Little empirical research has been conducted on self-gifts
as a phenomenon of consumer behavior. A review of
literature demonstrated that the phenomenon of self-gifts has
been studied from the conceptual aspect, such as self-gift
functions. Yet, our knowledge of self-gifts still remains
limited because many of the determinants of self-gifts have
not been explored (occasions and motivations, self-gifts
relation to self-concept, and cultural influences on self-gift
behavior). The purpose of this study was to identify
occasions that prompt female college students to purchase
clothing as a self-gift and some of their motivations for
purchasing clothing as gifts for themselves.
The data from the respondents was collected through
audio-recorded interviews and were transcribed and analyzed
by the researcher. A purposive, non-probability sample of 19
female college students was used.
The instrument used to measure the occasions and
motivations for purchasing self-gifts was the Self-Gift
Thematic Apperception Test (SGTAT) developed by Mick, DeMoss,
and Faber (1992). This instrument is a specially adapted
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) based on Murstein's (1963)
criteria which was derived from the original TAT developed by
Murray (1938).
The respondents were shown four SGTAT stimulus pictures
of drawings of a young woman standing by a counter purchasing
a clothing item, with a salesperson nearby. The titles above
the drawings suggested common self-gift contexts based on
prior research (Mick et al., 1992; Mick & DeMoss, 1990a).
The four self-gift contexts were referred to as reward,
therapeutic, birthday, and nice-to-self.
Content and interpretive analysis were performed by
coding the occasions and motivations in the stories that were
reported by the respondents. Seventy-two usable Self-Gift
Thematic Apperception Test stories were produced (18
respondents by 4 self-gift contexts).
Results of the study indicated that personal situations,
which were related to significant life-transitions, work-related
matters, school-related matters, and interpersonal
relationship conflicts were strong occasions that prompted
the purchase of self-gifts. In addition, the results of this
study indicated that reward, therapeutic, and nice-to-self
are common motivations for purchasing gifts for the self.
These findings indicated that specific occasions and
motivations for purchasing self-gifts can be identified. / Graduation date: 1995
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/35238 |
| Date | 05 May 1995 |
| Creators | Cristi, Marie Abigail V. |
| Contributors | Jordan, Cheryl L. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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