Identity Preservation: If I Can Remember It, You Can Have It

Possessions can define the self and become a part of one’s identity even to the extent that the loss of possessions can threaten self-identity (Belk 1988). Given the attachment consumers feel to their possessions, they often struggle to dispose of their possessions (Ferraro et al. 2011; Haws et al. 2012). Yet, little is known about how consumers could be encouraged to dispose of special possessions in a way that allows them to retain the memory associated with the product and minimize any identity threat from giving up their possession. One notable exception is Brough and Isaac’s (2012) work demonstrating that buyer usage intent influences consumers’ selling price when product attachment is high. Selling was the only product disposal method examined, but there are various other disposal methods such as throwing the product away, giving it away (to a friend or family connection associated with the self), and donating it. Not only is it important to understand what may aid consumers in product disposition, but it is also important to understand when consumers will dispose of their product in a method that may be beneficial to others rather than harmful to the environment (e.g., donate or sell versus throw away). Given the extent to which consumers strategically seek to retain their memories (Zauberman et al. 2009), we propose that memory preservation strategies assist consumers with disposal of identity-relevant products. Moreover, engaging in memory preservation will increase disposal through donating or selling items rather than throwing them away.