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The Effects of Consumer Self-Construal on China-Chic Consumption
Li Bin, Huo Yingxin, Wei Haiying
Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2026, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (4) : 946-959.
PDF(1171 KB)
PDF(1171 KB)
The Effects of Consumer Self-Construal on China-Chic Consumption
Chinese consumers have demonstrated significant interest in China-chic consumption, a recent phenomenon that blends traditional Chinese culture with modern fashion trends. While this trend reflects cultural confidence and drives new consumption growth, the underlying psychological mechanisms remain underexplored. To promote the development of China-chic, it is necessary to explore which types of consumers are engaging in this consumption and the underlying psychological mechanism driving them. Although past research has suggested that cultural identity can impact consumer choices, it remains unclear whether consumer characteristics, which are known to be crucial factors influencing consumption choices, also affect consumers’ preferences for China-chic consumption.
China-chic represents a fusion of Chinese traditional culture and fashion trends, offering both utilitarian and symbolic value. Previous studies have shown that consumers are motivated to engage in symbolic consumption based on their self-construal and expression needs, and derive satisfaction from brands that offer different symbolic values. Self-construal, which refers to how individuals perceive themselves in relation to others, is a key consumer characteristic that influences their consumption behaviors. Based on the meaning transfer model, we propose that individuals with interdependent self-construal prefer China-chic consumption more than those with independent self-construal because the symbolic significance of China-chic satisfies their needs. Therefore, this study aims to uncover the psychological mechanisms that drive China-chic consumption by examining how self-construal influences consumers' preferences in four studies (N = 736), with a focus on the mediating role of psychological ownership and the moderating effect of identity threat.
Study 1 employed experimental manipulation of self-construal to investigate its impact on consumers' preference for China-chic consumption. Studies 1a (N = 140) and 1b (N = 218) utilized a single-factor (self-construal) between-subjects design. Self-construal was activated through story priming, with narratives featuring a tennis player’s competition and a warrior selecting soldiers. Participants were then asked to complete a product selection task. Study 2 (N = 140) utilized a single-factor (self-construal) between-subjects design to further examine the mediating role of psychological ownership. Participants were primed with self-construal and then completed the purchase intention scale and psychological ownership scale. Study 3 (N = 238) examined the moderating role of identity threat, utilizing a 2 (self-construal: independent vs. interdependent) × 2 (identity threat: high vs. low) between-subjects design. After the self-construal priming task, participants were asked to select the best picture three times and were then informed of a weak or strong association with coolness based on the level of identity threat.
The primary findings of this study include: (1) Consumers with interdependent self-construal show a greater preference for China-chic consumption than those with independent self-construal. (2) Psychological ownership mediates the relation between self-construal and China-chic consumption intention. Specifically, consumers with interdependent self-construal are more likely to generate psychological ownership than those with independent self-construal, which in turn drives their China-chic consumption intention. (3) Identity threat moderates the relation between self-construal and China-chic consumption intention. Specifically, when identity threat is high, the consumption tendency of interdependent self-construal consumers is significantly higher than that of independent self-construal consumers. When identity threat is low, there is no significant difference in the consumption tendency between interdependent and independent self-construal consumers.
This study contributes to the literature by shedding light on the expression preferences of individuals with interdependent self-construal and expanding the research scope of self-construal in the context of China-chic consumption. The findings also uncover the mediating role of psychological ownership and the moderating effect of identity threat, providing a deeper understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying China-chic consumption behavior. From a practical perspective, the research offers valuable marketing insights to companies in the China-chic industry. It suggests that brands can tailor their strategies to target different self-construal types and leverage psychological ownership to enhance consumer preferences. Future research could explore additional boundary conditions and extend the findings to other cultural contexts or product categories.
China-chic / self-construal / psychological ownership / identity threat / meaning transfer model
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In their review of the literature on stigmatized-identity cues, Chaney, Sanchez, and Maimon (2019-this issue) summarize evidence that stigmatized-identity threat and safety cues drive consumer behavior through their effects on consumers' inferences about the company's ideology and their consequential impact on feelings of belonging. The authors also identify various factors that moderate the relationship between these identity cues and consumers' belonging perceptions. In our commentary, we identify future research opportunities by: (a) encouraging efforts to broaden the proposed framework to account for stigmatized identities defined in terms of consumption activities, (b) highlighting concepts and relationships that may require re-examination or deeper understanding, and (c) proposing additional consumer behaviors that punish or reward companies that use stigmatized-identity threat and safety cues, respectively.
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特此感谢胡敏琦在文章写作及数据收集过程中做出的贡献与帮助。
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