Coping with Guilt: The Roles of Rumination and Positive Reappraisal in the Effects of Postconsumption Guilt

This article investigates how consumers regulate their postconsumption guilt and rumination through positive reappraisal and the effects of this regulating process on satisfaction. Two studies conducted in different contexts and using different methods show that positive reappraisal increases with rumination and guilt but more strongly when guilt is low (vs. high). Results also reveal the mediating effect of positive reappraisal on the guilt-satisfaction relationship such that people feeling guilty and engaging in positive reappraisal exhibit lower satisfaction with their consumption. Further, this mediating effect is moderated by rumination, such that positive reappraisal mediates the indirect effect of guilt only when rumination is low.