The Hidden Influences Behind Our Habits
Overview: In the chapter titled, “Maladaptive Consumption Conceptual Identification Model,” from the book Maladaptive Consumer Behavior, NYU Stern Professor Priya Raghubir develops a conceptual model arguing that the manner in which consumers self-report their consumption behaviors – particularly alcohol use – can be influenced by contextual clues (such as cultural or family background, or social group), as well as self-perception.
Why study this now: Of the 138 million people (age 12 and above) in the US who drink alcohol, 20% of them have an alcohol use disorder. Furthermore, only about half of people with alcohol use disorder seek treatment, possibly because consumers are not accepting all of the associated risks of alcohol consumption. By increasing self-awareness about their drinking behaviors, these consumers may shift their views on the behavior and seek out treatment.
What the authors found: Professor Raghubir’s conceptual model explores how consumption behaviors are categorized along an adaptive (normal behavior) -maladaptive (harmful behavior) continuum. Behaviors can be clearly adaptive (e.g., healthy eating) or maladaptive (e.g., smoking), but many are ambiguous and can shift from adaptive to maladaptive based on context and individual perception.
The model reveals that self-reports of consumption are not fixed but can vary with the framing of questions and context. For example, having a glass of wine during the workday in Europe may be considered “normal,” but the same would not be true in India. This variability can be significant in understanding and addressing maladaptive behaviors.
What does this change: The model provides a way to understand how people might rationalize or distort their consumption behavior based on self-perception and social context. For instance, people on vacation often drink more alcohol than they do at home because of the setting and social norms. These behaviors seem to be viewed as more “acceptable” compared to their everyday actions.
The model offers a framework that can be adapted to various consumption behaviors beyond alcohol. Understanding how contextual cues influence self-reports can help in designing better interventions and policies aimed at modifying maladaptive behaviors.
Key insight: “This book chapter proposed a testable conceptual framework that helps to understand how consumers self-categorize along the adaptive-maladaptive continuum,” noted Professor Raghubir, “and applied it to the domain of alcohol consumption with examples of how it can be applied to other behaviors that also vary along the adaptive-maladaptive continuum.”