Can normal narcissism be managed to promote green product purchases? Investigating a counterintuitive proposition

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2014

Abstract

Despite the presumed influence of narcissism as a prevalent consumer trait, the psychological construct was only recently linked to consumer theory. “Normal” narcissism is traditionally associated with negative effects on others. But narcissism is examined from a different perspective here. This study investigates how narcissistic traits may influence consumer tendencies to engage in “green” behaviors. Study 1 demonstrates that narcissists do not intrinsically value green behavior or its potential societal benefits. However, four integrated experiments—grounded in costly signaling theory and the realistic accuracy model—demonstrated that situational factors such as product visibility, purchase visibility, relative price, and message detection and utilization could be influential in motivating normal narcissists to act “green.”

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Copyright 2014 Wiley

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Publication Title

Journal of Applied Social Psychology

Published Citation

Naderi, Iman, and David Strutton. "Can normal narcissism be managed to promote green product purchases? Investigating a counterintuitive proposition." Journal of Applied Social Psychology 44, no. 5 (May 2014): 375-391. doi: 10.1111/jasp.12230.

DOI

10.1111/jasp.12230

Peer Reviewed

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