The Self Michael J. Kalsher MGMT 4460/6940 Summer 2014

Chapter Objectives  The self-concept strongly influences consumer behavior.  Products often play a pivotal role in defining the self-concept.  Sex-role identity is different from gender, and society’s expectations of masculinity and femininity help to determine the products we buy to be consistent with these expectations.  A person’s sex-role identity is a major component of self- definition. The media plays a key role in teaching us how to behave as “proper” males and females.  The way we think about our bodies (and the way our culture tells us we should think) is a key component of self-esteem.

Perspective on the Self  We buy products to highlight/hide aspects of the self  Eastern cultures focus on:  The collective self (person’s identity comes from group)  The interdependent self (person’s identity defined from relationships with others)  Western cultures focus on:  Individuality  Individual appearance

Self-Concept  The beliefs a person holds about his/her own attributes, and how he/she evaluates these qualities  Attribute dimensions:  Content (e.g., facial attractiveness, mental aptitude)  Positivity (e.g., self-esteem)  Intensity, stability over time, accuracy (i.e., the degree to which one’s self-assessment corresponds to reality). There is considerable variation in how people choose to weight each dimension when they evaluate the overall self.

Self-Esteem  Self-esteem  Degree of positivity of a person’s self-concept  People with low self-esteem:  Expect failure and try to avoid embarrassment  Prefer portion-controlled snacks because they lack self-control  People with high self-esteem: Expect to be successful and will take risks; Enjoy being center of attention  Ads can trigger social comparison  Is the current practice of depicting attractive models using products a good or bad idea?  Self-esteem advertising (stimulates positive feelings about oneself)

Real and Ideal Selves  Ideal self: our conception of how we would like to be.  Actual self: a more realistic self- appraisal of our qualities.  Distance between the two impacts self-esteem  Products can be designed/positioned to help us to reach our “ideal self” or for consistency with our “actual self.”  Impression management: working to “manage” what others think of us.

5-7 BeautySurge.com Provides online plastic surgery digital imaging to enable people to see the potential results of cosmetic surgery (“ideal self”). Using computer software and in- depth knowledge of plastic surgery, user-submitted photographs are morphed to simulate the results of many plastic surgery procedures.

Multiple Selves  People often have many selves and roles that are situation- dependent.  Marketers pitch products to facilitate active role identities.  To be successful, these efforts must ensure the appropriate role identity is active before pitching the product—timing is everything! Woman Sister Pro athlete Friend Wife Spokesperson American citizen Mother

Virtual Identities  People are assuming virtual identities in cyberspace  Avatars represent visual identity  How do online “selves” affect consumer behavior?  Click photo for secondlife.com

Symbolic Interactionism  Symbolic interactionism: Our relationships with others play a large part in forming the self.  We pattern our behavior on the perceived expectations of others (which sometimes becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy).  “Who am I in this situation?”  “Who do other people think I am?”  As a society we learn to agree on shared meanings of certain symbols, including brands of products:  Mercedes, Chevy Hyundai  Harvard, U of NY at Binghamton, University of Central Washington  L’Oreal, Suave, Burt’s Bees “No tears”

Looking-Glass Self  The idea that a person's self grows out of society's interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others. The term refers to people shaping their self- concepts based on their understanding of how others perceive them.  We gain clues about our own identity by “bouncing” signals off others and trying to guess what impression they have of us. Charles Horton Cooley 1864 – 1929

Self-Consciousness  Self-consciousness  Awareness of self  Research indicates that those who score high in:  Public self-consciousness - are more interested in clothing and use more cosmetics  Self-monitoring - are more greatly attuned to how they present themselves in social environments  Self-Monitoring Scale

Consumption and Self-Concept  Identity marketing: The practice in which consumers alter some aspects of their selves to advertise for a branded product.  Product consumption = definition of the self Great Northern Brewing Company’s annual Black Star Beer Tattoo Contest

You Are What You Consume  Social identity as a function of consumption behaviors.  Question: Who am I now?  Answer: To some extent, your possessions!  People often make inferences about another person’s personality based on their consumption patterns.  Consumers may attach themselves to a specific product to form—or maintain—their self-concept  Symbolic self-completion theory  Suggests that people who have an incomplete self-definition complete it by acquiring and displaying representative symbols.  Can be traumatic if these items are lost/stolen.

Self/Product Congruence  Consumers demonstrate their values through their purchase behavior  Self-image congruence models: suggests that we choose products whose attributes match our self-image. Product UsageSelf-Image =

The Extended Self  Extended self  external objects that we consider a part of us comprise the extended self; tied to the amount of psychic investment  Levels of extended self  Individual (personal possessions, such as cars, clothing, jewelry)  Family (residence and furnishings)  Community (neighborhood or town in which you live)  Group (the types of groups you belong to)

Gender Differences in Socialization  Gender roles vary by culture but are changing  Many societies still expect traditional roles:  Agentic roles:  Men expected to be assertive and have certain skills  Communal roles:  Women taught to foster harmonious relationships Understanding gender roles can be profitable

Sex-Typed Traits and Products  Sex-typed traits  characteristics we stereotypically associate with one gender or the other.  Sex-types products:  take on masculine or feminine attributes  Princess telephones  Thor’s Hammer vodka

Female Sex Roles

Male Sex Roles  Masculinism  study of male image and the complex cultural meanings of masculinity  Three traditional models of masculinity:  Breadwinner (respectability; traditional)  Rebel (independence; adventure)  Man-of-action hero (synthesis)

Male Sex Roles (continued)  Metrosexual: straight, urban male who exhibits strong interests and knowledge that run counter to traditional male sex role  Ubersexuals: the best of the metrosexuals  Bono, George Clooney, Pierce Brosnan  How relevant is the metrosexual stereotype today?

GLBT Consumers  4% to 8% of U.S. population  Spend $250–$350 billion a year  The Asterix Group – Segments within the GLBT community  Super Gays – highly educated, earn high incomes  Habitaters – older and in stable relationships  Gay Mainstream – conservative  Party People – young, live in big cities, least educated  Closeted – Older and traditional

Body Image  Body image: a consumer’s subjective evaluation of his/her physical self  Body cathexis: person’s feelings about his or her own body  Strong body cathexis = frequent purchases of “preening” products  Cathexis is the process of investment of mental or emotional energy in a person, object, or idea.  Another marketing opportunity!

Ideals of Beauty  Exemplar of appearance  “What is beautiful is good” stereotype  Favorable physical features:  Attractive faces  Good health and youth  Balance/symmetry  Feminine curves/hourglass body shape  “Strong” male features

Waist-Hip Ratio

Ideals of Beauty Over Time  Specific “looks”/ideals of beauty  Early 1800s: “delicate/looking ill” appearance  1890s: voluptuous, lusty  1990s: “waif” look  Bad economy: mature features  Good economy: babyish features  Modern: high heels, body waxing, eyelifts, liposuction

Is the Western Ideal Getting Real?  Unilever learned that consumers didn’t believe beauty products really work because the women in the ads were so unrealistic  Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty 

Working on the Body  Fattism  Cosmetic surgery  Body decoration and mutilation  Body piercing

Purpose of Decorating the Body 1. Distinguish group members from nonmembers 2. Place the individual in the social organization 3. Place the person in a gender category 4. Enhance sex-role identification 5. Indicate desired social conduct 6. Indicate high status or rank 7. Provide a sense of security

Chapter Summary  Self-concept as an influence on behavior  The role of products in defining self-concept  The influence of sex-role identity on purchases  Self-esteem and our body image  Cultural expectations of appearance