Individual Differences in the Pursuit of Self-Uniqueness Through Consumption

In this paper, we report an original study of the relationships between self-attributed need for uniqueness and several consumer dispositions. The results indicate that the self-attributed need for uniqueness is related to consumers' desires for scarce, innovative, and customized products and to consumers' preferences for unusual shopping venues, but not to consumers' susceptibilities to normative influence. Moreover, we find that these relationships are mediated by a latent variable reflecting individual differences in the tendency to pursue uniqueness through consumption. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed along with directions for future research.     

The predictive role of achievement goals adoption on sensation-seeking and risk taking in driving

Risk taking in driving is a major road safety issue. Understanding the individual psychological differences that may influence risk taking may contribute to better overcome its negative consequences. Recently, four achievement goals were highlighted in the driving domain: striving to drive well or to improve as much as possible (mastery-approach goals), to avoid driving badly or to avoid being a worse driver than before (mastery-avoidance goals), to outperform other drivers (performance-approach goals), and to avoid being a worse driver than other drivers (performance-avoidance goals). The first purpose of the present study was to examine the predictive role of these achievement goals in driving on self-reported drivers’ risk taking (ordinary and aggressive violations) and sensation-seeking. The second purpose of the study was to test the mediating role of sensation seeking between achievement goals adoption in driving and violations. A total of 341 French drivers voluntarily filled out the questionnaires assessing the variables of interest. The main results showed that performance-approach goals adoption was found to positively predict sensation seeking, ordinary and aggressive violations, whereas mastery-avoidance goals adoption was found to negatively predict these variables. The results also highlighted that sensation seeking was a significant mediator of the relationships between the two previous achievement goals (performance-approach and mastery-avoidance goals) and ordinary and aggressive violations. In conclusion, the achievement goal model may now be considered a relevant theoretical framework in the driving literature focusing on risk taking, sensation seeking, and road safety.     

Being the same and different: A model explaining new product adoption

• The study suggests an alternative conceptualization for understanding adoption behavior over time, based on Optimal Distinctiveness Theory. This theory states that social identity derives from a fundamental tension between human needs for validation and similarity to others—the need for assimilation—and a countervailing need for uniqueness and individuation—the need for differentiation. The present study proposes that the effect of the size of the group of consumers who have already adopted a new product on an individual consumer's decision to adopt this product is contingent upon the consumer's two predispositions: the need for assimilation and the need for distinctiveness. Results of empirical research suggested that differently perceived subgroup sizes fulfill consumers' dual needs for distinctiveness and assimilation differently. The influence of the adopters' group size on a consumer's decision to adopt a new product varied among individuals with different levels of needs for distinctiveness and assimilation: when need for distinctiveness was low, the higher was the need for assimilation and the larger was the perceived group size, the higher was the probability of adopting the product. When the need for distinctiveness was high, the lower was the need for assimilation and the larger was the perceived group size, the lower was the probability of adopting the product. In addition, when the need for both distinctiveness and assimilation were high, the probability of adopting the product rose as the perceived group size increased. Implications for product variation, marketing communication, and target groups are discussed.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Genetics and adoption: Forming a partnership

Genetic issues are demanding more attention in the area of public health. Adoption agencies and policymakers are beginning to address these issues where they relate to the adoption process and to the many families involved in adoption in this country. Genetic counselors need to play an active role as both educators of and consultants for adoption professionals and the families with whom they work. To facilitate a partnership between genetics and adoption we have developed a workshop intended to educate adoption professionals about the lifelong implications of genetic conditions on the adoption triad.     

消费者自我构念、独特性需求与品牌标识形状偏好

市场上品牌标识形状各具形态,它们已成为吸引消费者眼球的重要品牌要素,如何设计出科学实效的品牌标识形状已成为营销策略中基础而又关键的内容。什么形状的品牌标识更能获得目标群体的偏爱?本文从自我构念的水平视角出发,推论认为不同自我构念的个体在"独特性需求"上具有显著差异,由此形成对多角和圆润的品牌标识形状的偏好差异,独特性需求在自我构念与品牌标识形状偏好之间起中介作用。文章通过4个实验,一致证实独立型自我构念的消费者独特性需求更高,偏爱多角的品牌标识;相依型自我构念的消费者,独特性需求更低,偏爱圆润的品牌标识。但上述效应只存在于公开产品购买情境,当消费者购买和使用私人产品时,无论个体的自我构念是独立型还是相依型,他们对品牌标识多角与圆润的偏好没有显著差异。本文推进了自我构念、独特性需求、品牌标识形状等领域的理论研究,为企业在设计、调整品牌标识形状及制定配套营销策略方面提供了丰富的战略启示。     

Social support as a mediator in the relation between sensation seeking (need for stimulation) and psychological adjustment in older adults

This article investigates the potential role of social support as a mediator between sensation seeking (in the sense of a basal need for stimulation) and psychological adjustment in older adults. A sample of 325 individuals aged between 65 and 95 years were tested using questionnaires, which assess social support, sensation seeking, global self-worth, sense of coherence, and satisfaction with life. Path analyses provided support for a mediator model in which the relationship between sensation seeking and psychological adjustment was fully mediated by social support (the path coefficient between sensation seeking and psychosocial adjustment declines from β = .27 to β = .02, when adding an indirect path mediated by social support). Findings further suggest that this mediation effect was independent of sex and age. The study demonstrates the relevance of measuring sensation seeking as a personality trait in older adults.     

