Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Summary, Opportunities, Challenges, and Recommendations

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Consumer Behavior over the Life Course

  • 1185 Accesses

Abstract

Researchers have long recognized the need to study consumers over the course of their lives and to identify the factors responsible for changes in consumer behaviors over time, but they have had inadequate theories and methods for accomplishing such objectives. This book has argued for the employment of the life course paradigm as a research framework to help study and understand consumers over their life span. The present chapter summarizes previous efforts to study consumers over the course of their lives and the main issues related to these efforts. Next, it highlights the merits of using the life course paradigm as a research framework and how its employment could help overcome shortcomings inherent in previous efforts. Furthermore, the chapter illuminates the life course paradigm’s potential contributions to the field of consumer behavior and points out challenges for researchers who employ the life course approach. Lastly, it offers recommendations to researchers who wish to study consumers over certain periods of their lives.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abeles, R. P., Steel, L., & Wise, L. L. (1980). Patterns and implications of life course organization: Studies from project talent. In P. B. Baltes & O. G. Brim (Eds.), Life-span development and behavior (pp. 307–337). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alford, R. R. (1998). The craft of inquiry. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alwin, D. F., Thomas, J. R., & Wray, L. A. (2016). Cognitive development and the life course: Growth, stability and decline. In M. L. Shanahan, J. T. Mortimer, & M. K. Johnson (Eds.), Handbook of the life course: Volume II (pp. 451–490). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Andreasen, A. R. (1984). Life status changes and changes in consumer preferences and satisfaction. Journal of Consumer Research, 11(3), 784–794.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baltes, P. B., Reese, H. W., & Lipsitt, L. P. (1980). Life-span developmental psychology. Annual Review of Psychology, 31, 65–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blossfeld, H., & Rohwer, G. (1995). Techniques of event history modeling: New approaches to causal analysis. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Breytspraak, L. M. (1984). The development of self in later life. Boston: Little, Brown.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, R. T., & O’Rand, A. M. (1988). Settings and sequences: The heuristics of aging research. In J. Birren & V. L. Bengtson (Eds.), Emergent theories of aging (pp. 58–79). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. B., & Areni, C. S. (1991). Affect and consumer behavior. In T. S. Robertson & H. H. Kassarjian (Eds.), Handbook of consumer behavior (pp. 188–240). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colby, A. (1998). Foreword: Crafting life course studies. In J. A. Giele & G. H. Elder (Eds.), Methods of life course research: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crosnoe, R., & Elder, G. H., Jr. (2002). Successful adaptation in the later years: A life course approach to aging. Social Psychology Quarterly, 65(4), 309–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dean, W. (1988). Biological aging measurement: Clinical applications. Los Angeles: Center for Bio-Gerontology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H. (1987). Families and lives: Some developments in life-course studies. Journal of Family History, 12(1–3), 179–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H. (1994). Time, human agency, and social change: Perspectives on the life course. Social Psychology Quarterly, 57(1), 4–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H. (1998a). Life course and human development. In W. Damon & R. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology (pp. 939–991). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H. (1998b). The life course as a developmental theory. Child Development, 69(1), 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H., & Johnson, M. K. (2002). The life course and aging: Challenges, lessons, and new directions. In R. A. Settersen (Ed.), Invitation to the life course: Toward new understanding of later life, Part II. Amityville, NY: Baywood.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H., George, L. K., & Shanahan, M. J. (1996). Psychosocial stress over the life course. In H. B. Kaplan (Ed.), Psychosocial stress: Perspectives on structure, theory, life course, and methods (pp. 247–292). Orlando: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H., Johnson, M. K., & Crosnoe, R. (2003). The emergence and development of life course theory. In J. T. Mortimer & M. J. Shanahan (Eds.), Handbook of the life course (pp. 3–19). New York: Plenum.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Featherman, D. L., & Lerner, R. M. (1985). Ontogenesis and schizogenesis: Problematics for theory and research about development and socialization across the lifespan. American Sociological Review, 50(5), 659–676.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaeth, G. J., & Heath, T. B. (1987). The cognitive processing of misleading advertising in young and old adults: Assessment and training. Journal of Consumer Research, 14(1), 43–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gentry, J. W., Baker, S. M., & Kraft, F. B. (1995). The role of possessions in creating, maintaining, and preserving one's identity: Variation over the life course. Advances in Consumer Research, 22, 413–418.

