Chapter 6

Question 1

What is self-concept?

Answer 1

Self-concept: the beliefs a person holds about his own attributes and how he evaluates the self on these qualities.

Identity: is any category label with which a consumer self-associates that is amenable to a clear picture of what a person in that category looks like, thinks, feels and does.

Question 2

Perspectives on the self

Answer 2

• The self is relatively a new concept
• Eastern cultures traditionally focus on:
• –the collective self
• –the interdependent self
• Western cultures focus on:
• –individuality
• –the independent self.

Question 3

Consumer’s social identity

Answer 3

• Age
• Gender identity
• Social class
• Region
• Religion
• Race/ Ethnicity

Question 4

What is self-esteem?

Answer 4

Self-esteem is the positivity of a person’s self-concept.

• Social comparison: is when a person tries to evaluate her appearance by comparing it to the people depicted in these artificial images.

Question 5

Ideal and Actual/Real Self

Answer 5

Products can help us:

• To reach ideal self.
• To be consistent with actual self. We choose some products because we think they are consistent with our actual self.

Impression management: we work to manage what others think of us.

Question 6

Multiple selves

Answer 6

Marketers pitch products needed to facilitate active role identities.

• Dramaturgical perspective
• Torn self
• Symbolic interactionism: stresses that relationships with other people play a large part in forming the self.

Question 7

Self/ Product Congruence

Answer 7

Consumers demostrate their values through their purchase behavior.

Self-image congruence models: we choose products when attributes matches the self.

Question 8

The levels of the extended self

Answer 8

• Individual: personal possesions (cars, clothing)
• Family: residence and furnishings
• Community: neighborhood or town where you live
• Group: social or other groups

Question 9

Sex-type traits and products

Answer 9

Sex-typed traits: characteristics we stereotypically associate with one gender or the other.

Sex-typed products: take on masculine or feminine attributes.

Question 10

Working on the body

Answer 10

Consumers increasingly choose to have cosmetic surgery to change a poor body image or to enhance appearance. These may include breast augmentation, liposuction, nose jobs, face lifts, and other enhancements.

Decorating the self can serve several purposes. Some of these are to:

• Distinguish group members from nonmembers
• Place the individual in the social organization
• Place the person in a gender category
• Enhance sex-role identification
• Indicate desired social conduct
• Indicate high status or rank
• Provide a sense of security