Article | Journal of Consumer Research | April 2020

The Impostor Syndrome from Luxury Consumption

by Dafna Goor, Nailya Ordabayeva, Anat Keinan and Sandrine Crener

Abstract

The present research proposes that luxury consumption can be a double-edged sword: while luxury consumption yields status benefits, it can also make consumers feel inauthentic, because consumers perceive it as an undue privilege. As a result, paradoxically, luxury consumption may backfire and lead consumers to behave less confidently due to their undermined feelings of self-authenticity. Feelings of inauthenticity from luxury consumption are less pronounced among consumers with high levels of chronic psychological entitlement, and they are reduced when consumers’ sense of entitlement is temporarily boosted. The effects are robust across studies conducted in the lab and in field settings such as the Metropolitan Opera, Martha’s Vineyard, a luxury shopping center, and the Upper East Side in New York, featuring relevant consumption contexts and participant populations including luxury target segments.

Keywords: luxury consumption; Luxury; Spending; Consumer Behavior; Perception;

Format: Print Find at Harvard

Citation:

Goor, Dafna, Nailya Ordabayeva, Anat Keinan, and Sandrine Crener. "The Impostor Syndrome from Luxury Consumption." Journal of Consumer Research 46, no. 6 (April 2020): 1031–1051.

About the Author

Campus Map
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→ Map & Directions
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College