Counterconformity: an attribution model of adolescents' uniqueness-seeking behaviors in dressing

This article explores how an attribution model will illustrate uniqueness-seeking behavior in dressing in the Taiwanese adolescent subculture. The study employed 443 senior high school students. Results show that the tendency of uniqueness-seeking behavior in dressing is moderate. However, using cluster analysis to segment the counterconformity behavior of the subjects, the study demonstrates that there are two conspicuous types of segmentation "markets": rubber stamp and self-determined. The attribution models investigate the susceptibilities to informational and normative influence which have different direction impacts and weights on the adolescents' counterconformity behavior. More interestingly, path analyses indicate that consumer self-confidence mediates the relationship between informational influence and counterconformity behavior only on the rubber stamp type. This study then discusses how the adolescent consumers' need for uniqueness could be used in better understanding consumer behavior and the role consumption plays in their expression of identity.