Products as Self-Evaluation Standards: When Owned and Unowned Products Have Opposite Effects on Self-Judgment

Consumers frequently evaluate their own traits before making consumption decisions (e.g., “Am I thin enough for skinny jeans?”). The outcome of these self-evaluations depends on the standard consumers use and on whether they evaluate “self” in assimilation or contrast to that standard. Previous self-judgment research has focused on self-standards that arise from social aspects of the environment including people and groups. We propose that...