Internet self-efficacy, the need for cognition, and sensation seeking as predictors of problematic use of the internet

We conducted a study of the relationships between Internet self-efficacy, sensation seeking, the need for cognition, and problematic use of the Internet. The study was based on a randomly selected sample of 979 adult Internet users. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis of these subjects' responses on a questionnaire consisting of relevant items indicated that Internet self-efficacy and sensation seeking positively predicted problematic Internet use. Contrastingly, the need for cognition was significantly negatively associated with problematic Internet use.     

Tattooing: An expression of uniqueness in the appearance domain

The study aimed to explore the motivations underlying the practice of tattooing. There were 100 participants: 50 (30 men, 20 women) with tattoos, and a comparison group of 50 non-tattooed individuals. Participants completed measures of appearance investment, distinctive appearance investment, and need for uniqueness. It was found that tattooed individuals scored higher than the comparison group on need for uniqueness, but not on the appearance investment measures. Among the non-tattooed, need for uniqueness predicted future likelihood of getting a tattoo, and this relationship was mediated by distinctive appearance investment. These results support our conceptualization of tattooing as an expression of uniqueness in the appearance domain.     

Balancing “We” and “I”: Self‐construal and an alternative approach to seeking uniqueness

Influenced by the need for uniqueness theory, the current study proposes that expressing uniqueness via consumption offers a means for achieving a different sense of being without damaging the individual's sense of social assimilation. With respect to self‐construal, it is suggested that highly interdependent people satisfy their need for distinctiveness by selecting unique products; meanwhile, individuals with highly independent self‐construal seek out unique products to satisfy their need for uniqueness. Thus, this study demonstrates that, despite the fact that individuals with both types of self‐construal seek out unique products, the reason for seeking uniqueness differs according to the types of self‐construal. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Themes of Hope and Healing: Infertile Couples' Experiences of Adoption

Using a qualitative approach, the authors explored the experiences of becoming parents through adoption after unsuccessful infertility treatments. During in‐depth narrative interviews, 39 infertile couples shared their stories of how they determined that adoption was an acceptable parenting option, the vicissitudes of the adoption process, and their experiences of becoming adoptive parents. Phenomenological analysis of these data revealed 3 overarching themes. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for counselors who work with infertile couples considering adoption, clients engaged in the adoption process, and those who have recently made the transition to parenthood through adoption.     

Promoting reflection in pre-service teachers through problem-based learning: an example from Canada

This article discusses the process, benefits, challenges and recommendations associated with the adoption of the Problem-based Learning (PBL) approach to promote reflection for pre-service teachers. Drawing upon Schön’s concept of reflection, this article explains how a pre-service course in Canada aims to promote the participants’ ‘reflection in action’ of assessment content knowledge and professional competence through PBL. The article points out that PBL enables the pre-service teachers to critically reflect on assessment issues and make meaningful connections between their reflections and real-life teaching. The key challenges are the facilitators’ inadequate understanding of using PBL to promote reflection, as well as the pre-service teachers’ struggle with time constraint and juggling between their need for teacher guidance, group collaboration and self-directed study. To address these challenges, the article recommends formal professional development sessions for the PBL instructors, and the achievement of a balance between learner autonomy and teacher guidance.     

Extending the psychological profile of market mavenism

• This paper describes a study in the psychology of market mavenism, the consumer tendency to become especially involved in the marketplace. The purpose was to investigate empirically associations with the important consumer characteristics of innovativeness, status consumption, and need for uniqueness. The findings support the notion that market mavenism is due less to the demographic characteristics of consumers as it is more a socially constructed phenomenon. Global innovativeness, status consumption, and creative choice counterconformity explained more variance in market mavenism than did demographics. Theoretically, these findings enrich our knowledge of the psychology of market mavens by suggesting some motivations for their behavior. Practically, marketing strategies can be fine‐tuned to appeal more effectively to this important segment of consumers by appealing to mavens' willingness to try new things, to their need for uniqueness, and to their willingness to seek social status through consumption.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

建议采纳的认知机制

决策者的认知特点, 以及决策过程中建议者,任务特征,环境因素等都会影响决策者的认知加工, 并最终影响建议采纳.目前建议采纳过程中的认知研究主要集中于决策者方面, 本文通过总结以往研究, 从决策者的认知风格,社会认知复杂性,认知策略以及情绪对认知的影响等四个方面, 系统阐述了认知对建议采纳的影响.同时, 结合态度改变理论,解释水平理论,具身认知理论以及认知失调理论等进一步讨论了建议采纳的认知发生机制, 并在此基础上初步构建了建议采纳认知机制模型.未来研究可进一步探讨决策者的认知灵活性,认知闭合需要等对建议采纳的影响, 以及建议提出的认知机制, 以丰富建议采纳领域研究.     

