Study Task 06: Identity & Consumption

Identity & Consumption - (Jansson - BoyD, Catherine V. (2010) Consumer Psychology)

Quotes

• "Humans buy products for reasons other than their practical functions." 
• "often goods and services are bought because people believe that they somehow represent who they are". 
• "Judge others by their material possessions, meaning that consumption is now an important part in the creation and maintenance of identities". 
• By oppressing a "clear concept of who you are & how you fit into society" is significant as it generates a feeling of belongingness and well-being. 
• Essay chapter will explore the pros and cons of the relationship between consumption and identity. 
• Identity - "identity is the subjective concept of how an individual views themselves (Vignoles, Regalia, Manzi, Gollegde, & Scabbing, 2006.)" 
• "Knowing who you are allows people to answer questions such as where they fit in and where they belong, something that is an essential part of being human (Lewis, 1990)." 
• "Because our identities are subjective, the way in which we see ourselves is influenced by individual experiences, and groups to which we belong or wish to being to (Sedikies & Brewers, 2001)."
• "A person can have more than one identity and they are not always anchored in real life as they can even be specific to virtual online environments." 
• The number of identities an individual has depends on how many different types of social situations they frequently find themselves in." 
• "Generally people play many different roles in life, for example, during daytime it may be that a person needs to fit in to the role as a lawyer, while in the morning and evenings the very same person acts as a mother of three children. 
• Some roles are more integral to our identities than others, such as wife, student or being a boss, while others, such as being a voluntary spokesperson for a charitable cause or even a coin collector, might only dominate people's lives in certain circumstances. 
• What all these roles have uncommon, whether they are primary or secondary ones, is that people can use different types of products to represent them. 
• Consequently we consume in hope of reinforcing or establishing the roles in which we find ourselves or that we would like to begin. However, the impact of who we are upon the way in which we behave has been suggested to be largely unconscious. 
• Meaning that consumers may not be aware if their self-concat guides their consumption behaviour. 
• There has been extensive research into the relationship between objects and identity, and in particular how objects have the capacity to help mould and manage people's identities. 
• The idea that people use their possessions to express who they are is not a new concept.  
• Since the 1970s this has become prevalent and consequently more recent research has confirmed that possessions play an important role in how people perceive themselves and others. 
• This demonstrates that for a long time people have made use of belongings to express who they are . 
• However, the realisation that goods and services can be used to express individuality and group membership has been further underlined by the fact that the last 100th years has seen a continuous increase in the amount of products that people can choose from. 
• This, in combination with the constant mass of bombardment of advertising continuously encouraging people to be materialistic in a way that people's self-worth becomes reduced to that of a consumer, means that people's identities new linked to what they consume. 
• The formation of identities is complex as the start early on in life and continue to develop throughout. 
• Generally, self-recognition develops around the age of 2, but at that age the concept of who we are is of basic nature. 
• Human identities are continuously moulded & influence by parents, siblings, friends, peers, school, societies or sport clubs they belong to, as well as advertising and other cultural influences. 
• Once people have reached adulthood, they tend to incorporate their feelings, what motivates them, political beliefs, religious beliefs, physical appearance, group memberships, age and the material possessions they own to describe themselves. 
• The incorporation of so many different characteristics to express who we are shows that our identities are multi-dimensional.

Questions to Answer & Discuss

1. In what ways can products/services relate to consumers identities? 

By showing a general Ideal lifestyle, media and images. Ideal physical attractiveness, board ideal image. Can help form an identity, what products you buy becomes who you are. Expressive individuality to the consumer. 

Individuals make use of goods and services to 'make sense' of those around them, to compare themselves to others, and to signal group membership. 

Material possessions of who they are. 

The product could be a symbol to their identity. 

Values and beliefs to categories themselves

1. How do consumers use products/services within social interaction? 

That most individuals are likely to identify with different kinds of products. The underlying idea is that narcissistic tendencies other to see them as special and superior and consequently will purchase excessive products that are viewed by most as being highly desirable in some way. Purchasing such producer helps them feel good about themselves since others will admire and envy them because of possession that they have. Because narcissists want others to look up to them , they will be more likely to buy products and survives that have a greater symbolic value. 

Media can help boost people's identities and self - esteem, using realistic images to promote products has indeed been found to make people feel better about themselves with those who are similar rather than dissimilar. (women adverts / body images - Dove adverts) 

The use of possessions to build identities might happen consciously or subconsciously. If consumers are aware of how the self-fulfilling prophecy works, then they can think about which brand and products are are most likely to generate the preferred responses fro others. However, most would not be aware of how the process works in full but simply purchase products they think will strengthen group membership or set them apart form other, meaning that their own behavioural. 

1. Using the theories discussed suggest some visual communication strategies that effectively promote a product to is target consumer? 

