Marketing Papers
Document Type
Working Paper
Date of this Version
2005
Abstract
Divergence is a fact of social life; people select different tastes to distinguish themselves from others and they abandon tastes when others adopt them. But while we know a great deal about conformity, it predicts convergence, and thus is less equipped to explain why people diverge. We suggest people diverge to maintain clear signals of identity. Our approach emphasizes that the meaning of signals is set at a social rather than individual level. Tastes gain signal value through association with groups or types or individuals, but become diluted when members of more than one type hold them. Thus different types of people will diverge in the tastes they select, and they will abandon tastes they previously liked when they are adopted by members of other social types.
Keywords
taste perception, sentinel value, conformity
Recommended Citation
Berger, J. A., Heath, C., & Ho, B. (2005). Divergence in Cultural Practices: Tastes as Signals of Identity. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/marketing_papers/306
Included in
Behavioral Economics Commons, Cognition and Perception Commons, Cognitive Psychology Commons, Community Psychology Commons, Marketing Commons, Social Psychology Commons
Date Posted: 15 June 2018
Comments
This is an unpublished manuscript.