Research frontiers on the dark side of consumer behaviour: The case of materialism and compulsive buying

ABSTRACT

Materialism and compulsive consumption are viewed as dimensions of the dark side of consumer behaviour and have been the focus of consumer research for several decades. This article first shows that previous efforts to study compulsive buying and materialism have been limited in part because they have relied on single perspectives and inadequate methods. Second, it suggests that research in this area could be advanced by adopting emergent approaches and methods that have been used in social and behavioural sciences to study the onset and development of maladaptive behavioural patterns. Third, the article presents the multi-theoretical life course research paradigm that has been widely adopted in numerous disciplines as an approach to the study of various forms of maladaptive behaviour. Fourth, it illustrates how this approach could be employed to study the onset and development of materialism and compulsive buying. Finally, drawing from this paradigm, the article offers new insights in the form of propositions and conceptual directions to help researchers improve their efforts in studying materialism and compulsive buying as well as other forms of the dark side of consumer behaviour.