Successful advertising campaigns such as Dove's real beauty that made up of use of ordinary women to promote products such as firming lotions and body wash. Just in the first month alone of using 'real women' in their advertising campaigns, Dove reportedly increased their sales figure by over 3 percent - therefore it is minimal advertising but raising self esteem. 

1. Are there any ethical issues? 

The most famous study of self-fulfilling prophecy was constructed by Rosenthal and Jacobson 1968. They asked school children to complete an IQ test and sold their teachers that the results would be indicative of rapid intellectual development. After the test teachers were given names of 20 children who were deemed to be 'early bloomers'. Shortly thereafter the teachers rated the 'non-bloomers' as being less curious and interested than the 'bloomers' and the student grades were consistent with the teachers' opinions. However, what the teachers did not know was that the names of the 'bloomers' they has been given had been randomly chosen by the researchers, hence there was no difference in terms of IQ scores between the 'non-bloomers' and the 'bloomers'. Interestingly enough, when the children's IQ were tested once more a year later, it was found that the 'bloomers' had considerably higher IQ score the the 'non-bloomers'. The study clearly showed that assumptions about an individual affect how we interact with them and after some time the individual will also change their behaviour in line with the expectations. 

1. People must have expectations of what another person is like 

2. The person who hold the expectations must be influenced by their beliefs in how they act towards that person

3. The person must subsequently respond by behaving in line with the other person's expectation.
Plastic surgery to men and women or cosmetic surgery influence consumers for an ideal type figure and body. 

Psychology test with children blue eyes they are nicer and superior and brown eye kinds are inferiors and not nicer 

Summary the text - 300 words (might use in own work) 

The chapter known as "Identity and Consumption" within the book, Consumer Psychology (2010) written by Jansson Dboy. Establishes mainly focuses on how psychology is central to an effective understanding of consumer behaviour and this book shows how it can be used to explain why people choose certain products and services, and how this affects their behaviour and psychological well-being. The book also explores various theories within social, cognitive and developmental psychology to show how psychology can explain consumers behaviour. These are indicated in these categories: Memory, learning, Perception, Attention, Emotion and Decision making. 

Jansson, conveys the ways that products and services relate to consumer identities. This is mainly illustrated by a general ideal lifestyle that a consumers would ideally want, this is mostly present in a display or advert format. Most of these ideal lifestyle are categories to fit the consumers lifestyle, this may be in these two titles: Values and beliefs. The power of social media and general media has to attract a consumer, therefore making them believe that they need this product/service to help them or serve them in life. Also the aesthetic of the display advert, delivers the ideal physical attractiveness of the ideal body image. This can help form an identity or what the product that you purchase becomes a label for your identity, this is how products can expressive individuality to the consumer. "Individuals make use of goods and services to 'make sense' of those around them, to compare themselves to others, and to signal group membership." and obtaining a "Material possessions makes the consumer who they are."

Consumers use products/services within social interaction. As most individuals are likely to label themselves with various types products. The underlying idea of is that narcissistic tendencies other to see them as special and superior and consequently will purchase excessive products that are viewed by most as being highly desirable in some way. By buying a product that is expensive helps their self esteem, for example, they would feel like that others will admire them. But some may envy them because of the possession that they have. "Because narcissists want others to look up to them , they will be more likely to buy products and survives that have a greater symbolic value."

Theories within the book that discuss an visual communication strategies that effectively promote a product to is target consumer. For example, Successful advertising campaigns such as Dove's real beauty that made up of use of ordinary women to promote products such as firming lotions and body wash. Just in the first month alone of using 'real women' in their advertising campaigns, Dove reportedly increased their sales figure by over 3 percent - therefore it is minimal advertising but raising self esteem. 

Finally ethical issue within identity and consumerism, the most interesting ethical study is the one experimented by Rosenthal and Jacobson 1968. They asked school children to complete an IQ test and sold their teachers that the results would be indicative of rapid intellectual development. This was to test which children have a higher or lowest IQ, the one with a higher IQ were "bloomers" and the lowest IQ were "non-bloomers". However, the 'bloomers' they has been given had been randomly chosen by the researchers, hence there was no difference in terms of IQ scores between the 'non-bloomers' and the 'bloomers'. But when the children's IQ were tested once more a year later, it was found that the 'bloomers' had considerably higher IQ score the the 'non-bloomers'. The study therefore showed: People must have expectations of what another person is like, the person who hold the expectations must be influenced by their beliefs in how they act towards that person and the person must subsequently respond by behaving in line with the other person's expectation.

Overall, this source will be in some relations to my essay, as it indicates how advertising helps to target the audience to the product that will make them attain their ideal selves. By linking how advertising in social interaction within my essay can make a good argument with between how style is also contribute in this.