Narcissism, faith in humanity, and product reuse: The moderating role of subjective norms
(A2022-107618)

AUTHORS

giuseppe musarra, University of Leeds; Karen T. Bowen, University of Leeds

ABSTRACT

Despite its critical role in promoting sustainability, scholars have paid scant attention to product reuse, and research on personality traits as drivers of sustainable consumption has mostly focused on the Big Five. Advancing this limited scope, this study examines when and why dark and bright personality traits simultaneously influence product reuse. Using one experiment and one cross-sectional survey, we show that while consumer narcissism has a negative impact, consumer faith in humanity positively affects product reuse. In addition, subjective norms positively moderate the relationships between consumer narcissism and consumer faith in humanity and product reuse. These findings offer important implications for managers and policy makers to more successfully design and implement consumer education and waste management programs that enhance sustainability efforts.