Abstract:

Prior literature about self-construal usually claims that Chinese are more accessible to an interdependent self. However, with the development of society and economic, Chinese consumers’ self-construal may be shifted when encountering a sudden influx of Western Culture. The current research provides empirical evidences to the shifting of Chinese consumers’ self-construal through three experiments. The results indicate that teenagers from urban area of China are more likely to show an independent self-construal, whereas teenagers from rural area of China are more likely to adopt an interdependent self-construal. In addition, the self-construal differs across different age groups: compared with teenagers, middle-agers are more accessible to an interdependent self. Our findings also suggest that Chinese consumers’ self-construal will have an influence on the preference for promotion vs. prevention focused advertisements.

Key words: Self-Construal, Advertising Appeal, Independent Self, Interdependent Self