The Role of Emotion in the Consumption Experience: Actions and Reactions in Consumer Behavior

ABSTRACT - Recent progress in consumer research has moved toward a fuller understanding of intentional consumer actions. Multiattribute attitude models, decision models, models of buying choices, and other ways of studying rational purchasing behavior have all taken us further toward explaining reasoned action as one type of consumption activity. However, the study of consumer reactions has remained a relatively neglected area of investigation. For example, a prototypical reaction might involve emotional responses to advertising messages or to other symbolic offerings and the types of customer value that result therefrom. This paper proposes a conceptual scheme for integrating such reactive components into an expanded model of consumer behavior and thereby clarifies the role of emotional responses in the consumption experience.

Citation:

Morris B. Holbrook (1986) ,"The Role of Emotion in the Consumption Experience: Actions and Reactions in Consumer Behavior", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 13, eds. Richard J. Lutz, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 666.

Advances in Consumer Research Volume 13, 1986      Page 666

THE ROLE OF EMOTION IN THE CONSUMPTION EXPERIENCE: ACTIONS AND REACTIONS IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

Morris B. Holbrook, Columbia University

ABSTRACT -

Recent progress in consumer research has moved toward a fuller understanding of intentional consumer actions. Multiattribute attitude models, decision models, models of buying choices, and other ways of studying rational purchasing behavior have all taken us further toward explaining reasoned action as one type of consumption activity. However, the study of consumer reactions has remained a relatively neglected area of investigation. For example, a prototypical reaction might involve emotional responses to advertising messages or to other symbolic offerings and the types of customer value that result therefrom. This paper proposes a conceptual scheme for integrating such reactive components into an expanded model of consumer behavior and thereby clarifies the role of emotional responses in the consumption experience.

For further information, write to:

Morris B. Holbrook / Graduate School of Business / Columbia University / New York, NY 10027

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