Influence of Implicit Theories on Consumer Behavior

Abstract

Implicit theories refer to beliefs that individuals hold regarding the malleabilities of human traits or abilities. There are two types of implicit theories: “incremental theory” (the belief that traits or abilities can substantially change through effort and time) and “entity theory” (the belief that traits or abilities are relatively unchanging). Outside the field of marketing, it has been argued that individuals who believe in incremental theory show different tendencies in thinking and behavior compared to those who believe in entity theory. In recent years, there has been a gradual increase in research exploring the influences of implicit theories on consumer behavior. There are three main streams in consumer research: (1) influences of implicit theories on self-perception, (2) influences of implicit theories on product evaluation, and (3) influences of implicit theories on product choice. This paper reviews the representative literature in these research streams and presents future research topics in the final chapter.

Keywords

• incremental theory
• entity theory
• brand personality
• product evaluation
• product choice