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Chapter 5
The Self
By Michael R. Solomon
Consumer BehaviorBuying, Having, and Being
Sixth Edition
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• What depresses Lisa about the magazine models?
• Lisa feels that women don’t look like models in “real life.” Do you agree?
• If Lisa doesn’t consider herself unattractive, why does she consider cosmetic surgery?
• Does Lisa want to improve herself for Eric or herself?
Opening Vignette: Lisa
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Perspectives on the Self
• Does the Self Exist?– 1980’s called the “Me Decade”– March 7th designated “Self Day” by Self magazine– Western societies emphasize uniqueness of self.– Collective self: Eastern culture’s belief that a
person’s identity is derived from his or her social group.
– Mien-Tzu (face): Confucian belief that reputation is achieved through success and ostentation
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Self Concept
• Self Concept:– The beliefs a person holds about his or her own attributes
and how he or she evaluates these qualities
• Dimensions of the Attributes of Self Concept:– Content– Positivity– Intensity– Accuracy
• Consumer perceptions of self can be quite distorted, particularly with regard to their physical appearance.
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Self-Esteem
• Self-esteem:– Refers to the positivity of a person’s self-concept.
• Social Comparison:– A process by which consumers evaluate themselves
by comparing themselves with others (particularly comparisons with idealized images of people in advertising)
• Self-esteem Advertising:– Attempts to change product attitudes by stimulating
positive feelings about the self.
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Real and Idealized Selves
• Ideal Self:– A person’s conception of how he or she would like to be
– Partially molded by elements of a consumer’s culture
• Actual Self:– A person’s realistic appraisal of the qualities he or she does
and does not possess
• Fantasy: Bridging the Gap between the Selves:– Fantasy: A self-induced shift in consciousness
– Fantasy appeals: Marketing communications aimed at individuals with a large discrepancy between their real and ideal selves
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Fantasy Appeals
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Multiple Selves
• Role Identities: – Different components of the self
• Symbolic Interactionism:– Stresses that relationships with other people play a large
part in forming the self
– Self-fulfilling prophecy: By acting the way we assume others expect us to act, we wind up confirming these perceptions
• The Looking-Glass Self:– The process of imagining the reactions of others toward us
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Self-Consciousness
• Self-Consciousness: – A painful awareness of oneself magnified by the belief that
others are intently watching.
• Public Self-Consciousness:– A heightened concern about the nature of one’s public
“image”– Results in more concern about the appropriateness of
products and consumption activities
• Self Monitoring:– Awareness of how one presents oneself in a social
environment
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Consumption and Self-Concept
• Products that Shape the Self: You are What you Consume:– People use an individual’s consumption behaviors to help
them make judgments about that person’s social identity.– Symbolic self-completion theory: People who have an
incomplete self-definition tend to complete this identity by acquiring and displaying symbols associated with it.
• Self/Product Congruence:– Consumers demonstrate consistency between their values
and the things they buy.– Self-image congruence models: Products will be chosen
when their attributes match some aspect of the self.
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The Extended Self
• Extended Self:– External objects that consumers consider a part of
themselves
• Four Levels of the Extended Self:– (1) Individual Level: Personal possessions
– (2) Family Level: Residence and furnishings
– (3) Community Level: Neighborhood or town one is from
– (4) Group Level: Social groups
– A consumer may also feel that landmarks, monuments, or sports teams are part of the extended self.
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Advertisements Extending the Self
• This Italian ad demonstrates that our favorite products are part of the extended self.
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• Some consumers feel that a sports team is part of the extended self. At www.flameheads.com they celebrate fanaticism toward the Tennessee Titans football team.
• How does affiliation with a sports team affect self perceptions? What other affiliations are part of the extended self?
Discussion Question
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Sex Roles
• Sex Identity:– An important component of a consumer’s self
concept
• Gender Differences in Socialization:– Agentic goals (Males): Stress self assertion and
mastery– Communal goals (Females): Stress affiliation and
fostering of harmonious relations
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Satirical Ad of Exploitation
• This French shoe ad pokes fun at ads that demean women by proclaiming: “No woman’s body was exploited in the making of this advertisement.”
