From Need to Deed: A Concrete Construal Account of Need‐Based Object Valuation

ABSTRACT Need‐based object valuation is when consumers place greater valuations on objects that fulfill their needs. Despite its pervasiveness as a consumer behavior phenomenon, the psychological drivers behind it are not fully understood. This research examines concrete construal level as one mechanism of need‐based object valuation. We show that an unfulfilled need instantiates a concrete construal of need‐relevant objects because doing so facilitates the identification of an object's instrumentality for addressing the need, which subsequently heightens its valuation. Importantly, we do not find that an unfulfilled need affects the abstractness by which need‐relevant objects are construed. Additionally, we do not find that an unfulfilled need affects the construal of need‐irrelevant objects. Collectively, these results show that consumers can simultaneously hold different objects at different levels of abstraction, a possibility that has not received much consideration to date. We discuss the conceptual contributions from our findings, practical applications for firms, and substantive implications for consumer well‐being, particularly with respect to the possibility of maladaptive (over)consumption.