Consumer Behavior: A Framework

John C. MowenMichael S. Minor

Chapter 6:

Personality & Psychographics

Key Concepts Personality Psychographics Psychoanalytic

approach Trait theory Self-concept

Product images and self-images

Symbolic interactionism

Consumer lifestyle

VALSII LOV scale

Personality. . .

. . . is defined as “the distinctive patterns of behavior, including thoughts, and emotions, that characterize each individual’s adaptation to the situations of his or her life.”

The goal is to identify personality variables that distinguish large groups of people from each other.

Individual difference variables describe how one person varies from another in his or her distinctive patterns of behavior: include personality, self-concept, psychographic, and even demographic variables.

Self-concept . . .

. . . is defined as the “totality of the individual’s thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object. People have a strong need to act

consistently with who and what they think they are.

People purchase products and services to build their self-image and to express themselves to others.

Psychographic analysis is . . .

. . . the attempt to measure the life-styles of consumers.

Personality has four essential characteristics:

Behavior must show consistency over time.

Behavior should distinguish the person from others.

Personality characteristics are not rigidly connected to specific types of behavior.

Personality variables often moderate the effects of other variables on behavior.

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

Personality results from the clash of 3 forces - the id, the ego, and the superego

The id represents physiological drives

The ego acts to curb the appetites of the id

The superego is the conscience or “voice within”

Key Issues in Psychoanalytic Approach

Basis for motivational researchers of 1950s. Places high emphasis on symbols

phallic, ovarian, and death symbols Libido--sexual energy that can be released by

phallic and ovarian symbols. Pleasure principle: basis for functioning of id. Reality principle: basis for functioning of ego. Death wish--elicited by death symbols. Large impact on research methods

depth interviews focus groups

Trait Theory

A trait is any characteristic in which one person differs from another in a relatively permanent and consistent way.

A person’s personality is described in terms of a particular combination of traits.

To be useful trait measures must be shown to be valid (I.e., they measure what they are said to measure) and reliable (I.e., the measures show consistency over time)

The 3M Model of Motivation and Personality

Developed by John Mowen as a means of providing an organizational structure for understanding personality.

Traits organized into four levels based upon their abstraction Elemental traits: most basic arising from genetics

and early learning history. Compound traits: cross-situational predispositions

arising from combinations of elemental traits and the cultural environment: e.g., need for activity.

Situational traits: predispositions to act within general situational contexts: e.g., health motivation.

Surface traits: enduring dispositions to act within specific contexts: e.g., health diet lifestyle.

The Eight Proposed Elemental Traits

Openness to experience

Conscientiousness

Extroversion Agreeableness

Emotional stability

Need for material resources

Need for arousal Need for body

resourcesNote: the 3M Model proposes that humans have 4Basic resource needs: social resources (agreeableness),Information resources (openness to experience), materialResources, and body resources.

Example of 3M Model: Predicting Bargaining Proneness

Research Question: what are the elemental, compound and situational traits predictive of the surface trait of bargaining proneness?

The motivational network diagram on next slide shows the results for a study of over 200 adults which is reported in the book, The 3M Model of Motivation and Personality (Kluwer Academic Press, 2000).

As shown in the diagram, the motivational network consists of all elemental traits (except extroversion), the compound traits of competitiveness and need for information, and the situational trait of value consciousness.

Motivational Network of Bargaining Proneness

ValueConscious, .30 Bargaining, .34

Arousal

Body

Conscient

Openness

Info needs, .44

Compete, .40-

-

-

Extrav

Agree

Instability

MaterialNeeds

Note: numbers indicate theamount of variance accountedfor in need for information,competitiveness, value consciousness,

and bargaining proneness.

Additional consumer traits coupon proneness—surface trait. value consciousness—situational trait. attention to social comparison information--extent

that people conform to social pressures—compound trait

tolerance for ambiguity. How comfortable someone is with new situations and products—compound trait.

Need for cognition. Desire for information—possibly an elemental trait.

Separateness-connectedness. extent that people see their self-concept as separated from others or as connected to others—compound trait

need for arousal—elemental trait. materialism—elemental trait—the importance a

person places on material possessions.

Compulsive Buying as a Trait

Defined as a chronic, repetitive purchasing that becomes a primary response to negative feelings.

In 3M Model is a surface trait, predicted by: Impulsiveness emotional instability Material needs low conscientiousness And introversion

The Self-Concept in Consumer Research

The Self-concept represents the “totality of the individual's thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object.”

People have more than one self-concept:

The actual self The ideal self The social self The ideal social

self The expected self

The situational self

The extended self The possible

selves The connected vs.

separated selves

Symbolic Interactionism and the Self

Symbolic interactionism views consumers as living in a symbolic environment, and how people interpret these symbols determines the meanings derived.

The Self-Concept and Product Symbolism

Products most likely to be used as symbols have three characteristics: They must have visibility in use The product must show variability The product must have

personalizability

Materialism: You Are What You Own

Materialism is the importance a consumer attaches to worldly possessions

Four (4) types of possessions help to make up our personal sense of self:

Body and body parts

Objects

Places and time periods

Persons and pets

Life-Style and Psychographic Analysis Life-style refers to how people live,

how they spend their money, and how they allocate their time

Life-style and personality are different, yet are closely related

The distinction between personality and life-style:

Personality refers to the internally based dispositions of the person. In contrast, life-style refers to the external manifestations of how a person lives.

Psychographics is the quantitative investigation of consumers’ life-styles, personality, and demographic characteristics.

AIO statements identify consumer activities, interests, and opinions

Activity questions ask consumers to indicate what they do, what they buy, and how they spend their time.

Interest questions focus on what the consumers’ preferences and priorities are.

Opinion questions ask for consumers’ views and feelings on such things as world, local, moral, economic, and social affairs.

SRI developed two psychographic inventories: VALS and VALS 2 VALS is based upon motivational

and developmental psychological theories particularly Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory.

VALS 2 was developed specifically to measure consumer buying patterns.

The VALS 2 Inventory Goal of VALS 2 is to identify specific relationships

between consumer attitudes and purchase behavior. Three self-identify orientations: principle oriented

people, status oriented people, and action oriented people.

Three resource orientations: financial, psychological, and material. Based upon total number of resources, people could be categorized based upon their level of resources.

VALS 2 used by corporations to understand the basis for consumer lifestyles, which is useful for developing promotional strategy and even where to place retail stores such as The Sharper Image.

The List of Values (LOV) Scale The list of values (LOV) scale was

developed to correct some of the problems of VALS.

Goal is to assess the dominant values of a person (i.e., it does not use AIO statements).

Nine values are assessed by the LOV scale:

Sense of belonging Being well-respected Security Fun and enjoyment Warm relationships

with others

Self-fulfillment Excitement Sense of

accomplishment Self-respect

A Warning Psychographic inventories often

result in clever descriptions of a target market that can result in stereotypes.

It can result in managers disparaging the target group.

It can cause managers to view the target market as more homogeneous than it really is.

Managerial Implications Position and differentiate product based upon the

dominant personality or psychographic characteristic of the target market.

Scan the environment to identify the dominant cultural values of the target market.

Use market research to identify the personality, self-concept, and psychographic characteristics that distinguish the target market.

Develop promotions to be consistent with the dominant personality characteristics of target market. Create products that fulfill the motivational needs of target—e.g., low risk products for the low need for arousal group.

Use personality and psycholographics to identify segments of consumers to target, such as one-price auto dealers for low bargain prone.