chapter 6 the self

The majority of respondents believe that our society does not use reasonable standards to evaluate women's beauty.

A Unilever-sponsored survey that asked American women how they felt about their appearance reported which of the following?

true

A consumer is attached to an object to the extent that she relies upon it to maintain her self-concept

ideal of beauty

A(n) ________ is a particular model, or exemplar, of appearance.

self-image congruence

According to ________ models, we choose products with attributes that match some aspect of our selves.

false

According to a Freudian system of analysis, the superego is the counterweight to the ego.

symbolic interactionism

According to the sociological tradition of ________, relationships with other people play a large part in forming the self.

individuality

Based on motivational research, which of the following consumption motives most likely explains a person's motivation to purchase gourmet foods, foreign cars, or perfume?

equity

Brand ________ refers to the extent to which a consumer holds strong, favorable, and unique associations with a brand in memory-and the extent to which the consumer is willing to pay more for the branded version of a product than for a non-branded version.

true

Conducting motivational research tends to be less expensive than conducting a large-scale, quantitative survey because interviewing and data-processing costs are relatively minimal.

true

Consumers who are more satisfied with their bodies are more frequent users of such "preening" products as hair conditioners, blow dryers, cologne, facial bronzer, tooth polish, and pumice soap.

a large gap between their real and ideal selves

Consumers who have ________ are particularly good targets for marketing communications that use fantasy appeals.

The approach was largely based on psychoanalytic (Freudian) interpretations with a heavy emphasis on unconscious motives. A basic assumption is that socially unacceptable needs are channeled into acceptable outlets. This form of research relies on in-depth interviews with individual consumers.

Describe the basic premise of motivational research and how it might be conducted.

extended self

Dorothy's red shoes in the Wizard of Oz (1939) exemplify which of the following concepts of the self?

The tiger supplies powerful animal symbolism and conveys vaguely sexual undertones.

Esso (now Exxon in the United States) used the work of Ernest Dichter to influence its "Put a Tiger in Your Tank" ad campaign. Which of the following conclusions formed the rationale for the famous campaign?

The ideal self is a person's conception of how he or she would like to be. The actual self refers to our more realistic appraisal of the qualities we have and don't have. Most people experience a discrepancy between their real and ideal selves, but for some consumers this gap is especially large. These people are especially good targets for marketing communications that employ fantasy appeals. People also engage in impression management, strategically choosing clothing and other products that they believe will lead others to see them as they'd like to be.

Explain the concepts of the ideal and actual self. How do we bridge the gaps between these two selves?

Carl Jung

Frank Simms has decided to use Yoda (the "old wise man" from Star Wars) to promote a new model of a notebook computer. Upon which of the following psychologist's ideas has Frank based his advertising strategy?

social outcasts

Historically, people have most closely associated tattoos with ________.

Warrior

Jim sees himself as being confident, powerful, and heroic. According to the BrandAsset Archetypes model developed by ad agency Young & Rubicam, Jim would be classified as a ________.

equity

L. L. Bean products are known to be rugged, outdoorsy, tough, athletic, and dependable. Because the company has worked very hard to establish these thoughts in the minds of consumers and has spent large sums of money to make sure that their products maintain the favorable L. L. Bean reputation, L. L. Bean has achieved brand ________ with its products.

Eastern

Many ________ cultures stress the importance of a collective self, in which an individual's identity is derived in large measure from his or her social group.

sexual symbolism

Most Freudian applications in marketing relate to the product's ________.

youth

People across all cultures appear to favor physical features that are associated with ________.

to indicate expected life-span

People in every culture adorn or alter their bodies in some way. Decorating the self serves a number of purposes. Which of the following is NOT one of those purposes?

true

People tend to pattern their behavior on the perceived expectations of others, which is a form of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

true

Personality refers to a person's unique psychological makeup and how it consistently influences the way a person responds to his or her environment.

personality traits

Popular online matchmaking services such as match.com and eharmony.com offer to create your "personality profile" and then hook you up with other members whose profiles are similar. This approach focuses on the quantitative measurement of ________.

true

Social comparison is a basic human tendency.

computer-mediated environments

The Sims Online and Webkinz are both examples of ________, part of the growing market of real-time, interactive virtual worlds.

