds with brands that parallel interpersonal relationships. The core phenomenon under investigation is the nature, structure, and dynamics of these consumer-brand connections beyond simple purchase behavior or brand preference.