This tree in the forest is mine: The effect of concreteness on psychological ownership

This research examines how the concreteness of product presentations influences consumers’ psychological ownership. Across six studies (and one in Web Appendix), we demonstrate that concrete (vs. abstract) mental processing of products increases psychological ownership, with downstream effects including elevated product valuation. Conversely, abstract descriptions reduce psychological ownership and encourage sharing or trading. We identify several moderators and boundary conditions for the effect, which support that the nature of concrete thinking allows feelings of ownership as it processes a product as a specific instance related to the self. The effect is strongest in an egocentric (self) perspective (vs. allocentric or other based), when the product is attractive, not yet strongly connected to the self and for individuals who seek uniqueness. These findings offer actionable insights for marketers responding to trends favoring temporary access over permanent ownership, suggesting that concrete language can enhance psychological ownership (for temporary access and product care), while abstraction can temper it (to support return, trade, or resale in circular models). This research connects psychological ownership to construal level theory and literature on linguistic concreteness, underscoring how strategic shifts in product representation can foster desired ownership behaviors in a landscape increasingly defined by flexible consumption and sustainable practices.