Emotions, Identity, and Consumption: A Study of Symbolic Consumer Behaviour
Abstract
Consumer behaviour in contemporary markets extends far beyond the acquisition of products for functional purposes. Increasingly, consumers engage with brands, products, and services as symbolic resources that help them express emotions, construct identities, and communicate social meanings. The growing influence of media, globalization, and digital technologies has transformed consumption into a cultural and psychological phenomenon in which products serve as extensions of the self. This paper examines the relationship between emotions, identity, and symbolic consumer behaviour by integrating perspectives from consumer psychology, social identity theory, self-concept theory, and consumer culture theory. The study explores how emotions influence decision-making, how consumers use products and brands to create and communicate identities, and how symbolic consumption shapes marketplace behaviour. The paper also investigates the impact of social media, brand communities, and cultural influences on symbolic consumption. Managerial implications, ethical considerations, and future research directions are discussed. The study concludes that symbolic consumption has become a dominant feature of modern consumer culture and represents a critical area for both academic research and marketing practice.
Authors
Tarun Maheshwari, Kajal Singh, Kajal Kumari, Keshav Sharma, Kiran Keshri
Institution
NIET Business School, Greater Noida
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