The dispositional dynamics of consumer wisdom in wise and unwise consumption decisions

Consumer wisdom has been conceptualised as a stable yet adaptable capacity guiding mindful consumption; prior research has primarily focused on trait-level conceptualisations that offer limited insight into how wisdom is enacted or disrupted in real-world decisions. This study adopts a dispositional perspective, conceptualising consumer wisdom as the dynamic interaction between stable internal capacities and situational, emotional, and contextual conditions. We combine trait-level measurement using the Consumer Wisdom Scale with the Critical Incident Technique to analyse 130 wise and unwise consumption decisions. We propose the dispositional dynamics model of consumer wisdom, which identifies four distinct decision pathways – Deliberate Wisdom, Reflective Adaptation, Opportunistic Wisdom, and Reactive Defeat – through which consumer wisdom is enacted or constrained via distinct regulatory feedback trajectories (reinforcement, calibration, stagnation, and erosion).