66 percent

The U.S. government estimates that approximately ________ of American adults are overweight or obese.

self-concept

The ________ summarizes the beliefs a person holds about his own attributes and how he evaluates the self on these qualities.

false

The concept of the self-image congruence model helps to explain why it is a deal killer in the Japanese business culture to mishandle a business card from a prospective client.

true

The ego is the referee in the fight between temptation and virtue.

false

The reality principle, according to Freudian psychology, is behavior guided by the primary desire to maximize pleasure and avoid pain.

impression management

Through the process of ________, people try to "manage" what others think of them by strategically choosing clothing and other products.

Quaker Oats man

Today thousands of brands borrow personality traits of individuals or groups to convey an image that marketers want consumers to form of their brands. An early brand personality was communicated in 1886 by the ________.

anthropomorphized

Tracy, who named her car Sophie, talks to her friends about the personality traits of her car. Tracy has ________ her car.

true

Western cultures tend to subscribe to an independent understanding of the self, which emphasizes the inherent separateness of each individual.

trait theory

What theory of personality suggests that one person differs from another because of a number of different characteristics such as introversion or extroversion?

true

When the Casa Sanchez restaurant in San Francisco gives free lunches for life to anyone who gets its logo tattooed on his or her body, the restaurant is using identity marketing.

Consumers who have an incomplete self-definition tend to buy products that complete their identity.

Which of the following best defines what is implied by the symbolic self-completion theory?

social level

Which of the following is NOT one of the four levels of the extended self?

Freud

Which of the following theorists proposed that an individual's adult personality results from a conflict between the individual's desires to gratify his or her physical needs and the necessity of functioning within a society?

Identity marketing

________ is the promotional strategy that involves select consumers altering some aspects of their selves to advertise for a branded product.

Body image

________ refers to a consumer's subjective evaluation of his or her physical self.

Personality

________ refers to a person's unique psychological makeup and how it consistently influences the way a person responds to his or her environment.

Self-esteem

________ refers to the positivity of a person's self-concept.

false

he looking-glass self is molded by elements of the pop culture, such as comic book heroes

unique self

"Casual Fridays" in American workplaces encourage the expression of a person's ________.

The concept of self is complex. Each of us has multiple selves depending upon role identities that may be modified by many factors such as self-fulfilling prophecies, cultural differences, and personal and situational differences. The formal shirt and tie represent the public self, which students and colleagues see. Within the inner self, symbolized by the t-shirt, are the ideal self, the handsome tennis player, and perhaps the actual self, as shown by the cartoon clown.

A professor came to class dressed in a formal shirt and tie. He stated that he would like to explain the concept of self. He took off his tie and shirt. Underneath he had on a t-shirt with a picture of a handsome tennis player on the front. Then the professor turned around to show a picture of a cartoon clown on the back. "All of these are who I am," he said. What point was the professor trying to make and what did his choice of varying dress forms and associated iconic symbols most likely represent?

The first woman is using an ideal of beauty associated with the thinner, waif style (e.g., model Kate Moss) that gained popularity in the late twentieth century. The second woman understands that ideals of beauty change over time. During the 1950s (when Marilyn Monroe was a popular actress), curvier, buxom women were considered to be the standard of beauty. Marilyn Monroe is still considered to be an icon of beauty today. In modern terms, a reversal of the "thin is in" trend seems to be occurring as American females put on more weight.

A woman who was raised on Kate Moss images of women, played with Barbie dolls while growing up, and watched her share of TV was talking with a friend outside a theater playing the Marilyn Monroe classic Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The woman said, "I didn't know Marilyn Monroe was so big and fat." Her female friend disagreed and said, "Marilyn Monroe is a classic icon of beauty." Discuss this interchange in terms of ideals of beauty.

archetypes

According to the theories of Carl Jung, our shared memories create ________, which involve universal themes and appear frequently in myths and stories across cultures.

true

Alfred Adler suggested that many actions that people take are motivated by their desire to overcome feelings of inferiority.

he superego

An advertisement emphasizes that if a consumer uses a certain deodorant he or she will not offend other people and will not cause problems in the workplace because of bad body odor. What part of the Freudian system is this ad appealing to?

false

An individual with the personality trait of extroversion tends to be quiet and reserved.

Symbolic interactionism stresses the importance of how relationships with other people form our concepts of self. Members of the same group have shared meanings, which can be reflected by behavior, symbols, and products. Although this is a new situation for Ben, his self-concept has been partially formed by how other people reacted to him in the past. He has defined himself as executive material because of this past treatment, and trusts that other people will reach the same conclusion when he creates the appropriate presentation with its symbolic meaning; however, he knows his resume is weak and this fact may eventually cause him difficulties (e.g., become a self-fulfilling prophecy).

