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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.”