Advances in Consumer Research
Issue 11 : 56-64
Original Article
Coping and Consumer Behaviour: a Psychosocial Investigation of Meaning, Identity, and Consumption Patterns
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1
PhD Research Scholar, Department of Psychology, The ICFAI University, Tripura; and Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, NSHM Knowledge Campus, Durgapur, West Bengal, India.
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, The ICFAI University, Tripura, India
3
PhD Research Scholar, Department of Psychology, The ICFAI University, Tripura, India
Abstract

Consumer behaviour is not exclusively an economic phenomenon; it is also influenced by psychological processes involving coping, identity, meaning, self-concept, and emotional regulation. The present study examines the psychosocial relationship between coping strategies, meaning in life, self-concept clarity, and materialistic consumption orientation. The study is theoretically grounded in the transactional theory of stress and coping, symbolic consumption perspectives, self-concept theory, and meaning-in-life theory. A quantitative, cross-sectional correlational design is proposed using established psychological measures: the Brief COPE, Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS), and revised Material Values Scale (MVS). The illustrative statistical analysis is based on a hypothetical sample of 300 adults and includes descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, multiple regression, and an illustrative mediation pathway. The results demonstrate the theoretical pattern in which avoidant coping is positively associated with materialistic values, whereas adaptive coping, presence of meaning, and self-concept clarity are negatively associated with materialistic consumption. The regression model accounts for approximately 34% of the variance in materialistic consumption orientation. The findings are discussed in relation to coping theory, identity processes, symbolic consumption, and the psychological functions of possessions. The study highlights the importance of examining consumer behaviour as a psychosocial phenomenon rather than simply as an economic decision-making process.

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