<p>Self-discrepancy refers to the extent to which individuals believe there is a discrepancy between who they are, who they wish they were, or who they should be. The negative consequences (e.g., depression, anxiety, and eating disorders) of self-discrepancy motivate individuals to adopt different consumption strategies. However, previous research on factors that may cause individuals to act differently in response to ability self-discrepancy is limited. Based on the self-discrepancy theory and self-efficacy theory, this study identifies self-efficacy as a moderating factor for individuals’ compensatory consumption and adaptive consumption due to the ability self-discrepancy. Two between-group experiments examined the effects of ability self-discrepancy (with vs. without) and self-efficacy (high vs. low) on the purchase intention of compensatory products and adaptive products respectively. The results show that consumers with low self-efficacy are more likely to engage in compensatory consumption than consumers with high self-efficacy. However, the moderating effect of self-efficacy is not significant in adaptive consumption.</p>