Accounts in Post-Purchase Behavior: Excuses, Justifications and Meta-Accounts

Abstract

Post-purchase behavior, particularly in the event of a suboptimal consumer choice, is an area of consumer behavior in need of further research. Specifically, what happens when a consumer makes a suboptimal consumer choice which cannot be "undone" (e.g., the product cannot be returned)? This paper explores the common response to this situation in which the individual attempts to dissociate via linguistic devices employed to lessen or eliminate the negativity associated with an event. A framework of accounts is developed which employs excuses, justifications, and meta-accounts and a number of research propositions are presented.