Lecture 2 Final

7/26/2019 Lecture 2 Final

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Lecture 2: The All-Consuming SelfDr. Amanda Earley


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Lecture Outline

1. Defining the Self Concept

2. Freud and Psychoanalysis: Linking Self and Consumption

3. Consumption and the Extended Self

4. Marketing to the Self Concept


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I. DEFINING THE SELF-CONCEPT


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Defining the Self-Concept

The term refers to the ideas an individual has about himor herself. It is valued and evaluativein other words, we

monitor our self concept, and may feel the need to

improve or change it. Others have an incredibly positive

self-conceptdeservedly, or not!


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Key Elements of the Self

Concept

Key concepts:

Self Esteem

Real & Ideal Selves

Fantasy

Self-Monitoring

The Dramaturgical perspective

And multiple Selves

Fractured Self


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Concept: Self EsteemSelf Esteemthe positivity of a personsself-concept. In psychological research,this is often defined in terms of a scale,and negative self esteem may bepathologised. Cultural researchers wouldbe more interested in how society

produces negative and positive self esteem(e.g. by creating anxieties about womensidentities, self-presentation, looks, weight,etc.)

Self esteem is often established by social

comparison, the processes whereby welearn about ourselves and evaluateourselves compared to others (e.g. peoplewe find to be more or less attractive,intelligent, etc.).


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Concept: Real & Ideal Selves Real selfrefers to how we perceive ourselves, in the

present. There is no external measure for the real self;

as such, it is always highly subjective. Nevertheless, it is

more realistic than the

Ideal selfrefers to the individual we would like to be, at

some future time.

RealSelf

IdealSelf


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Concept: Fantasy

Fantasybridging the gap between selves


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Key Elements of the Self-

Concept: Self-MonitoringThose who spend a lot of time

evaluating themselves can be

described as high on self-

monitoring. Those withpublic

self-consciousnessare very

concerned with how others

see them. They may spend a

lot of time focusing on their

looking-glass selvesour ideaof ourselves that we form

when we try to think of how

others see us (often by looking

through a mirror)


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Key Elements of the Self-

ConceptThe dramaturgical

perspectivein sociology

argues that we wear

different selves, putting on

masksthat enable us to be

different people on different

stages. For example, we may

act one way at work, in front

of our bosses, and another, inbackstage locations such as

smokers hideaways.


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Key elements of Self-ConceptThis can differ entirely from

how we act at home, or inleisure settings. In effect, we

wear different costumesand

use differentprops in order to

performin different contexts.


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Key Elements of SelfAlso a sociological

perspective, symbolicinteractionismsays we adopt

the identities, props, and

behaviours we exhibit based

on the symbolic meaningtheycommunicate to others. In

other words, the masks role

identitieswe put on are

largely socially defined. This

creates a self-fulfilling

prophecy: the way in which

we structure our behaviour to

fit with expectations.

An example may bethe yummy

mummy ideal,

which many feel

they must fulfill.


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Key Elements: Interdependent

and Collective Selves Our senses of self may be largely

structured by social groups. For

example, a large part of our

selves may be defined by being

parents, or alternatively by being

someones child and/or sibling.

Cross-cultural researchers like

Hofstede argue that some

cultures are more collectivst,

indicating that they are less

individualist, and consequently

the self is more defined by

membership in a collective (e.g.

family, ethnic group).


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Concept: Fractured Self

Fractured Self or torn self


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II. FREUD AND PSYCHOANALYSIS:

LINKING SELF AND CONSUMPTION


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Introducing Freud

By providing an explanation of the dynamicsunderlying self-hood, psychoanalytic theory can helpexplain the role played by goods and services in themakeup of our selves. Put simply, Freuds theory offersan explanation which focuses on the investment of

psychic energy (motive force) into consumer goods.

Psychoanalysis is the name of:

a procedure for the investigation of mental processeswhich are almost inaccessible in any other way,

a method (based upon that investigation) for thetreatment of neurotic disorders and

a collection of psychological information obtained alongthose lines, which is gradually being accumulated into anew scientific discipline.(Freud 1923)


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Freuds Theory of the Id, Ego &

Superego

Freud developed the idea that

much of ones adult personalitystems from a fundamental

conflict between a persons

desire to gratify his or her

physical needs and the necessity

to function as a responsiblemember of society.


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Freuds Theory of Psychic

EnergyFreuds theory is hydraulic in that energy plays a vitally

important part of his explanation and provides a key role in

understanding behaviour.