Ben is a little nervous about how he will be perceived when he arrives for a job interview. He got his hair cut and wore his most expensive business suit so he would appear more like the person the firm would like to hire at the executive level. He knows that he "cleans up well" and hopes that will compensate for his rather weak resume. In terms of symbolic interactionism, explain what Ben is doing.

unconscious motives

Consumer researchers have adapted some of Sigmund Freud's ideas. In particular, his work highlights the potential importance of ________ that influence our purchases.

The self-concept refers to the beliefs a person holds about his or her own attributes and how he or she evaluates the self on these qualities. Although one's overall self-concept may be positive, there are typically parts of the self that an individual evaluates more positively than other parts. The attributes of self-concept can be described along such dimensions as their content (e.g., facial attractiveness versus mental aptitude), positivity (i.e., self-esteem), intensity and stability over time, and accuracy (i.e., the degree to which one's self-assessment corresponds to reality).

Define the self-concept and discuss the dimensions that can be used to describe the attributes of the self-concept.

A person's satisfaction with the physical image he or she presents to others is affected by how closely that image corresponds to the image valued by his or her culture. Ideals of beauty, however, vary radically across cultures and even over time within the same society. These "ideals" include physical features, clothing styles, cosmetics, hairstyles, skin tone, and body type. Manifestations of the desire to alter one's physical self to conform to current ideals of beauty include: a. Fattism-Our society has an obsession with weight and thinness, reinforced by advertising and peers. b. Eating disorders-Anorexia and bulimia eating disorders, noted often in white, upper-middle-class girls, are evidence of exaggerated concern about desirable body images. c. Cosmetic surgery-Increasingly, men as well as women undergo cosmetic surgery. Women use surgery to reduce weight or to increase sexual desirability. Men have used implants for chests and legs. d. Body decoration and mutilation-Performed in every culture, body adornment serves purposes other than contributing to ideal beauty. Tattoos are one popular form of adornment.

Describe how ideals of beauty within a culture motivate consumers to change themselves physically. Mention specific categories where this occurs.

Symbolic interactionism stresses that relationships with other people play a large part in forming the self. This perspective maintains that people exist in a symbolic environment; we assign meaning to any situation or object by interpreting the symbols in the environment. Examples might be "the golden arches" means fast food and "blondes have more fun." The concept is important to consumer behavior because it implies that our possessions play a key role as we evaluate ourselves and decide "who we are." The looking-glass self refers to the process of imagining the reaction of others toward us. According to this view, our desire to define ourselves operates as a sort of psychological sonar: we take readings of our own identity by "bouncing" signals off others and trying to project the impression they have of us. The looking-glass image we receive will be different, depending on whose views we consider.

Discuss the terms symbolic interactionism and the looking-glass self. Give an example of each term.

false

It is unusual for consumers to have multiple role identities.

true

Lars has developed an online, multiplayer game that he thinks could be the next big hit in computer-mediated environments. Lars is in the process of looking for financial backers as he moves from the prototype of his game to the finished product. To encourage financial backers, Lars should explain that for most people interested in playing online games, the gap between their online and offline selves is narrowing.

false

Marketing research has indicated that consumers have difficulty assigning personality qualities to most mundane, functional products.

avatar

Matthew assumes the virtual identity of Vlad the Conqueror and is able to see himself in an online game as an armored attack robot. This visual identity is called a(n) ________.

To separate group members from nonmembers. In our society, teens go out of their way to separate themselves from adults by selecting unique hair and clothing styles. b. To place the individual in the social organization. These are the rites of passage. c. To place the person in a gender category. Women using lipstick to enhance femininity. d. To enhance sex-role identification. Women wearing high heels. e. To indicate desired social conduct. Muslim women wearing veils for modesty and attention to religious teachings. f. To indicate high status or rank. Wearing headdresses in tribes. g. To provide a sense of security. Carrying a lucky charm.

The body is adorned or altered in some way in every culture. Decorating the self serves a number of purposes. According to information provided in the text, what are these purposes? Provide an example of each. Which one of these purposes do you think is most important to marketers? Explain.

external objects we consider a part of us

The extended self is comprised of ________.

true

The growing number of Web sites and blogs devoted to excessive weight loss illustrates the problem of body image distortion.

late medieval times (between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries)

The idea that each human life is unique rather than a part of a group developed in ________.

would like to be

The ideal self is a person's conception of how she ________.

