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This research extends the understanding of how self-construal plays a role in our consumption behavior using self-gifting as its context. By applying a four-dimensional self-construal model, we sought to examine differences in self-gifting behaviors among the four self-construal groups (i.e., Bicultural, Western, Traditional, and Alienated), composed of participants from four ethnic groups in the UK (White, Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi). The dependent variables included self-gift propensity, self-gift selection effort, and self-gift post-emotion. Our findings revealed significant differences in self-gifting patterns among different self-construal groups. Generally, the Bicultural and Western self-construal groups are similar, but differ in self-gifting behaviors from Traditional and Alienated self-construal groups. We demonstrate how the four-dimensional self-construal model allows a more precise conceptualization of self-construal and a more thorough investigation of cross-cultural consumption patterns than does the two-dimensional view.

Causal attributions and brand-relationships are known to determine how consumers react to brand transgressions. Considering both transgression controllability and brand-relationship strength, the authors show that self-construal moderates consumer reactions to brand transgressions. Three studies using different product and service failure scenarios demonstrate that consumers who have independent self-construals are more forgiving when the brand has no control over the transgression, regardless of brand-relationship strength. However, consumers who have interdependent self-construals are more forgiving when they have strong relationships with the transgressing brand, even if the brand is at fault. Furthermore, the salience of justice concerns versus expectancies for long-term brand-relationships underlies the self-construal effects on consumer forgiveness.

The consumer journey metaphor emphasizes the steps that individuals take in their path toward relationships with brands or satisfying shopping experiences. However, in many non-Western cultures, these steps are less likely to be shaped by individual preferences and priorities. Instead, they emerge from a collectivistic motivation to adapt to prevailing norms and others’ expectations, and are shaped by a holistic thinking style that emphasizes context and relationships. As a result, the meaning of each step in the consumer journey is likely to be normatively infused and contextually embedded. This paper will review research showing cross-cultural differences in responses to prices, ads, store displays, retailer reputations, coupons, and other characteristics important to the retail context. Our focus is on contrasting the consumer journey in individualistic contexts versus collectivistic ones, but we also address emerging findings on other key cultural differences, such as power distance belief. Taken together, these findings suggest that the patterns and drivers of consumers’ pre-purchase activities, purchase decisions, and post-purchase commitment may differ significantly across cultures. In describing these culturally distinct processes, we illustrate how a deep consideration of cultural differences can enhance our understanding of the consumer journey.

This study examines the impact of job burnout on both Chinese happiness and life satisfaction, with self-construal as the mediator. Both Chinese happiness and self-construal are shaped by the influence of the traditional culture that Chinese people grow up in. This influence on self-construal is seen most clearly in the tendency toward interdependent (rather than independent) self-construal. Data were collected from employees in Beijing, between the ages of 20 and 58 (N = 294). The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, Self-Construal Scale, Chinese Happiness Inventory, and Satisfaction with Life Scale were used to assess participants. The study’s findings showed that two aspects of job burnout (i.e., exhaustion and job disengagement) had negative correlations with life satisfaction and Chinese happiness. Both aspects of self-construal (i.e., independent and interdependent self-construal) had positive correlations with Chinese happiness. Only independent self-construal positively correlated with life satisfaction. The results further indicated that interdependent self-construal mediated the relationship that job disengagement and exhaustion have with Chinese happiness, whereas independent self-construal played a partial mediating role in the relationship between job disengagement and Chinese happiness. In the relationship between job burnout and life satisfaction, the latter can only be directly related to exhaustion. The findings imply that in contemporary China, quality of life in the workplace and the newly emerging bicultural self-construal both have an impact on Chinese happiness. This may help individuals and organizations to resolve the negative effects of the work system based on real-world situations.

This study examined how self-construal, a key aspect of cultural structure, influences teacher training to improve autism awareness and reduce stigma. It explored autism awareness, self-construal, and stigma levels among potential educators, as well as the relationships between these factors. The study also investigated the mediating role of self-construal in the link between autism awareness and stigma. The study included 1031 potential educators—individuals with no teaching experience with students with ASD but likely to work with them in the future. Participants were selected through purposeful sampling. Data were collected using a demographic form, Autism Awareness Scale, Self-Construal Scale, and Stigma Scale. The study found that both autonomous and relational self-construals significantly impacted autism awareness and stigma. These cultural factors influenced how potential educators perceive and respond to ASD. The analysis highlighted the mediating role of self-construal between autism awareness and stigma. The study concluded that self-construal, as a cultural element, plays a significant role in shaping potential educators’ approaches to autism awareness and stigma reduction. It is recommended that teacher training programs incorporate cultural factors like self-construal to complement efforts in enhancing autism awareness and reducing stigma, ensuring that potential educators’ cultural structures do not outweigh their professional qualifications in interactions with students with ASD.

