This paper provides an account of the experience of empathizing with the fictional characters of literary works, through the lens of Husserl's theory of presentification. Via a critical analysis of Husserl and other phenomenologists, I argue that fictional characters, though lacking embodied presence, can be presentified to the reader in the mode of "as if." Moreover, I claim that imaginative empathy is a guided creative reproduction of sedimented past bodily experiences. This explains why, motivated by imaginative empathetic presentification, not only (...) aesthetic feelings, but also "as if" existential feelings come to the fore. Finally, it shows to what extent presentation and the different modes of presentification are interwoven and function together. (shrink)

Consumers often intend to create a socially responsible identity by consuming ethically. Observers, however, do not limit their inferences to the specific identity consumers intend to project. To illustrate, we examine how observers make inferences about consumers on the basis of their ethical consumption. Across four studies we find that, in addition to being viewed as ethical, consumers are viewed as less masculine and more feminine when they consume ethical products. We also identify two boundary conditions to this effect, including (...) the use of self-benefit/other-benefit advertising appeals and the use of descriptive norms to establish gender appropriate behavior. We finally examine how consumers resolve the conflict of creating ethical and gender-congruent identities. We find that when male consumers are in the presence of observers of the opposite sex, they are more likely to prioritize ethical identity even when it threatens their gender orientation. (shrink)