숨은 소비의도에 영향을 미치는 사회불안감의 요인에 관한 연구

This study focuses on consumers’ hidden consumption intention—the tendency to withhold their consumption behaviors from others—and aims to identify the underlying psychological mechanisms that drive this tendency. Specifically, it examines how social anxiety, which arises from the awareness of others’ gaze in social interactions, influences consumer behavior. As antecedents of social anxiety, this study distinguishes between fear of negative evaluation and fear of positive evaluation. Additionally, perfectionism and feelings of inferiority are proposed as psychological mechanisms that give rise to these evaluative fears, and the study empirically investigates how these pathways vary depending on individuals’ regulatory focus. The study consists of the following four key components. First, it explores the influence of social anxiety on hidden consumption intention. Second, it analyzes the impact of ambivalent evaluation fears—both negative and positive—as predictors of social anxiety. Third, it investigates perfectionism and inferiority as cognitive antecedents of evaluative fear. Fourth, it examines the moderating effect of regulatory focus in the relationship between evaluation fear and social anxiety. Data were collected through an online survey conducted from April 1 to May 15, 2025, and a total of 291 valid responses were used in the final analysis. SPSS 29.0 and AMOS 22.0 were utilized for structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis. The results reveal that both fear of negative evaluation and fear of positive evaluation significantly influence social anxiety. Perfectionism increases fear of negative evaluation, whereas inferiority heightens fear of positive evaluation. Furthermore, the relationship between fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety was stronger among individuals with a prevention focus, while the relationship between fear of positive evaluation and social anxiety was more pronounced among those with a promotion focus. Lastly, fear of negative evaluation was found to directly affect hidden consumption intention. By empirically identifying the psychological process through which consumers, conscious of others’ gaze, conceal their consumption behaviors, this study expands our understanding of the emotional anxiety and avoidance motivations underlying consumer behavior. It highlights that consumer decisions are not merely based on preferences or utility, but are shaped by social evaluation and the need to protect self-concept. Practically, the study offers insights for developing marketing strategies that minimize social exposure—such as privacy-oriented communication and retail environments—and suggests that customized brand messages and purchase experiences for consumers sensitive to social evaluation may positively influence long-term customer relationship management.