This study developed and tested a model linking independent self-construal to radical creativity by utilizing the framework of uniqueness theory. We administered time-lagged surveys to 277 dyads of employees and their immediate supervisors. The results showed that independent self-construal had a significant and positive effect on radical creativity, while the need for uniqueness played a mediating role in this relationship. Furthermore, an error-management climate positively moderated both the relationship between independent self-construal and the need for uniqueness, and the indirect effect of independent self-construal on radical creativity through the need for uniqueness. The multiple mechanisms by which independent self-construal affects radical creativity illuminate its positive effects and indicate avenues that can be utilized to strengthen its potential impact and subsequently improve employees' innovation and creativity. These findings provide guidance for the practice of organizational innovation management.

This research examines how self-construal (i.e., independent vs. interdependent) and goal type (i.e., attainment vs. maintenance) are conceptually linked and jointly impact consumer behavior. The results of five experiments and one field study involving different operationalizations of self-construal and goal pursuit activities suggest that attainment (maintenance) goals can be more motivating for participants with a more independent (interdependent) self-construal and that differences in salient knowledge about pursuing the goals are one potential mechanism underlying this effect. This interaction effect was found within a single culture, between cultures, when self-construal was experimentally manipulated or measured, and when potential confounding factors like regulatory focus were controlled for. The effect was also found to impact consumer behavior in real life—self-construal, as reflected by the number of social ties consumers had, impacted the likelihood that they opted to reduce versus maintain their bodyweight. Further, after setting their goal, consumers who were more independent exhibited more (less) motivation, as measured by the amount of money they put at stake, when their goal was weight reduction (maintenance). These findings shed light on the relationship between self-construal and goal type, and offer insights, to both consumers and managers, on how to increase motivation for goal pursuit.

Food waste has become a global problem, which has a profound impact on global sustainable development. The waste produced at the consumption level is shocking and is the key link that causes food waste. In recent years, researches on food waste behavior intervention at the consumer lever have mainly explored from the perspective of cognitive information, while the impact on emotions has been less studied and its mechanisms have not been explained. This article proposes an emotional path to intervene in food waste. Three studies confirm the differential effects of anthropomorphic visual design (pleasure vs. sadness) and anthropomorphic verbal design (positive vs. negative), and test the moderating role of consumer’ characteristics. The findings suggest that sad anthropomorphic visual design (vs. pleasant) and negative anthropomorphic verbal design (vs. positive) had a greater effect on intention to not waste food. And compared with anthropomorphic verbal design, anthropomorphic visual design has a greater impact on consumers’ intention to not waste food. The effect is mediated by consumer’ empathy, and sad (vs. pleasant), negative (vs. positive) anthropomorphic design is more likely to trigger consumer’ empathy. Moreover, self-construal plays a moderating role in the relationship between anthropomorphic design and empathy. These findings provide novel insights for governments, environmental groups and the restaurant industry to design effective interventions for against food waste.

In five studies, the authors examine the impact of an independent (vs. interdependent) mindset on consumer adoption of new products. Study 1 demonstrates that consumers in a predominantly independent (vs. interdependent) culture are more willing to adopt really new products, whereas consumers in a predominantly interdependent (vs. independent) culture are more willing to adopt incrementally new products. Studies 2 and 3 conceptually replicate these findings using situationally activated mindsets and demonstrate that this effect is driven by the perceived fit between the product’s newness level and the optimal level of distinctiveness consumers want. Finally, Studies 4a and 4b show that the presence of distinctiveness-dampening cues (i.e., popularity cues) and distinctiveness-enhancing cues (i.e., scarcity cues) can reverse the effect of self-perspective such that the independent self becomes less willing to adopt really new products and more willing to adopt incrementally new products than does the interdependent self. These findings offer practical implications for managing innovation adoption in both domestic and international marketplaces.

Gender identity reflects people’s understanding of themselves in terms of cultural definitions of female and male. In this article, we identify two traditions of research on gender identity that capture different aspects of masculine and feminine gender roles. The classic personality approach to gender identity differentiates communal from agentic traits and interests. The gender self-categorization approach comprises identification with the social category of women or men. Based on the compatibility principle, each approach should predict behaviors within the relevant content domain. Thus, personality measures likely predict communal and agentic behaviors, whereas gender self-categorization measures likely predict group-level reactions such as ingroup favoritism and outgroup derogation. Researchers have the option of using one or the other conception of gender identity, depending on their particular question of interest. Relying primarily on research conducted in the U.S., we show that both traditions provide insight into the ways that gendered self concepts link the social roles of women and men with their individual cognitions, emotions, and behaviors.