Dependence patterns in consumer behavior: exploration and refinement of a concept

Dependency is proposed as an implicit yet undeveloped concept important in understanding consumer behavior. The development of this idea takes as a jumping‐off point, the family life cycle literature because it has implicitly recognized the importance of dependent children. A taxonomy of dependence is offered as several propositions regarding dependency patterns. While the central offering of this paper is theoretical, the concept is explored via focus groups with 24 women. Findings suggest that the concept is worthy of future development. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.