Why Narcissists Prefer Genuine to High-Quality Counterfeit Luxury: The Role of Authentic and Hubristic Pride: An Abstract

Abstract

Narcissism, the individual tendency towards an objectively unjustified conceit, is a well-known determinant of luxury consumption. Research suggests that narcissists should shun counterfeit luxury for its inability to match the grandiosity of the narcissistic self. However, the same may not hold true for high-quality counterfeit (HQCF) luxury, that is, imitation products of established luxury brands that can be almost indistinguishable from genuine originals, thus offering status-signaling benefits. We offer new insights into luxury brand consumption by exploring the mechanisms behind narcissistic preference for genuine vs. HQCF luxury.

First, we expected narcissism to be associated with intentions to purchase genuine luxury for self-expressive reasons, that is, only genuine luxury reflects the grandiosity of the narcissistic self. Further, we expected narcissism to be associated with intentions to purchase HQCF for self-presentational reasons, that is, also HQCF luxury can deliver status-signaling benefits. Second, we considered two forms of consumer pride, authentic (i.e., pride in one’s achievements) and hubristic pride (i.e. pride in one’s global self), as psychological processes explaining each relationship. Following licensing effects associated with the achievements that elicit authentic pride, we expected authentic pride to mediate the effect of narcissism on intentions to purchase genuine luxury. We developed competing explanations on hubristic pride as a mediator of our main relationships. We argued that hubristic pride might mediate the narcissism effect on intentions to purchase HQCF luxury because that luxury can satisfy self-aggrandizement needs at a lower cost. Alternatively, we argued that hubristic pride might mediate the effect of narcissism on intentions to purchase genuine luxury because only genuine luxury offers the self-affirmational benefits that people experiencing hubristic pride might seek to address their insecurity.

Empirically, our study of luxury consumers in China shows that narcissism is associated with intentions to purchase genuine luxury and that authentic pride mediates that relationship. However, findings do not show an association between narcissism and intentions to purchase HQCF, thus failing to support our alternative mediation effects. However, we do find that hubristic pride is associated with preference for HQCF. Taken together, our findings suggest that narcissistic consumers prioritize the self-expressive over the self-presentational benefits of luxury, thus choosing genuine over HQCF luxury—perhaps also due to the reputational risk of being exposed as a user of “fake” products in a context characterized by high face-consciousness. Further, the lack of support for a relationship between narcissism and hubristic pride may relate to the narcissism subtype we studied, grandiose narcissism. Vulnerable narcissists, that is, narcissists with lower self-esteem and higher shame-proneness, may experience higher hubristic pride and thus be at a higher risk of purchasing HQCF luxury. We discuss implications for luxury research and luxury brand managers.