A brand personality is the set of traits people attribute to a product as if it were a person. These inferences are an important part of brand equity, which refers to the extent to which a consumer holds strong, favorable, and unique associations with a brand in memory-and the extent to which he or she is willing to pay more for the branded version of a product than for a nonbranded (generic) version.

Describe the concepts of brand personality and brand equity and explain how they are related.

Many of the props and settings we use to define our social roles in a sense become a part of us. Those external objects that we consider a part of us comprise the extended self, helping to form our identities. Just about everyone can name a valued possession that has a lot of self "wrapped up" in it, whether this is a treasured photograph, a trophy, an old shirt, a car, or a cat. To define themselves, consumers use four levels of the extended self. These range from very personal objects to places and things that allow people to feel they are rooted in larger social environments: a. The individual level-consumers include personal possessions as part of their self-definition, such as cars, jewelry, favorite clothing-"You are what you wear." b. The family level-this includes the place of residence and furnishings that comprise "our home." c. The community level-there is a sense of neighborhood or locale used in public self-description and a private sense of belonging. d. The group level-attachments to larger social groups characterize the fourth level; affiliation may be through identification with sports teams, landmarks, and monuments.

Discuss the extended self and provide a description for each level of the extended self.

true

Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty features women with imperfect bodies modeling in advertisements for skin and hair care products. The nature of the social comparison that occurs when a consumer uses these marketing images as a benchmark is likely different than the social comparison that occurs when a consumer sees advertisements for other skin and hair care products.

animism

Eric has a St. Christopher's medallion that he received from his late grandfather. The magical qualities (e.g., good luck qualities) of this gift have helped Eric be less fearful about the world around him. In times of need, Eric rubs the medallion and it seems as if St. Christopher actually speaks to him through the medallion to help him through his difficulties. Eric's feelings toward this medallion are best described by which of the following terms?

true

Every time Tim goes to bat, he rubs the charm on the necklace that his girlfriend gave him. This charm has never failed to help him get a good hit. The charm has become part of Tim's extended self.

Symbolic self-completion theory suggests that people who have an incomplete self-definition tend to complete this identity by acquiring and displaying symbols they associate with a desired role. Adolescent boys, for example, may use "macho" products such as cars and cigarettes to bolster their developing masculinity; these items act as a "social crutch" during a period of uncertainty about their new identity as adult males.

Explain and give a brief example of symbolic self-completion theory.

Self-esteem refers to the positivity of a person's self-concept. Advertising that uses a self-esteem appeal attempts to change our attitudes toward products by stimulating positive feelings about ourselves. One advertising strategy is to challenge the consumer's self-esteem and then show a linkage to a product that provides a remedy. Another strategy is to provide benchmarks of happy, attractive people who are using the advertised product.

Explain how the concept of self-esteem is used in advertising.

The ego is a system that mediates between the id and the superego.

In a Freudian interpretation, what is the function of the ego?

the id

In a Freudian interpretation, which of the following is most closely associated with the pleasure principle?

motivational

In the 1950s, an approach called ________ research attempted to use Freudian ideas to understand the deeper meanings of products and advertisements.

the id

Instead of spending the weekend working on the research paper due at the end of next week, Andrew decided to spend the weekend going out with friends. According to Freudian theory, which system dominated in Adam's decision?

true

It is common for companies to divide up their consumers along lifestyle dimensions and label these groups with terms such as "Geek Chic Guy" or "Whole Foods Woman."

true

It is common for consumers to describe themselves in terms of the neighborhood or town from which they come. This is an illustration of the community level of the extended self.

Major motives as identified by Ernest Dichter are shown in Table 7.2. Students may choose any of these for their choice of four. Table 7.2 also has a complete description of each of the motives. Motives can be listed as: Power-masculinity-virility Security Eroticism Moral purity-cleanliness Social acceptance Individuality Status Femininity Reward Mastery over environment Disalienation (a desire to feel connectedness to things) Magic-mystery

List and briefly describe four of Ernest Dichter's major motives for consumption as determined by motivational research.

true

Men and women who are exposed to beautiful models in advertisements and commercials are likely to alter their perceptions of their own body shapes.

reproductive potential

Men are more likely to use a woman's body shape as a sexual cue. One explanation of this phenomenon is that feminine curves provide evidence of ________.

false

Motivational research is based on the trait theory of personality.

depth interviews

Motivational research relies on ________ of individual consumers.

archetypes

Our culture's current fascination with novels and movies such as the Harry Potter Series and The Lord of the Rings, in which the magician and the patriarch triumph over the sorcerer and the dictator, emphasizes the importance of ________.