Consumer dissatisfaction as a function of dissatisfaction with interpersonal relationships

An application of C. P. Alderfer's existence, relatedness, and growth theory investigated whether frustrated relatedness needs result in additional consumer existence needs, which in turn produce consumer dissatisfaction. A study of 306 randomly chosen consumers indicates that a decrease of Ss' ratings of satisfaction in their relations with "significant others" and with people at the place of employment was correlated with an increasing desire for more items of material value in the consumer role. Some correlations reached higher statistical significance when respondents of the lowest income group and those of both the oldest and the youngest age categories were eliminated from the sample. Higher incomes correlated positively with existence need satisfaction. Results support Alderfer's theory.