Further evidence for the validity of the Need Inventory of Sensation Seeking

The Need Inventory of Sensation Seeking (NISS) by Roth and Hammelstein (2012) conceptualizes sensation seeking as a motivational trait, a need for stimulation that can provoke different behaviors. Extending the area of application to the field of sexuality, the results of an online survey with a convenience sample (N = 368) provided evidence that the NISS outperforms traditional measures of sensation seeking. In a series of hierarchical regression analyses, the NISS added incremental variance in predicting the number of sexual partners and the frequency of extreme sexual behaviors and fantasies. No relationship between the NISS and pornography use was found. Moreover, the NISS subscale Need for Stimulation performed better than the subscale Avoidance of Rest. Overall, the study supported the assumption that the NISS is a valid and reliable instrument in the area of sexuality.     

未成年犯童年期受虐待程度与攻击行为的关系：有调节的中介模型

采用问卷法对广东省未成年犯管教所417名男性未成年犯进行调查,考察了自尊在未成年犯童年期受虐待程度与其攻击行为关系间的中介效应,以及感觉寻求在其中的调节作用。结果发现：（1）在控制了年龄、家庭月收入和父母受教育水平后,童年期受虐待程度可显著正向预测攻击行为;（2）自尊在童年期受虐待程度与攻击行为之间起部分中介作用;（3）感觉寻求显著调节自尊对攻击行为的影响,间接效应对于低感觉寻求的个体不显著,对于高感觉寻求的个体显著。     

Need for uniqueness as a mediator of the relationship between face consciousness and status consumption in China

Strong economic development in China has led to a surge in status consumption as a means of gaining face. In Eastern culture, people interpret uniqueness as status distinction rather than separateness or deviance. This type of uniqueness can be used to meet others' expectations and gain social approval. Thus its relationship with face consciousness and status consumption is to be expected. This study investigates 2 hypotheses: (a) Face consciousness has a positive effect on status consumption and (b) Consumer need for uniqueness mediates the relationship between face consciousness and status consumption. Two‐hundred and forty‐six working respondents in eastern China completed a survey. Regression analysis of the results supported both hypotheses.     

The effectiveness of personalized e-mail newsletters and the role of personal characteristics

Personalizing communication means creating persuasive messages that refer to aspects of a person's self. Although the use of personalization is increasing, research on its effectiveness is limited and the results are mixed. This study examined the persuasiveness of personalized e-mail newsletters in terms of increased attention, cognitive activity, evaluation, attitude, intention, and behavior by means of an experiment (n=109). Participants randomly received either a personalized or a generic newsletter advertising a sports center. Personalization triggered a more positive evaluation of the message; however, it did not influence the other effect variables. The effects were moderated by consumers' need for uniqueness, trust, and privacy concerns, suggesting that personalization is a good strategy to increase message evaluation only among individuals who have a high need for uniqueness.     

Intensity seeking and novelty seeking: Their relationship to adolescent risk behavior and occupational interests

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that individual differences in sensation seeking account for adolescents’ risk behavior and vocational interests. We relied on Arnett’s (1994) conceptualization of sensation seeking as involving a need for intensity and a need for novelty, neither of which includes the willingness to take risks. Self-report scales measuring intensity seeking, novelty seeking, impulsiveness, risk behavior and vocational interest were administered to 636 adolescents. New scales measuring intensity seeking (IS) and novelty seeking (NS) were used. Regression analyses showed that IS and to a lesser extent NS accounted for a small part of variance of risk behavior, independent of impulsiveness. IS and NS accounted for vocational interests. The discussion emphasizes the importance of disentangling sensation seeking as a trait from willingness to take risks when one intends to analyse the effect of the former on risk behavior.     

Genetically influenced change in sensation seeking drives the rise of delinquent behavior during adolescence

Sensation seeking is associated with an increased propensity for delinquency, and emerging research on personality change suggests that mean levels of sensation seeking increase substantially from childhood to adolescence. The current study tested whether individual differences in the rate of change of sensation seeking predicted within-person change in delinquent behavior and whether genetically influenced differences in rate of personality change accounted for this association. Sensation seeking and delinquent behavior were assessed biennially between ages 10-11 and 16-17 in a nationally representative sample of 7675 youths from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth: Children and Young Adults (CNLSY). Analyses using latent growth curve modeling found that within-person change in sensation seeking was significantly and positively correlated with within-person change in delinquency from childhood to adolescence. Furthermore, behavioral genetic analyses of a subset of 2562 sibling pairs indicated that there were substantial genetic influences on both initial levels of sensation seeking and change in sensation seeking during early adolescence, with over 80% of individual differences in change due to genetic factors. Finally, these genetically driven increases in sensation seeking were most important for predicting increases in delinquency, whereas environmental paths between sensation seeking and delinquency were not significant. These results suggest that developmental changes in delinquent behaviors during adolescence are driven by a genetically governed process of personality change.