Behind my pet's shadow: exploring the motives underlying the tendency of socially excluded consumers to anthropomorphize their pets

Social exclusion is a complex, psychological factor with behavioral implications that influences consumers' judgments about lifestyle and decisions. Anthropomorphism, on the other hand, is a phenomenon used by decision-makers of marketing strategies but also takes place in the lives of consumers as a result of social exclusion. Consumer evaluations of these two complex structures take their place in the literature as structures that need to be investigated. The current research aims to discover the basic motives and intentions underlying the anthropomorphizing tendencies of individuals who experience social exclusion through their pets. Qualitative methods were used in the research. Cyberball was used in the social exclusion manipulation phase of the research. To measure the anthropomorphism tendency of socially excluded individuals, a scenario selection based on the Lexington Pet Attachment Scale was presented. The data of the last stage were collected by in-depth interview method by applying the Zaltman Metaphor Inference Technique. 19 participants were interviewed. 5 of the participants did not have a feeling of social exclusion and 3 did not tend to anthropomorphize, 1 interview was excluded from the sample and a total of 10 interviews were analyzed. The MAXQDA program was used as an analysis tool. The findings obtained as a result of the analysis of the data were interpreted in the context of social psychology. The multifaceted relationship between socially excluded individuals and the phenomenon of anthropomorphism has been expressed in more detail. The results revealed what elements the individuals experiencing social exclusion sought when anthropomorphizing their pets. The most basic factors when these consumers anthropomorphize an entity; It has been found that pure love, loyalty, the need for animals for humans, vitality, and hugs. It is thought that these results, which are interpreted from the perspective of social psychology, will contribute to the literature and the sector as the elements that consumers look for and will seek in their relationship with an anthropomorphic object.