Tran, Hai-Anh, Golossenko, Artyom, Johnson, Samuel, Khamitov, Mansur and Huang, Jiayan
2026.
Life is a pressure cooker: how and why stress directs consumers to act unethically.
Journal of Business Ethics
10.1007/s10551-026-06449-8
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Abstract
Unethical consumer behavior, such as deceptive product returns, digital piracy, shoplifting, and falsifying online reviews, is a growing concern with significant economic and ethical implications. However, its psychological antecedents remain underexplored. This research investigates the role of stress as a key driver of unethical consumer behavior, offering a novel perspective on why consumers engage in such conduct. Grounded in conservation of resources theory, we propose that stress heightens perceived threats to personal resources, triggering rumination—repetitive, negative thoughts about potential resource losses—which, in turn, fosters unethical behaviors. Across a field study and five experiments, we provide empirical evidence supporting this mechanism. Moreover, our findings reveal that the effect of stress on unethical consumer behavior is particularly pronounced among individuals with high levels of narcissism. These insights contribute to the broader understanding of consumer ethics and have important implications for marketers, human resource managers, and policymakers seeking to curb unethical consumer practices.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Published Online |
| Status: | In Press |
| Schools: | Schools > Business (Including Economics) |
| Publisher: | Springer |
| ISSN: | 0167-4544 |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 2 September 2026 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 16 August 2026 |
| Last Modified: | 08 Sep 2026 08:38 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/189360 |
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