How does self-control operate? A focus on impulse buying

Abstract

Abundant evidence in social psychology attests that self-control shapes human behavior. However, there is still room for further explorations of the interplay between the self-control system and consumer behavior, especially regarding impulse buying behavior. This research aims to shed light on the importance of impulse buying study, like any other spheres of human life, as an outcome of self-control process. This paper considers different types of self-control failure resulting from conflicting standards, the degree to which people monitor their behavior, and the depletion of self-regulatory resources. This is followed by explaining the current self-control approaches in impulse buying studies. In addition, integrating different self-control models, the present paper provides a general framework of self-control process with a focus on impulse buying. The framework integrates the components of impulses, conflict, resistance, and self-control outcome that should be considered jointly when analyzing self-control phenomena.