← Search

Property Lines in the Mind: Consumers’ Psychological Ownership and Their Territorial Responses

Colleen P. Kirk¹; Joann Peck²; Scott D. Swain³

¹ New York Institute of Technology, 1855 Broadway, New York, New York 10023 · ² University of Wisconsin–Madison, 975 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706 · ³ Clemson University, College of Business, Department of Marketing, 262 Sirrine Hall, Clemson, South Carolina 29634

AbstractPsychological ownership, or the feeling that something is mine, has garnered growing attention in marketing. While previous work focuses on the positive aspects of psychological ownership, this research draws attention to the darker side of psychological ownership—territorial behavior. Results of five experimental studies demonstrate that when consumers feel psychological ownership of a target, they are prone to perceptions of infringement and subsequent territorial responses when they infer that another individual feels ownership of the same target. Potential infringers are held less accountable when they acknowledge ownership prior to engaging in otherwise threatening behaviors, and when they could not be expected to know that a target is owned, as it was not clearly marked. In addition, high narcissists are subject to a psychological ownership metaperception bias, and are thus more apt than low narcissists to perceive infringement. A multitude of territorial responses are documented for both tangible (coffee, sweater, chair, pizza) and intangible (a design) targets of ownership. Further, consumers infer the psychological ownership of others from signals of the antecedents of psychological ownership: control, investment of self, and intimate knowledge. Theoretical implications for territoriality and psychological ownership are discussed, along with managerial implications and areas for future research.

DOI

10.1093/jcr/ucx111

Volume

45 (1)

Pages

148-168

Language

en

Export

BibTeX

Sources

crossref