Distinguishing consumers' need for uniqueness from individuation and general need for uniqueness

This paper describes the results of five previously unpublished studies designed to investigate the distinctiveness of consumers' need for uniqueness scale (CNFU) from two competing predictors of differentiating behaviors from the psychological literature - individuation and general need for uniqueness. Consumers' need for uniqueness is defined as the trait of pursuing differentness relative to others through the acquisition, utilization, and disposition of consumer goods for the purpose of developing and enhancing one's self-image and social image. As such, the research offers additional evidence from an extensive program of research regarding the validity of the consumer need for uniqueness scale developed by Tepper, Bearden and Hunter (2000). Specifically, the results of the studies demonstrate that the scale operates distinctively through counterconformity motivation as hypothesized and moderates the effects of situational variables on preferences for differentiating consumer offerings as expected.