Page 61 - DMGT506_CONSUMER_BEHAVIOUR

Consumer Behaviour

Notes An interdependent self-concept is based more on common Asian cultural belief in the basic
connectedness of human beings. It is characterised by emphasising family, cultural, professional
and social relationships. Such individuals are inclined to be obedient, social relationship focused,
holistic, connected and relation oriented. Their definition of themselves is in terms of social
roles, family relationships and what is common with other members of their groups (ethnic and
nationality groups included).

Self-concept theory is related to ego and super-ego which are the two important concepts of
psychoanalytic theory. The ego is believed to be a reflection of one’s objective reality and is
similar to the actual self of the self-concept theory. The super ego is concerned with the way
things should be. Thus, it is a reflection of ideal self. To determine consumers’ self-concept, they
are asked to describe how they actually view themselves (actual self), or how they would prefer
to see themselves (ideal self) on various attributes such as: modern, practical, caring, energetic,
self-controlled, dependable, aggressive, successful, serious, sensitive, happy, carefree, reckless,
etc.
Two important principles govern the self-concept theory (1) the desire to achieve self-consistency
and (2) the desire to enhance one’s self-esteem. To achieve self-consistency, the person will
behave in accordance with the concept of her/his actual self. For example, if an individual sees
himself as being self-controlled and practical, then he would wear conservative clothes and
quite likely to stay at home in the evenings. If deep down his ideal self were to be reckless and
carefree, then to act in accordance with his ideal self, he would wear casual fashion clothes,
would go to parties in the evening and (if possible) drive a small sports car or a powerful
motorcycle. Such action will bring the individual closer to his ideal self and enhance his
self-esteem.

4.4.1 Actual Self

There is in fact no one actual self because consumers have different role identities. A consumer
can be a husband, father, employee and a member of some club or voluntary association. In
specific situations, one of these roles will be dominant and influence the individual’s behaviour.
The actual self is the outcome of the combination of individual’s different roles. Consumers’
actual self influences their purchases in accordance with the images they have of themselves and
thereby attain self-consistency.
Research studies confirm that consumers’ purchases are influenced by their self-concept. An
owner’s self-image is reflected in her/his car and also this self-image is similar to her/his image
of others who own the same car. Robert E Burnkrant and Thomas J Page have reported that
self-concept and brand image relationship is somewhat complicated as consumers change their
self-concept in different situations. For instance, an individual may have one self-concept during
a business negotiation and another one on the occasion of friend’s marriage.
4.4.2 Ideal Self

The concept of ideal self is closely related to an individual’s self-esteem. The gap between actual
self and ideal self determines the degree of one’s self-esteem. Greater the difference between the
two, lower the self-esteem. Marsha L Richnis has reported that ad themes and images often
produce greater discrepancy between consumers’ actual self and ideal self. Glamour advertising
that depicts attractive models and luxurious lifestyles creates a world that is unreachable for
most consumers. As a consequence, consumers feel a sense of inadequacy based on a comparison
of their actual self with the portrayed idealised images. Advertising tends to pull down
consumers’ self-esteem when it attempts at increasing the disparity between actual self and
ideal self.

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