Lifestyles and Perceived Self-Construal: An Exploration of Voluntary Simplicity / Estilos de vida y percepción del self-construal: una aproximación a la simplicidad voluntaria

Voluntary simplicity is a lifestyle characterised by a voluntary reduction in consumption for personal, social and/or environmental reasons. It may be oriented towards a search for balance or personal meaning (independent self) or towards social change related to environmental awareness or community aspects (interdependent self). Using a multidimensional perspective of self-construal, we experimentally analyse social perceptions surrounding self-construal of those who practise voluntary simplicity compared to a materialistic consumption style and a normative control group. We conducted the first study in Chile (n = 234) and the second in Spain (n = 230), subsequently performing a pooled analysis (n = 464). Those who practise voluntary simplicity were perceived as more interdependent in terms of Self-Construal and Inclusion of Others in the Self compared to those who pursue materialistic consumption but more independent than those who adopt a normative consumption lifestyle.