The Self

Self-Concept

Self-Concept: the beliefs a person holds about their own attributes and how the person evaluates the self based on these qualities

You may evaluate some parts of yourself more than others

Our self-concept is a work in progress, some parts are stable but we continue to modify other elements

Self-Concept Clarity: the extent to which self-beliefs are are clearly defined, internally consistent, and stable

Each element that contributes to our self-concept is an identity

Identity: any label that an individual self associates with; provides a clear picture of what a person in that category is like

Self-Esteem

Self-Esteem: refers to the positivity of one’s self-concept

Marketers influence self-esteem through social comparison

Our real and ideal selves

Ideal Self: what we would like to be

Actual Self: how we believe we actually are based on qualities we do and don’t have

When we compare some aspect of ourselves to an ideal, this judgment influences our self-esteem

We purchase some products because they’re consistent with our actual self; we choose others in hopes of reaching an ideal self

Impression Management

We have an ongoing interest in how we are perceived and evaluated by others.

Impression Management: the process by which people control the impressions others form of them

• Plays an important part in interpersonal behavior

Multiple Selves

Each of us are really a number of different people – we vary our “selves” based on the situation at hand

Dramaturgical Perspective: views consumers as actors who play different roles

Some of our identities are more central to us than others

Sometimes these identities conflict with each others > the torn self

The Looking-Glass Self

The Looking-Glass Self: imagining how others see us

Our appraisal of who are varies depending on whose perspective we consider and how accurately we predict their evaluations of us

We tend to pattern our behavior on perceived expectations of others as a form of self-fulfilling prophecy

Self-Consciousness

Consumers who score high on a scale of public self-consciousness express more interest in clothing and cosmetics than others

High self-monitors are more attuned to how they present themselves in social environments; how others perceive their product choices influences what they buy

• e.g. athletes, fashion models, social influencers

“Self-consciousness on steroids” – The Era of the Selfie and the Empty Self

Are we what we buy?

Self-image congruence models suggest we choose products when their attributes match some aspect of the self

When we choose a product that’s aesthetically pleasing, the choice makes us feel better about ourselves

We choose brands with personalities similar to our own and can create strong relationships with these brands; we are attached to a brand to the extent it maintains our self-concept

Symbolic self-completion theory suggests people who have incomplete self-definition tend to complete their identities when they acquire and display symbols associated with a specific role

The Extended Self

The external objects that we consider a part of us constitutes the extended self

In a top-down pyramid:

Individual
Family
Community
Group

Embodied Cognition

Embodied cognition: states of the body modify states of the mind

• e.g., power posing before a presentation

Changes in self-concept can arise from using brands that convey different meanings

• e.g., “enclothed cognition”

Gender

Sex Roles: culture’s expectations about how those of their gender act, dress, speak, etc.

Men > agentic goals (stress self-assertion and mastery)

Women > communal goals (stress affiliation and building harmonious relationships

Sex-Typed Products

Sex-Typed Products: reflect stereotypical masculine or feminine attributes

Sex roles are constantly evolving, this effects sex-typed products

Ideals of Beauty

Ideal of Beauty: a particular model or exemplar of appearance

Our desire to match up to these ideals drives a lot of purchase decisions

Sometimes, companies exploit insecurities by highlighting their products’ effectiveness at reaching desired goals