Symbolic Self-Gifts: Exploring the Role of Self-Gift Behaviour during the Period of Liminal Transition
Self-gifting is a highly context-bound consumer behaviour, and existing literature has identified the circumstance of significant life transitions is an important context where self-gifting occurs. However, it seems to be no further study investigating self-gift behaviour in this particular context....
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2017
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/46075/ |
| _version_ | 1848797252812800000 |
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| author | DONG, Junming |
| author_facet | DONG, Junming |
| author_sort | DONG, Junming |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Self-gifting is a highly context-bound consumer behaviour, and existing literature has identified the circumstance of significant life transitions is an important context where self-gifting occurs. However, it seems to be no further study investigating self-gift behaviour in this particular context. The present research uses a theoretical lens called "liminality" to explore the self-gift behaviour during individuals' life status transition. Specifically, it examines how self-gifting helps individuals through role transition during the period of liminal transition.
The research has been conducted using 13 in-depth interviews embedded with the projective technique. An analytical framework has been proposed for the investigation of consumers' lived experience of self-gifting during the period of liminal transition. The framework integrates the ideas (1) that self-gifts can act as symbolic markers to commemorate significant life transition events, (2) that self-gifting has potentials to act as personal rites of passage positively contributing to individuals' role transition, (3) that self-gifts impact on self-concept redefinition by acting as vehicles for identity reconstruction, (4) that self-gifting copes with liminal state by contribution to psychological well-being. The framework illustrates how self-gifting can contribute to individuals' liminal transition by supporting role transition and redefining the sense of self. The result of the study has enhanced our understanding of self-gift behaviour as well as has given contributions to the literature on consumption during the liminal transition. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:00:56Z |
| format | Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) |
| id | nottingham-46075 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:00:56Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-460752018-04-17T15:09:04Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/46075/ Symbolic Self-Gifts: Exploring the Role of Self-Gift Behaviour during the Period of Liminal Transition DONG, Junming Self-gifting is a highly context-bound consumer behaviour, and existing literature has identified the circumstance of significant life transitions is an important context where self-gifting occurs. However, it seems to be no further study investigating self-gift behaviour in this particular context. The present research uses a theoretical lens called "liminality" to explore the self-gift behaviour during individuals' life status transition. Specifically, it examines how self-gifting helps individuals through role transition during the period of liminal transition. The research has been conducted using 13 in-depth interviews embedded with the projective technique. An analytical framework has been proposed for the investigation of consumers' lived experience of self-gifting during the period of liminal transition. The framework integrates the ideas (1) that self-gifts can act as symbolic markers to commemorate significant life transition events, (2) that self-gifting has potentials to act as personal rites of passage positively contributing to individuals' role transition, (3) that self-gifts impact on self-concept redefinition by acting as vehicles for identity reconstruction, (4) that self-gifting copes with liminal state by contribution to psychological well-being. The framework illustrates how self-gifting can contribute to individuals' liminal transition by supporting role transition and redefining the sense of self. The result of the study has enhanced our understanding of self-gift behaviour as well as has given contributions to the literature on consumption during the liminal transition. 2017-10-13 Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/46075/1/Final-Junming.pdf DONG, Junming (2017) Symbolic Self-Gifts: Exploring the Role of Self-Gift Behaviour during the Period of Liminal Transition. [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)] |
| spellingShingle | DONG, Junming Symbolic Self-Gifts: Exploring the Role of Self-Gift Behaviour during the Period of Liminal Transition |
| title | Symbolic Self-Gifts: Exploring the Role of Self-Gift Behaviour during the Period of Liminal Transition |
| title_full | Symbolic Self-Gifts: Exploring the Role of Self-Gift Behaviour during the Period of Liminal Transition |
| title_fullStr | Symbolic Self-Gifts: Exploring the Role of Self-Gift Behaviour during the Period of Liminal Transition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Symbolic Self-Gifts: Exploring the Role of Self-Gift Behaviour during the Period of Liminal Transition |
| title_short | Symbolic Self-Gifts: Exploring the Role of Self-Gift Behaviour during the Period of Liminal Transition |
| title_sort | symbolic self-gifts: exploring the role of self-gift behaviour during the period of liminal transition |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/46075/ |