Discursive psychology: An alternative conceptual foundation to means-end chain theory

This study investigates how means–end chain theory and laddering can be used to represent consumers' reasons for supporting or not supporting abstract marketing products such as ideas, goals, or perceptions. The specific empirical context used to illustrate the approach was the public's perceptions of President Clinton. Six hundred and three respondents in a national random sample of the public provided information on their stances toward the President and the bases for these stances. The declared reasons for supporting or not supporting the President were summarized in declarative maps and used to test hypotheses about their structure and their impact on attitudinal and behavioral variables.