A Hierarchical Personality Approach Toward a Fuller Understanding of Onychophagia and Compulsive Buying.

PURPOSE: Employing a hierarchical model of personality, prior research suggests that cardinal traits such as conscientiousness and agreeability predict central traits such as materialism and need for arousal that in turn impact surface traits such as onychophagia and compulsive buying. More research is needed to explore additional central traits and their effect on onychophagia and compulsive buying. Thus, the goal of the current research is to examine how another central trait-negative perfectionism-impacts onychophagia and compulsive buying. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A survey was administered both online and face-to-face resulting in a sample of 634 subjects of which 391 were individuals with onychophagia. Through a multi-group analysis, a causal model was tested to identify personality traits and their relationship with compulsive buying. RESULTS: Results showed that onychophagia was affected by other obsessive-compulsive disorders-particularly trichotillomania, and excoriation disorder, which significantly increased the likelihood that the participant was a compulsive buyer.

Active ageing of elderly consumers: insights and opportunities for future business strategies.

Recent studies have focused on the emerging scenario of 'active ageing' as a series of positive actions aimed at fostering elderly adaptability by supporting emotionally close relationships and removing age-related structural barriers. Active ageing may be stimulated not only by leveraging technological and scientific innovations but also by implementing new business strategies that reflect a better comprehension of elderly new roles and behaviours. To aid in that effort, through a literature review of marketing and management contributions across a five-decade period (1970-2020), this paper investigates elderly consumers' new roles and related implications for business strategies, from a consumer behaviour perspective. Results present a structured classification of the most prominent streams of research by highlighting five promising changes (5Cs): changes in elderly consumers' roles in markets and societies; changes in self-care resulting in fashion purchases and cosmetic surgery; changes in elderly consumers' expenditures on specifically designed products and services; changes in the perception of risks resulting in preferences for either extremely prudent or hazardous behaviours; and changes in general elderly characteristics due to the so-called 'ageless society'. We highlight the heterogeneity of elderly consumers' new values and lifestyles, and the importance of incorporating their needs into innovative business strategies, by describing for each section the main findings of extant research and practical implications.