Consumer Overconsumption: A Conceptual Model of its Antecedents and Consequences: An Abstract

Abstract

Overconsumption has been a topic of interest to scholars in various disciplines including economics (Alger and Salanie 2006; Arrow et al. 2004; DuPour and Liu 2003; Garriga 2006; Garrison 2004), nutrition (Blundell and Macdiarmid 1997; Fay et al. 2013; Kemp et al. 2013), health (Brown and Cameron 2000), sustainability, psychology (Berridge et al. 2010; Ouwehand and Papies 2010; Herlocker et al. 1997; Roch et al. 2000), sociology, and consumer behavior (Belk et al. 1991; Geyskens et al. 2008; Ordabayeva and Chandon 2011), among others. The impact of overconsumption is being felt at global, national, and societal levels in terms of depletion of natural resources resulting in scarcity and the degradation of the natural environment due to pollution and global warming. Its impact is also being felt at the individual level in terms of negative health outcomes and financial hardship. Despite the interest in overconsumption and the extensive body of research, there is no general agreement on understanding and defining overconsumption (Hakansson 2014). The objective of this research is to explicate the concept of overconsumption at the individual level and identify its antecedents and consequences. A model of its antecedents and consequences is also presented.