A Framework for Examining the Role of Culture in Individuals Likelihood to Engage in Self-Gift Behavior

The purpose of this research is to propose a framework to be used for investigating whether self-gifting is a universal phenomenon, or one confined to Western societies. Does everybody self-gift? What are the influences on self-gift behavior? In an attempt to establish who is most likely to self-gift, we have employed the Theory of Reasoned Action and incorporated self-construal to make predictions regarding individual’s attitude to self-gifting in general and self-gift advertisements specifically. We also hypothesize that individuals who possess a dominant independent self-construal will have more favorable attitudes towards selfgifting and be more likely to self-gift, whereas individuals with dominant interdependent selfconstruals will tend to have more negative attitudes towards self-gifting and a strong motivation to comply with references groups negative feelings about self-gifting, and consequently be less likely to self gift, and suggest ways for marketers to appeal to the interdependent self.