Personality in Consumer Behavior

6. Definition and Theories of Personality


Definition: The inner psychological characteristics that both determine and reflect how a person responds to his or her environment



Theories:

Psychodynamic theory:

  • Developed by Sigmund Freud. 

  • Focuses on the unconscious mind, including the id, ego, and superego. 

  • Emphasizes the impact of early childhood experiences on personality development. 

Trait theory:

  • Identifies stable personality traits that can be measured. 

  • Popular example is the "Big Five" model, including openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. 

  • Aims to understand how individuals differ based on their trait combinations. 

Horney’s CAD Theory:

  • The CAD (compliant, aggressive, detached) theory is a personality measurement tool based on the work of 

  • Horney postulated that neurotic behavior was the result of adverse childhood environmental factors, specifically parental attitudes and behaviors towards the developing child, such as inconsistent, neglectful, aloof, overbearing, or abusive behaviors.


7. Five Personality Traits Differentiating Innovators


Consumer Innovativeness:

  • Definition: Openness to trying new products and ideas.

  • Traits: Enjoy being early adopters and taking risks with unproven products.

  • Marketing: Target with pre-launch campaigns and innovation-focused ads.

  • Example: Promoting beta software versions to tech-savvy consumers.

Dogmatism:

  • Definition: Resistance to new ideas; preference for tradition.

  • Traits: High dogmatism prefers trusted brands; low dogmatism embraces experimentation.

  • Marketing:

  • High: Emphasize reliability (e.g., “Trusted for 50 years”).

  • Low: Highlight boldness and uniqueness.

  • Example: Established cleaning products for high dogmatism; experimental gadgets for low dogmatism.

Social Character:

  • Definition: Preference for self-guidance (inner-directed) or societal trends (other-directed).

  • Marketing:

  • Inner: Focus on individuality (e.g., “Be uniquely you”).

  • Other: Highlight social proof (e.g., “The #1 choice of your peers”).

  • Example: Inner-directed consumers prefer niche brands; other-directed follow social media trends.

Optimum Stimulation Level (OSL):

  • Definition: Desire for sensory stimulation and excitement.

  • Traits: High OSL craves novelty; low OSL prefers calm, familiar experiences.

  • Marketing:

  • High: Dramatic visuals and adventurous themes.

  • Low: Comfort and simplicity-focused messaging.

  • Example: Spicy snacks appeal to high OSL; classic chips to low OSL.

Variety-Novelty Seeking:

  • Definition: Tendency to seek diverse, new experiences.

  • Types:

    • Exploratory (trying new products), vicarious (indirect experiences), use innovativeness (new uses for familiar products).