A Literature Review for the Influence of Hierarchical Identity on Symbolic Consumption

Consumption is an important part of economic development, and households’ cognition and emphasis on thesocial hierarchy affect the total amount, types and styles of consumption significantly. This paper summarizesthe social significance of commodities, the development of social hierarchy with the corresponding psychologyof consumption, and the cause and purpose of individual's conspicuous consumption. This paper highlights theimportance of the relationship between social hierarchy and households’ consumption, and provides a usefulreference for understanding consumers' psychology.