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Sex Roles (cont.)
• Gender Versus Sexual Identity:– Sex-Typed Traits: Characteristics stereotypically associated
with gender
• Sex-Typed Products:– Many products are sex-typed (i.e., they take on masculine or
feminine attributes and are associated with gender)
• Androgyny:– Refers to the possession of both masculine and feminine traits
– Sex-typed people: Stereotypically masculine or feminine
– Androgynous people: Mixed gender characteristics
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Culturally Bound Sex Roles
• This ad for Bijan illustrates how sex-role identities are culturally bound by contrasting the expectations of how women should appear in two different countries.
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Sex Roles (conc.)
• Female Sex Roles:– Female sex roles are still evolving
• Male Sex Roles:– Masculinism: The study of the male image and the cultural
meanings of masculinity
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Consumers:– GLBT population is an attractive segment to marketers
– The 1990’s saw big corporations actively court this market segment
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Reinforcing Gender Stereotypes
• This ad rebels somewhat against “political correctness” by reinforcing gender stereotypes.
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Targeting GLBT Consumers
• This ad for Alize, a cognac drink, is geared toward lesbians.
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Body Image
• Body Image:– Refers to a consumer’s subjective evaluation of his
or her physical self
• Body Cathexis:– A person’s feelings about his or her body
• Ideal of Beauty:– A particular model, or exemplar, of appearance
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Ideals of Beauty
• Is Beauty Universal?– Men are attracted to an hourglass shape– Women prefer men with a heavy lower face, above-average
height, and a prominent brow
• The Western Ideal:– Big round eyes, tiny waists, large breasts, blond hair, and blue
eyes
• Ideals of Beauty over Time:– Periods of history tend to be characterized by a specific
“look”– Sexual dimorphic markers: Aspects of the body that
distinguish between the sexes
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Waist-Hip Ratios
Figure 5.1
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Beauty Ideals in the 1950’s
• This 1951 bathing beauty exemplified an ideal of American femininity at that time.
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Working on the Body
• Fattism:– Our society is obsessed with weight
• Body Image Distortions:– Women’s ideal figure is much thinner than their
actual figure– Anorexia: Starving oneself in a quest for thinness– Bulimia: Binge eating followed by purging
(vomiting, laxatives, fasting, or over-exercising)– Body dysmorphic disorder: An obsession with
perceived flaws in appearance
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Unrealistic Body Shape Expectations
• This ad for an online weight-loss site drives home the idea that the media often communicate unrealistic expectations about body shape.
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• In this advertisement, it is insinuated that this model’s physique was achieved partially through drinking milk. (Notice that the model is so thin you can see her ribs.)
• Is her physique really ideal? What kind of distorted message is this sending to young girls about body image?
Discussion Question
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Distorted Body Image
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Cultural Emphasis on Thinness
• Society’s emphasis on thinness makes many consumers insecure about their body image. This South American ad promises, “You’ll never have to go to the beach in a T-Shirt again.”
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Working on the Body (cont.)
• Cosmetic Surgery:– Consumers are increasing electing to have cosmetic
surgery to change a poor body image or enhance appearance.
– Men are increasingly having cosmetic surgery too.
• Breast Augmentation:– Our culture tends to equate breast size with sex
appeal.– Some women have breast augmentation procedures
because they feel larger breasts will increase their allure.
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Body Decoration and Mutilation
• Purpose of Decorating the Self:– To separate group members from nonmembers
– To place the individual in the social organization
– To place the person in a gender category
– To enhance sex-role identification
– To indicate desired social conduct
– To indicate high status or rank
– To provide a sense of security
• Tattoos• Body Piercing
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Body Piercing
• Body piercing has practically become a mainstream fashion statement.
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Tattooing
• Tattooing is becoming mainstream. This Spanish ad for Nike tennis products says, “Rest in heaven, not on the court.”
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