How does status influence behavior? The impact of achieved and endowed status on consumption patterns.

摘要

Society is vertically stratified on many dimensions (e.g., race, gender, income, education) in which every individual has a well-established place. Status hierarchies permeate society and they are an integral part of our social system. Whether achieved through individual merit or endowed through birth into a particular social group, status hierarchies are manifested in how individuals feel, how they are treated and consequently how they behave. People often define themselves in relation to others and one's relative position or status is of great importance because knowing one's place can impact an individual's self-concept. Status is most often accompanied by a variety of economic, social, and emotional benefits and hence it can be beneficial to have a higher rank than others. Being at the top of the ladder is significantly more beneficial than being at the bottom. As such, individuals exert a significant amount of energy in order to maintain and to enhance their status. In this dissertation, I explore how status affects how individuals feel as well as the consumption behaviors in which they engage.;Consumption allows individuals to express themselves and portray their status to others. A significant amount of research has examined how individuals purchase and wear status-conveying products (e.g., designer watches, handbags) in order to signal that they belong to a high status group and to present an image of high status. My research extends beyond the use of status-conveying products for the purpose of status enhancement as well as beyond the social signaling benefits which generally accompany status. In two essays, I examine how individuals who have (do not have) high status, either achieved through personal merit or endowed through birth, engage (do not engage) in certain behaviors (e.g., wait longer for exclusive services, pay more for products) in order to affirm or to enhance their status. I find that engaging in such behaviors allows individuals to fulfill their status needs and to affirm their high status position. Further, I find that such behaviors result in an 'intrinsic' benefit of status which is distinct from the social and material benefits that often accompany one's elevated position.;In the first essay, I examine how invoking the endowed race-based status hierarchy affecting African Americans and Caucasians influences how much individuals are willing to pay for products and services. Money is closely tied to social status and for African Americans, who are often stereotyped as being poor, paying more allows them to fulfill a need for status. I find that it is the act of paying money and not the status of the product which is being purchased that enables African Americans to enhance their status perceptions.;In the second essay, I explore behavior among individuals who achieve high status (through spending) within a firm's loyalty program. In some firms, individuals' spending patterns leads to them be categorized as 'high status,' which affords them both social and material benefits. In this essay, I find that those who attain high status willingly engage in certain costly behaviors (e.g., pay more, wait longer), in order to affirm their status and to enhance their self-concept. I find that engaging in these behaviors results in a previously un-explored 'intrinsic' benefit, elevated feelings of prestige. This research contributes to literature by showing that there is an important outcome of having and using status that is neither social nor material.