Self-Identity and Consumer Behaviour Flashcards
What is the actual self?
The person I believe I actually am
What is the ideal self?
The person I would ideally like to be.
What is the social self?
The person I believe others see me as.
What is the ideal social self?
The person I would ideally like others to see me as.
What is the situational self?
The person I believe I am in particular situations
What is the extended seld?
The way my personal possessions link to my identity
What are possible selves?
The person I would like to become, could become, or may be afraid of becoming.
What are negative selves?
The person I am not or do not want to be.
What is self-concept?
The beliefs a person holds about their own attributes and how they evaluate themselves on these qualities
What is identity?
The collection of elements that contribute to our self-concept.
What is self-signaling?
Sending a message to ourselves that our choices align with how we want to percieve ourselves.
What do brands need to appeal to consumers?
Fit with ideal self
Identity - engaging communication
Involving aquisition settings
Embracing consumers indentity constraints
What are the key characteristics of the independent self?
Views self as separate from others
Emphasizes personal choices and self expression
Believes life outcomes result from personal choices
What are the key characteristics of the interdependent self?
Identity is derived from relationships
Responds to others’ expectations
Values relationships, roles, and obligations
Shares responsibility for well-being
What are the three types of social comparisons
Upward comparisons - comparing oneself to someone better off
Downward comparisons - comparing oneself to someone worse off
Similar comparisons - comparing oneself to someone similar
How does social comparison influence consumer behaviour?
Advertising often uses social comparison to influence purchasing decisions and self-esteem
What is self - discrepancy theory?
The gap between actual and desired self, which can create self - threats.
What is reactive compensatory consumption?
Consumers value products that symbolize a dimension where the self is threatened
Consumers may also distract themselves by increasing consumption of unrelated products.
What is proactive compensatory consumption?
Consumers purchase products in advance to align with a desired identity.
What are the four levels of the extended self?
Individual - personal posessions
Family - Home and furnishings
Community - Neighbourhood or town
Group - Social or other group identities
How do people incorporate posessions into their identity?
Appropriating/controlling - E.g learning to play an instrument
Creating - E.g writing a dissertation
Buying - E.g Money provides power to extend oneself through objects
Knowing a person, place, or thing - e.g souvenirs and gifts
What does the malleable self refer to?
The idea that we present different versions of ourselves in different social roles
What is the dramaturgical perspective on consumer behaviour?
People are like actors who play different roles depednign on context.
What are three ways consumers handle identity conflicts?
Demarcating: Choosing one identity over the other
Compromising: Creating an identity somewhere between the two
Synthesizing: Combining positive aspectsoof both identities
What are examples of conflicting desired and undesired selves?
Pursuing a desired self may require accepting an undesired self (win-lose situation). E.g, becoming a successful career person may lead to neglecting family time
What happenes when desired and undesired selves are compatible?
Pursuing a desired self also avoids an undesired self (win - win situation)
E.g, staying fit both enhances health (desired) and avoids being unhealthy (undesired)
Why is there less need for gender role differentiation today?
Less need for physical strength at work
Contraception allows women to control pregnancies
Reduced need for male protection in a more orderly society
More widespread education
What are some gender - related consumer categories?
Sex-typed consumers (stick to traditional gendered products)
Metrosexual consumers (men who invest in grooming, fashion, etc.)
GLBTQI consumers (LGBTQ+ market)
Androgynous/nonbinary consumers (reject traditional gender categories)
How does media influence beauty standards?
The media sets unrealistic standards, making consumers self-conscious and lowering self-esteem.
What are some harmful conventions in media representation of beauty?
Face-ism: Emphasizing male faces but female bodies in media
Idealization: Promoting unrealistic beauty standards
Exclusion: Underrepresentation of plus-size or diverse models
Exotization: Stereotyping non-white beauty standards