Psychic Energy - motive force

Ego Defense:

Repressionimpulse is shut out

Displacementimpulse is redirected

Sublimation(sexual) impulse redirected


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Putting it Together

According to Freud, the id is the source of all true needs,

providing energy and motive force for the demand for need

satisfaction.

The superego reins in the desire for direct sexual satisfactionand replaces such actions with others for the sublimation of

sexual desire is through the purchase of consumer goods and

services.

Freuds nephew, Edward Bernays, put this theory into

marketing practice. For more information on this, see the

documentary The Century of the Self(especially episode 1)
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-century-of-the-self/http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-century-of-the-self/


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III. CONSUMPTION AND THE

EXTENDED SELF


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Bringing the Self into

Consumer Research

Extended self

perspective largely

began with the

work of Russ Belk


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Possessions and the extended

self

Built on the work of early psychologist William

James as well as Freud

James defined the self in terms of all things an

individual can call his or hers

If you can describe something as my____, then it

is a part of you, and you may be consuming it!


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Summary: Possessions and the

extended self

Our sense of self extends to:

-What we wear

-Things weve touched (e.g.

food)

-Our achievements

-Our minds

-Our homes and territories-Our families and pets

-Our bodies and organs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTduy7Qkvk8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTduy7Qkvk8


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Possessions and the extended

self

Also involved:

-psychoanalysis (Dichter, Winnicott)

-existential philosophy (Sartre)

-heterodox economics (Marx, Veblen)

-sociology (Goffman, Simmel)

-anthropology (Clifford, McCracken)


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Processes of the Extended Self

Characteristics of the Extended Self

Investing Self in Objects

Loss of Possessions

Possessions and the Sense of Past

Incorporating Possessions into the Extended Self

Control/Mastery

Creation

Knowledge


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Maintaining Multiple

Levels of the Extended Self

Individual levelyou are what you wear.

Family levelincludes your house and

furniture.

Community levelincludes your

neighbourhood and hometown.

Group levelyour religion, flag, sports team,

and so on.


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IV. MARKETING AND THE SELF-

CONCEPT


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Marketing to the Self-Concept

Consumer Identity and Identifying as

Consumers

From Identity for Sale to a Saleable

Identity

Marketing Manipulation and the Play

on Fear
http://www.standpointlondon.co.uk/gallery/2011/jemima-brown/index.phphttp://www.standpointlondon.co.uk/gallery/2011/jemima-brown/index.phphttp://www.standpointlondon.co.uk/gallery/2011/jemima-brown/index.phphttp://www.standpointlondon.co.uk/gallery/2011/jemima-brown/index.php


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Extending the Self ConceptLargely drew on the following perspectives:

The Contribution of Gordon Allport

My idea of myself is rather my own idea of myneighborsview of me (Allport 1924: 325)

Looking Glass Self Marketers encourage people to think about how

others see usthey ask us to imagine the reactionsof others, towards ourselves

Symbolic Interactionism Everything we do has implications for the self,

implications that we obsessively monitor; wearingthis, eating that, looking like this are all read asreflections of the self. Constellations of consumptionare used to express particular role identities.


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Marketing to the Self-Concept

Self-Product Congruence: consumers demonstrate consistency

between their values and the objects consumed.

Symbolic Self-Completion Theory: predicts that people who

have an incomplete self-definition tend to complete thisidentity by acquiring and displaying symbols associated with it.


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Extension: Consumer Identity

ProjectsFocuses on the ways in which consumers use market

resources to form coherent and/or fragmented senses

of themselves

Consumers as identity makers


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Conclusions

Various theories of the self have become very important to

the study of consumer behaviour

Who we are, or who we think we are, largely shapes

consumption

Relevance to both individuals and marketers

Consumer researchers enhanced conversations about the selfby developing theory of the extended self


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Questions???


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Readings for THIS lecture

Preparatory Reading

Solomon, M., Bamossy, G., Askegaard, S. and Hogg, M. (2013)Consumer Behaviour: A European Perspective - chapter 5.

Follow-up Reading

1. Belk, R. (1988) Possessions and the Extended Self,Journal of

Consumer Research, 15(2): 139-168.

2. Cohen, J. (1989) Comments: An Over-Extended Self?Journal of

Consumer Research, 16(1): 125-128.

3. Sirgy, M. (1982) Self Concept in Consumer Behaviour: A Critical

Review,Journal ofConsumer Research, 9(3): 287300.

4. Strachey, J., (1962) Sigmund Freud: A Sketch of his Life and

Ideas in Freud, S. Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis.

Documents

Lecture 2 Final