PERSONALITY AND SELF CONCEPT

KULDEEP MATHURM.B.A. JIWAJI UNIVERSITY GWALIOR

PERSONALITY Definition: It is sum total of ways a person

reacts and interacts with other people in an environment.

Determinants of Personality:1. Hereditary2. Environment3. Situation

PERSONALITY Characteristics of Personality:1. Personality reflects individual differences2. Personality is consistent and enduring3. Personality can change

Theories of PersonalityA. Freudian Theory B. Sigmund Freudian was the first person to give psycho-analytical theory

of personality. He said that a person does any work to fulfill his physical desire.

Sigmund Theory is based on unconscious needs of human personality consisting of three interactive systems.

PERSONALITY (THREE INTERACTIVE SYSTEM)

Gratification IDSystem 1

EGOSystem 3

SUPEREGOSystem 2

PERSONALITY Id: Id acts as a warehouse of primitive and impulsive

desires like hunger, thirst etc Superego: It includes individuals internal expressions of

society moral and ethical code of conduct Ego: It is individual conscious control

Freudian Theory and Product Personality: researchers who apply Freud’s psychoanalytic theory to the study of consumer personality believe that human drives are largely unconscious and that consumers are primarily unaware of their true reasons for buying what they buy.

PERSONALITY Neo-Freudian personality Theories1. Alfred Adler: Individuals seek to attain rational goals which he called style of

life. He placed emphasis on individual efforts to overcome feeling of inferiority.

2. Harry Stack Sullivan: He said that “ Individual continuously attempt to establish relationship”. Anxiety

3. Karen Horney: She emphasized on child parent relationship. She said that individual personality can be of three types these are:

i. Compliant: A person always try to move towards others. (loved, wanted, appreciated)

ii. Aggressive: Individuals try to move against others (desire to excel, win administration)

iii. Detached: Individuals try to move away from others (self reliance, self sufficiency, freedom from obligation)

PERSONALITY Trait Theory: The orientation of trait theory is primarily quantitative or

empirical: it focuses on the measurement of personality in terms of specific psychological characteristics called traits.

A trait is defined as any distinguishing relatively enduring way in which an individual differs from others.

Trait Theorists are concerned with the construction of personality tests that enable them to pinpoint individual differences in terms of specific traits.

Selected single-trait personality tests are often developed specifically for use in consumer behavior studies.

These personality tests measure traits such as:a. Consumer Innovativeness: How receptive a person is to new experiencesb. Consumer Materialism: Degree of consumer’s attachment to worldly

possessionsc. Consumer Ethnocentrism: Likelihood of acceptance or rejection of

foreign made products.

PERSONALITY Consumer Innovativeness and Related Personality Traits:1. Level of consumer innovativeness (Six Item Measure)

2. Dogmatism: Is personality trait that measures the degree of rigidity that individual displays towards the unfamiliar and towards information that is contrary to their own established thoughts. Loyal towards a particular trend.Low Dogmatism = High InnovativenessHigh Dogmatism = Low Innovativeness

3. Social Characteristics: it focuses on the identification and classification of individuals into distinct socio cultural type. It can be ranged on a scale of inner directedness and other directedness.Inner Directed (Has own values) = InnovatorOther Directed (Looks for direction from others )= Non Innovator

PERSONALITY4. Optimum Stimulation Level (OSL): Some people prefer a simple, uncluttered and

calm existence while others prefer an environment with novel, complex and unusual experiences. Consumer research has examined how such variations in individual needs for stimulation may be related to consumer behavior. High OSL = Innovators Low OSL = Non Innovators

5. Variety Novelty Seeking (VNS): This appears to be of different types:a. Exploratory Purchase Behavior: Switching brands to experience new and

possibly better alternatives.b. Vicarious Exploration: They secure information about a new product or

different alternative and then they contemplate. They day dream about itc. Use Innovativeness: Using an already adopted product in a new or normal way

High VNS = New Products, New FeaturesLow VNS= Least Bothered

PERSONALITY Cognitive Personality Factorsa. Need for Cognition: A promising cognitive personality characteristics is need for

cognition. It measures a persons craving for or enjoyment of thinking.High NC = Ads rich in product related information Low NC = attracted to background and peripherals of the ad.

b. Visualizers and Verbalizers: Consumer who prefer visual information are visualisers. Consumer who prefer verbal information are verbalisers.

From Consumer Materialism to Compulsive Consumption: Researchers want to study consumption and possession traits. These traits range from consumer materialism to fixated consumption behavior to consumer compulsive behavior.

a. Consumer Materialism: Distinguishes between individuals who regard possessions as essential to their identities and their lives and those for whom possessions are secondary.

I. They especially value acquiring and showing-off possessions.II. They are particularly self-centered and selfishIII. They seek lifestyle full of possessions.IV. Their many possessions does not give then personal satisfaction.

PERSONALITYb. Fixated Consumption Behavior: Somewhere between materialism and compulsion

with respect to buying or possessing objects is the notion of being fixated with regard to consuming and possessing. Fixated consumers do not keep their objects and purchases a secret. Fixated consumer possess the following characteristics:

I. A deep interest in a particular object or product categoryII. A willingness to go to considerable lengths to secure additional examples of the

object or product category of interest.III. The dedication of a considerable amount of discretionary time and money to

searching out the object or product. C. Compulsive Consumption Behavior: Consumers who are compulsive have an

addiction; in some respects they are out of control and their actions may have damaging consequences to them and to those around them.

Consumer Ethnocentrism: Responses to Foreign- Made Product: For differentiating consumers who are receptive to foreign products and those who are not researchers have developed and tested CETSCALE.

PERSONALITY Brand Personality: Consumers think that brands also have

personality that is they attribute various descriptive personality like traits or characteristics to different brands in a wide variety of products. Based on function or symbolic.

a. Brand Personification: Tries to recast consumers perception of the attributes of a product or service into a human like character.

b. Product Personality and Gender: A product personality, or persona, frequently endows the product or brand with a gender.

c. Personality and Color: Consumers not only ascribe personality traits to products and services, but they also tend to associate personality factors with specific colors

PERSONALITY Self and Self Image: Consumers have variety of enduring images of themselves.

According to which they respond to brands by evaluating their own and that brands personality

I One or Multiple Selves: A single consumer has multiple selves. Therefore he behaves in different manner with different people in different situation.

II. The Makeup of Self Image: Each Individual has an image of himself or herself as a certain kind of person, with certain traits, skills, habits, possessions, relationships and ways of behaving. Individuals make their self image through interactions with others.Type of Self Image

a. Actual Self Image: How consumers see themselvesb. Ideal Self Image: How consumers would like to see themselves.c. Social Self Image: How consumers feel others to see them.d. Ideal Social Self Image: How consumers would like others to see theme. Expected Self Image: How consumers expect to see themselves at some specified

future time.

PERSONALITYIII. Extended Self: The inter-relationship between consumers self

image and their possessions. Possessions can extend the self in number of ways:

a. Actually by allowing the person to do what he would have not been able to do.

b. Symbolically: Makes us feel bigger and better c. By confirming status or brand. Giving a position in society.d. Enduring Magical Powers

IV. Altering the Self: Sometimes consumers wish to change themselves to become different or impressions. Thereby altering their selves.

PERSONALITY Vanity and Consumer Behavior1. Personal Vanity: An excessive concern for and/or a

positive or inflated view of one’s physical appearance2. Achievement Vanity: An excessive concern for and /or

a positive or inflated view of one’s personal achievement

Virtual Personality or Self: provides an individual the opportunity to try on different personalities if the identity fits to a person he can change his old personality with new personality