Negotiation of Conflicting Desires: How Consumers Negotiate Between Materialistic Desires and Sustainability Desires
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School of Business |
Master's thesis
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Date
2019
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Mcode
Degree programme
Marketing
Language
en
Pages
78 + 1
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Abstract
Abstract This study explores how consumers negotiate between materialistic and sustainability desires. Sustainable fashion was chosen as the context for this study because while fashion is usually consumed for materialistic reasons, sustainable fashion is consumed also for sustainability reasons. Consumers of sustainable fashion (hereafter “sustainable consumers”) thus experience both materialistic and sustainability desires, leading to conflict between these two very different desires. This study is positioned within the mass-mediated marketplace ideologies stream of Consumer Culture Theory (CCT). This study contributes to this stream of research by examining the ways that consumers negotiate between contradicting ideologies. This study uses qualitative research methods, and the data was analysed using discursive analysis. The data set is made up of ten popular sustainable fashion blogs written by sustainable consumers. This study fits within the analytical framework of Richins & Dawson’s (1992) three themes of materialism. The findings of this study revealed the following five themes within the data: 1) possession-defined success 2) acquisition as the pursuit of happiness 3) acquisition centrality 4) fast fashion and consumerism and so-called 5) responsibilization. Sustainable consumers demonstrated conflict between materialistic and sustainability desires and different ways of negotiating between them. Sustainable consumers relied on their fashion items for self-expression and cultivating their identities as conscious consumers who carefully research and buy sustainable brands – thus fulfilling their desire for possession-defined success and sustainability. Sustainable consumers were also seen to cultivate a bond with their products so as to create and subsequently prolong the sense of happiness they provide. Sustainable consumers struggled more with negotiating between materialistic desires for acquisition centrality and sustainability. With some success they resolved these conflicts by limiting their purchases and finding sustainable ways to purchase new products. In the domain of fast fashion and consumerism they were however unable to resolve their conflicts by negotiation as these concepts were constructed as being in opposition to sustainability. This study finds that consumers can negotiate between materialistic desires and sustainability desires to a great extent. It is thus often possible for consumers to satisfy both desires simultaneously in the domain of consumption.Description
Thesis advisor
Mikkonen, IlonaKeywords
sustainable, materialistic, consumption, consumer, behaviour, negotiation, desires, conflict