Edited by Henna Syrjälä and Hanna Leipämaa-Leskinen
Hanna Leipämaa-Leskinen, Henna Syrjälä and Pirjo Laaksonen
The first chapter revisits the sin of pride in the consumer research debate. While previous scholars have conceptualized pride as an ego-focused emotion that may appear as either negative (excessive) or positive (authentic), our aim is to open up the more discreet facets of pride by taking it into the conditions of scarce consumption. Using narrative methodology, we explore how pride emerges in Finnish nonvoluntary simplifiers (poor consumers) and voluntary simplifiers’ lives. The findings complete prior discussions illuminating two narrative categories of pride in scarce conditions: “forbidden fruit” and “hidden heroism,” which together construct the third facet of pride, “silenced pride.” In conclusion, we discuss how the social and cultural frames of consumption may hinder experiences and expressions of pride.
Minna-Maarit Jaskari, Päivi Borisov and Henna Syrjälä
The second chapter constructs a multilevel understanding of how greed appears in marketing students’ consumption. To that end, it draws on discussions regarding consumers’ lived experiences at the micro level influencing and being influenced by phenomena in larger-level contexts. Greed is understood as dissatisfaction with never having enough, and as a cardinal sin it is a double-edged sword that provokes contradictory negotiations in consumption. By using narrative data, the chapter showcases how greed is manifested and negotiated within and between various levels of culture (micro, mezzo, macro, and supra). The chapter concludes by challenging the aspects of greed earlier found to be positive. Although greed can be manifested as both positive and negative, it never appears as solely positive. Furthermore, although greed emerges in various levels of culture, it always floods back to the micro level: As a sin, greed is always attached to an individual.