Power and consumer behavior: How power shapes who and what consumers value

2011/07/02 by Derek D. Rucker, Adam D. Galinsky, David Dubois · 1 citation
Business, Management and Accounting · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification #Cultural Differences and Values #Social and Intergroup Psychology

paper · doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2011.06.001

openalex publication_date 2011/07/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15

Abstract

Abstract The current paper reviews the concept of power and offers a new architecture for understanding how power guides and shapes consumer behavior. Specifically, we propose that having and lacking power respectively foster agentic and communal orientations that have a transformative impact on perception, cognition, and behavior. These orientations shape both who and what consumers value. New empirical evidence is presented that synthesizes these findings into a parsimonious account of how power alters consumer behavior as a function of both product attributes and recipients. Finally, we discuss future directions to motivate and guide the study of power by consumer psychologists.

Citations

• Constructive Consumer Choice Processes
• Gift Giving in Anthropological Perspective
• Power, optimism, and risk‐taking
• Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness
• Central and Peripheral Routes to Advertising Effectiveness: The Moderating Role of Involvement

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