1. Chapter 6 Personality, Lifestyles, and the Self-Concept
Babin/Harris
© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

2. © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.
Learning Outcomes
Define personality and know how various approaches to studying personality can be applied to consumer behavior.
Discuss major traits that have been examined in consumer research.
Understand why lifestyles and psychographics are important to the study of consumer behavior.
Comprehend the role of the self-concept in consumer behavior.
Understand the concept of self-congruency and how it applies to consumer behavior issues.
© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

3. © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.
Personality
The totality of thoughts, emotions, intentions, and behaviors that a person exhibits consistently as he or she adapts to his or her environment.
Distinct qualities:
Unique to an individual.
Can be conceptualized as a combination of specific traits or characteristics.
Traits are relatively stable and interact with situations to influence behavior.
Specific behaviors can vary across time.
LO1
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4. Psychoanalytic Approach to Personality
Sigmund Freud – human behavior is influenced by an inner struggle between various systems within the personality system.
Components:
Id – focuses on pleasure-seeking and immediate gratification.
Superego – works against the id by motivating behavior that matches societal norms and expectations.
Ego – focuses on resolving conflicts between the id and the superego.
LO1
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5. Motivational Research Era
Applied psychoanalytic tools to try and identify explanations for behavior.
Tools used:
Depth interviews
Focus groups
Proved disappointing in developing compelling, practical CB theories or guidelines for marketing actions.
LO1
© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

6. Trait Approach to Personality
Trait – a distinguishable characteristic that describes one’s tendency to act in a relatively consistent manner.
Approaches to studying:
Nomothetic perspective – a “variable-centered” approach focusing on particular variables, or traits, that exist across consumers.
Single-trait and multiple-trait approaches
Idiographic perspective – focuses on the total person and the uniqueness of his or her psychological makeup.
LO1
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7. Traits Examined in Consumer Research
Value consciousness – represents the tendency for consumers to focus on maximizing what is received from a transaction as compared to what is given.
Materialism – the extent to which material goods are important in a consumer’s life.
possessiveness
nongenerosity
envy
LO2
© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

8. Traits Examined in Consumer Research
Innovativeness – the degree to which a consumer tends to be open to new ideas and buys new products, services, or experiences early in their introduction.
Complaint proneness – the extent to which consumers tend to voice complaints about unsatisfactory product purchases.
Competitiveness – an enduring tendency to strive to be better than others.
Figure 6.1 gives examples of other traits.
LO2
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9. The Five Factor Model (FFM) Approach
Proposes that five dominant traits are found in human personality:
Extroversion
Agreeableness
Openness to Experience (“creativity”)
Stability (“neuroticism”)
Conscientiousness
LO2
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10. Hierarchical Approaches
Begin with the assumption that personality traits exist at varying levels of abstraction.
Specific traits – tendencies to behave in very well-defined situations (e.g., complaint-propensity).
Broad traits – behaviors that are performed across many different situations (e.g., extroversion).
LO2
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Personology Approach
Combines information on traits, goals, and consumer lifestories to gain a better understanding of personality.
LO2
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Brand Personality
Refers to human characteristics that can be associated with a brand.
Dimensions:
Sincerity
Excitement
Competence
Sophistication
Ruggedness
LO2
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13. © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.
Consumer Lifestyles
Refer to the ways consumers live and spend their time and money.
Very useful in identifying viable market segments.
LO3
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Psychographics
Refers to the way consumer lifestyles are measured.
Surveys use AIO statements:
Activities
Interests
Opinions
Lifestyle segmentation:
VALS – classifies consumers into eight segments based on resources available and primary motivations.
PRIZM – geodemographic technique.
LO3
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15. Lifestyle Segmentation
VALS – Values and Lifestyles
Classifies consumers into eight segments based on resources available and primary motivations.
PRIZM – Potential Ratings Index by Zip Market
Geodemographic technique based on the premise that people with similar backgrounds and means tend to live close to one another and emulate each other’s behaviors and lifestyles.
66 different segments
LO3
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Self-Concept
Refers to the totality of thoughts and feelings that an individual has about him or her self.
A type of self-schemata.
Symbolic interactionism perspective – consumers agree on shared meaning of products and symbols.
Semiotics – the study of symbols and their meaning.
LO4
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Self-Concept
A consumer has a number of self “concepts.”
Actual self
Ideal self
Social self
Ideal social self
Possible self
Extended self
Self-esteem – refers to he positive is an individual’s self-concept.
LO4
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18. Self-Congruency Theory
Proposes that much of consumer behavior can be explained by the congruence (match) between a consumer’s self-concept and the image of typical users of a focal product.
LO5
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