The agency of attachment orientation and parenthood: an investigation of individuals’ social comparison and self-gifting motivations

Abstract

Purpose

We aim to ascertain whether and how an individual’s social comparison affects their self-gifting motivations (SGMs).

Design/methodology/approach

We survey a North American sample comprising 619 Canadian and US respondents. We apply partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine relationships between social comparison, attachment orientation, parenthood, and self-gifting motivations.

Findings

We find that social comparison positively impacts self-gifting motivations. Additionally, we find that attachment orientation and parenthood can moderate social comparison’s impact on positively valenced SGMs and negatively valenced SGMs, respectively.

Originality/value

We elevate and expand existing scholarship on consumers’ self-gifting. Through the current study, we contribute new, empirical evidence illuminating how individuals’ attachment orientation (i.e. secure v. insecure) and parenthood status (i.e. parent v. non-parent) serve as agency-oriented moderators to temper social comparison’s influences on SGMs.

Citation

Smith, B. and Eng, S. (2024), "The agency of attachment orientation and parenthood: an investigation of individuals’ social comparison and self-gifting motivations", Journal of Contemporary Marketing Science, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 252-278. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCMARS-02-2024-0006