    Google Scholar 

  • George, L. K. (2003). Life course research: Achievements and potential. In L. T. Mortime & M. J. Shanahan (Eds.), Handbook of the life course (pp. 671–680). New York: Plenum.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gould, S. J. (1991). The self-manipulation of my pervasive, perceived vital energy through product use: An introspective-praxis perspective. Journal of Consumer Research, 18(2), 194–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gould, S. J., Considine, J. M., & Oakes, L. S. (1993). Consumer illness careers: An investigation of allergy sufferers and their universe of medical choices. Journal of Health Care Marketing, 13(2), 34–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guest, L. (1964). Brand loyalty revisited: A twenty-year report. Journal of Applied Psychology, 48(2), 93–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, R. L., Veeck, A., & Gentry, J. W. (2011). A life course perspective of family meals via the life grid method. Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, 3(2), 214–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heider, F. (1958). The psychology of interpersonal relations. New York: Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Helsen, K., & Schmittlein, D. (1993). Analyzing duration times in marketing: Evidence of effectiveness of hazard models. Marketing Science, 11(4), 395–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henry, B., Moffitt, T. E., Caspi, A., Langley, J., & Silva, P. A. (1994). On the ‘remembrance of things past’: A longitudinal evaluation of the retrospective method. Psychological Assessment, 6(2), 92–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herbert, T. B., & Cohen, S. (1996). Measurement issues in research on psychosocial stress. In H. B. Kaplan (Ed.), Psychosocial stress: Perspectives of structure, theory, life course, and methods (pp. 295–332). San Diego: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hershey, D. A., Henkens, K., & Van Dalen, H. P. (2010). Aging and financial planning for retirement: Interdisciplinary influences viewed through a cross-cultural lens. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 70(1), 1–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herzog, A. R., & Markus, H. R. (1999). The self-concept in life-span and aging research. In V. L. Bengtson & W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of theories of aging (pp. 227–252). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, E., Mathur, A., Kwai Fatt, C., & Moschis, G. P. (2012). The timing and context of consumer decisions: Insights from the life course paradigm. Marketing Letters, 23(3), 793–805.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mathur, A., Moschis, G. P., & Lee, E. (2008). A longitudinal study of the effects of life status changes on changes in consumer preferences. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(2), 234–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, K. U., & Tuma, N. B. (1990). Life course research and event history analysis: An overview. In K. U. Mayer & N. B. Tuma (Eds.), Event history analysis in life course research (pp. 3–20). Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McAlexander, J., Schouten, J. W., & Roberts, S. D. (1993). Consumer behavior and divorce. In J. A. Costa & R. W. Belk (Eds.), Research in consumer behavior (Vol. 6, pp. 153–184). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moody, H. R. (1988). Toward a critical gerontology: The contribution of the humanities to theories of aging. In J. E. Birren & V. L. Bengtson (Eds.), Emergent theories of aging (pp. 19–40). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, E. S., Wilkie, W. L., & Desrochers, D. M. (2017). All in the family? Parental roles in the epidemic of childhood obesity. Journal of Consumer Research, 43(5), 824–859.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mortimer, J. T., & Shanahan, M. J. (Eds.). (2003). Handbook of the life course. New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moschis, G. P. (2000). Consumer behavior in later life: Multidisciplinary approaches and methodological issues. Research in Consumer Behavior, 9, 103–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moschis, G. P. (2012). Consumer behavior in later life: Current knowledge, issues, and new directions for research. Psychology & Marketing, 29(2), 57–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moschis, G. P., & Moore, R. L. (1982). A longitudinal study of television advertising effects. Journal of Consumer Research, 9(3), 279–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neugarten, B. L. (1984). Interpretive social science and research on aging. In A. Rossi (Ed.), Gender and the life course (pp. 291–300). New York: Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Guinn, T., & Faber, R. J. (1991). Mass communication and consumer behavior. In T. S. Robertson & H. H. Kassarjian (Eds.), Handbook of consumer behavior (pp. 349–400). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Passuth, P. M., & Bengtson, V. L. (1988). Sociological theories of aging: Current perspectives and future directions. In J. E. Birren & V. L. Bengtson (Eds.), Emerging theories of aging (pp. 333–355). New York: Springer Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearlin, L. I., & Skaff, M. M. (1996). Stress and the life course: A paradigmatic alliance. The Gerontologist, 36(2), 239–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reich, J. W., & Zautra, A. J. (1988). Direct and stress-moderating effects of positive life experiences. In L. H. Cohen (Ed.), Life events and psychological functioning (pp. 149–180). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rentz, J. O., & Reynolds, F. D. (1983). Separating age, cohort, and period effects in consumer behavior. Journal of Marketing Research, 20(1), 12–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodgers, W., & Hertzog, A. R. (1987). Interviewing older adults: The accuracy of factual information. Journal of Gerontology, 42, 387–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salthouse, T. A. (1999). Theories of cognition. In V. L. Bengston & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of theories of aging. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salthouse, T. (2010). Major issues in cognitive aging. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaie, K. W. (1987). Applications of psychometric intelligence to the prediction of everyday competence in the elderly. In C. Schooler & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Cognitive functioning and social structure over the life course (pp. 50–58). Norwood, TN: Ablex.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schau, H. J., Gilly, M. C., & Wolfinbarger, M. (2009). Consumer identity renaissance: The resurgence of identity-inspired consumption in retirement. Journal of Consumer Research, 36(2), 255–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shanahan, M. L., Mortimer, J. T., & Johnson, M. K. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of the life course: Volume II. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherrod, L. R., & Brim, O. G. (1986). Retrospective and prospective views of life-course research on human development. In A. Sorensen, F. E. Weinert, & L. R. Sherrod (Eds.), Human development and the life course: Multidisciplinary perspectives (pp. 557–580). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimp, T. A. (1991). Neo-Pavlovian conditioning and its implications for consumer theory and research. In T. S. Robertson & H. H. Kassarjian (Eds.), Handbook of consumer behavior (pp. 162–187). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R. A., & Lux, D. (1993). Historical method in consumer research: Developing causal explanations of change. Journal of Consumer Research, 19(4), 595–610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strahilevitz, M. A., & Loewenstein, G. (1998). The effect of ownership history on the evaluation of objects. Journal of Consumer Research, 25(3), 276–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wells, D. W. (1993). Discovery-oriented consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 19(4), 489–504.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yingwattanakul, P., & Moschis, G. P. (2017). Life course perspectives on the onset and continuity of preventive healthcare behaviors. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 38(5), 537–550.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yoon, C., Cole, C. A., & Lee, M. P. (2009). Consumer decision making and aging: Current knowledge and future directions. Journal of Consumer Behavior, 19(1), 2–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marketing, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    George P. Moschis

Authors
  1. George P. Moschis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Moschis, G.P. (2019). Summary, Opportunities, Challenges, and Recommendations. In: Consumer Behavior over the Life Course. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05008-5_10

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation