Meanings of Consumption and Abandonment: Understanding Smoking Cessation Symbolism
In consumption studies, very little attention has been focused on investigating abandonment and, more specifically, its symbolic dimension. The present study aims to investigate how meanings are created and negotiated through the abandonment of cigarettes. This study used a qualitative methodolo...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Associação Nacional de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração (ANPAD)
2014-04-01
|
Series: | BAR: Brazilian Administration Review |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www.anpad.org.br/periodicos/arq_pdf/a_1464.pdf |
Summary: | In consumption studies, very little attention has been focused on investigating abandonment and, more
specifically, its symbolic dimension. The present study aims to investigate how meanings are created and
negotiated through the abandonment of cigarettes. This study used a qualitative methodology to collect and
analyze the data generated by one-on-one semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 Brazilian ex-smokers.
Results suggest that abandonment of cigarettes can be offered as a connection, gift, or sacrifice that makes
relations special and even magical. As regards abandonment, the present study evidences the interactions and
movements of positive and negative meanings related to the consumption and non-consumption of a category.
The study proposes a framework that highlights the cooling, decontamination, reinforcement and defensive
symbolical movements, thus constructing a tool for analyzing abandonment, offering possible paths of
intervention for organizations that are interested in this issue. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1807-7692 1807-7692 |