Classifying consumption behavior using self-determination theory

Abstract

By bringing together self-determination theory and consumption behaviour, four types of consumption behaviours – reward consumption, ego consumption, goal consumption, and identity consumption are proposed. These four behaviours are linked with the four extrinsic motivations – external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, and integrated regulation respectively. To further the debate about consumption rather than product(s) being hedonic or instrumental, the types of motivations and resultant consumption behaviours proposed in this paper are discussed in the context of the same product. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.