Psychological Needs, Passion, and Consumer Re-Patronage Intentions to The Performing Arts

Drawing predominantly from self-determination theory we utilize two constructs that are well-known in the broader social science literature but have received relatively less attention in the nonprofit consumer marketing realm. Both of these constructs, basic psychological needs and harmonious passion, have much to offer consumer researchers as numerous studies have supported the notion that BPN are innate and universal and that passion is an enduring motivational construct that is connected to an individual's identity. Consistent with theoretical expectations the findings showed that need satisfaction predicted harmonious passion that in turn explained 50% of the variance in re-patronage intentions to classical music orchestra performances. Moreover, passion fully mediated the effects of needs on the outcome variable. These findings highlight the importance and potential of these constructs to expand and deepen theory development in the performing arts and consumer research domains. The study concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and managerial implications and recommendations for future research.