The Impostor Syndrome from Luxury Consumption

Abstract:The present research proposes that luxury consumption can be a double-edged sword: while luxury consumption can have positive consequences for individuals, it can also make consumers feel less authentic, producing what we call the impostor syndrome from luxury consumption. The impostor syndrome emerges due to the gap that consumers perceive between their true self and the self presented through luxury. It is more pronounced among consumers with low levels of psychological entitlement, it is consistent across income levels, and it is moderated by the detectability of the self-brand discrepancy within the social environment and the malleability of the self-brand discrepancy in perceptions of cultural capital..