Motivation and Goals

Abstract

AbstractConsumer motivation deals with the question of why consumers do the things they do. We review prior research on consumer motivation, focusing on the central role played by goals in consumer behavior. We first discuss structural aspects of goals, including need hierarchies and typologies of values, hierarchical means‐end conceptualizations of product‐self relationships and goals, and a classification of purchase motives. We then describe the dynamics of goal pursuit, considering both goal setting and goal striving. Traditionally, these two processes have been viewed as conscious processes in which people deliberately select a goal and then strive to attain it. More recently, research has shown that goal pursuit can also occur without conscious awareness, and both conscious and nonconscious goal pursuit are considered.