Chapter 5 The Self

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Chapter 5The Self
By Michael R. Solomon
Consumer Behavior Buying, Having, and Being Sixth
Edition
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Opening Vignette Lisa

• What depresses Lisa about the magazine models?
• Lisa feels that women dont look like models in
  real life. Do you agree?
• If Lisa doesnt consider herself unattractive,
  why does she consider cosmetic surgery?
• Does Lisa want to improve herself for Eric or
  herself?

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Perspectives on the Self

• Does the Self Exist?
• 1980s called the Me Decade
• March 7th designated Self Day by Self magazine
• Western societies emphasize uniqueness of self.
• Collective self Eastern cultures belief that a
  persons identity is derived from his or her
  social group.
• Mien-Tzu 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 persons
  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 persons conception of how he or she would like
  to be
• Partially molded by elements of a consumers
  culture
• Actual Self
• A persons 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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Protection Against Identity Theft
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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 ones
  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 individuals consumption behaviors
  to help them make judgments about that persons
  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.
• Identity Theft
• Criminal use of personal information to secure
  credit

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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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Discussion Question

• 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?

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Sex Roles

• Sex Identity
• An important component of a consumers 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 womans 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 1990s 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 consumers subjective evaluation of
  his or her physical self
• Body Cathexis
• A persons 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 1950s

• 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
• Womens 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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Discussion Question

• In this advertisement, it is insinuated that this
  models 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?

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Distorted Body Image
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Cultural Emphasis on Thinness

• Societys emphasis on thinness makes many
  consumers insecure about their body image. This
  South American ad promises, Youll 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.