Identifying and Analyzing the Causes and Consequences of Consumer Minimalism Behavior with a Mixed Approach

Minimalism, by challenging the culture of extreme consumerism that has spread rapidly today and has left undesirable consequences in society, helps people to focus on reducing excessive consumption and improving the quality of life without indulging in consumerism. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of identifying and analyzing the reasons and consequences of consumer minimalism behavior. The present study is applied in terms of its purpose, and is classified as exploratory research in terms of collecting data. Furthermore, this is a mixed qualitative and quantitative research based on the inductive deductive philosophy. The statistical population of the study consists of experts who were selected using purposive sampling and based on the principle of theoretical adequacy. The data collection tool in the qualitative part is interview, the validity and reliability of which was confirmed using relative content validity and the method of intra-coder and inter-coder reliability. Also, the data collection tool in the quantitative part is a questionnaire, the validity and reliability of which was confirmed using content validity and test-retest reliability. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis and quantitative data using fuzzy cognitive map. The results of the study indicate that adherence to a culture of simplicity, condemnation of epicurean and hedonistic thoughts, and a culture of thrift and avoidance of extravagance are the most important reasons for consumer minimalism behavior. Also, de-cluttering and emotional and mental integration, escaping the cycle of consumerism, and avoiding the phenomenon of affluenza and social comparison were identified as the most important consequences of consumer minimalism behavior.