Chapter 6: Personality & Psychographics

Consumer Behavior: A Framework

John C. Mowen Michael S. Minor

Key Concepts

Personality Psychographics Psychoanalytic approach Trait theory Self-concept

Product images and self-images Symbolic interactionism Consumer lifestyle VALSII LOV scale

Personality. . .
. . . is defined as the distinctive patterns of behavior, including thoughts, and emotions, that characterize each individuals adaptation to the situations of his or her life. The goal is to identify personality variables that distinguish large groups of people from each other. Individual difference variables describe how one person varies from another in his or her distinctive patterns of behavior: include personality, selfconcept, psychographic, and even demographic variables.

Self-concept . . .
. . . is defined as the totality of the individuals thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object.

People have a strong need to act consistently with who and what they think they are. People purchase products and services to build their self-image and to express themselves to others.

Psychographic analysis is . . . . . . the attempt to measure the life-styles of consumers.

Personality has four essential characteristics:

Behavior must show consistency over time. Behavior should distinguish the person from others. Personality characteristics are not rigidly connected to specific types of behavior. Personality variables often moderate the effects of other variables on behavior.

Freuds Psychoanalytic Theory

Personality results from the clash of 3 forces - the id, the ego, and the superego

The id represents physiological drives The ego acts to curb the appetites of the id The superego is the conscience or voice within

Key Issues in Psychoanalytic Approach

Basis for motivational researchers of 1950s. Places high emphasis on symbols

phallic, ovarian, and death symbols

Libido--sexual energy that can be released by phallic and ovarian symbols. Pleasure principle: basis for functioning of id. Reality principle: basis for functioning of ego. Death wish--elicited by death symbols. Large impact on research methods

depth interviews focus groups

Trait Theory

A trait is any characteristic in which one person differs from another in a relatively permanent and consistent way. A persons personality is described in terms of a particular combination of traits. To be useful trait measures must be shown to be valid (I.e., they measure what they are said to measure) and reliable (I.e., the measures show consistency over time)

The 3M Model of Motivation and Personality

Developed by John Mowen as a means of providing an organizational structure for understanding personality. Traits organized into four levels based upon their abstraction Elemental traits: most basic arising from genetics and early learning history. Compound traits: cross-situational predispositions arising from combinations of elemental traits and the cultural environment: e.g., need for activity. Situational traits: predispositions to act within general situational contexts: e.g., health motivation. Surface traits: enduring dispositions to act within specific contexts: e.g., health diet lifestyle.

The Eight Proposed Elemental Traits

Openness to experience Conscientiousness Extroversion Agreeableness

Emotional stability Need for material resources Need for arousal Need for body resources

Note: the 3M Model proposes that humans have 4 Basic resource needs: social resources (agreeableness), Information resources (openness to experience), material Resources, and body resources.

Example of 3M Model: Predicting Bargaining Proneness

Research Question: what are the elemental, compound and situational traits predictive of the surface trait of bargaining proneness? The motivational network diagram on next slide shows the results for a study of over 200 adults which is reported in the book, The 3M Model of Motivation and Personality (Kluwer Academic Press, 2000). As shown in the diagram, the motivational network consists of all elemental traits (except extroversion), the compound traits of competitiveness and need for information, and the situational trait of value consciousness.

Motivational Network of Bargaining Proneness

Openness Conscient Extrav Agree Info needs, .44

Instability

Compete, .40

Value Conscious, .30 34

Bargaining, .

Material Needs Arousal Body

Note: numbers indicate the amount of variance accounted for in need for information, competitiveness, value consciousness, and bargaining proneness .

Additional consumer traits

coupon pronenesssurface trait. value consciousnesssituational trait. attention to social comparison information--extent that people conform to social pressurescompound trait tolerance for ambiguity. How comfortable someone is with new situations and productscompound trait. Need for cognition. Desire for informationpossibly an elemental trait. Separateness-connectedness. extent that people see their self-concept as separated from others or as connected to otherscompound trait need for arousalelemental trait. materialismelemental traitthe importance a person places on material possessions.

Compulsive Buying as a Trait

Defined as a chronic, repetitive purchasing that becomes a primary response to negative feelings. In 3M Model is a surface trait, predicted by:

Impulsiveness Material needs And introversion

emotional instability low conscientiousness

The Self-Concept in Consumer Research

The Self-concept represents the totality of the individual's thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object.

People have more than one self-concept:

The The The The The

actual self ideal self social self ideal social self expected self

The situational self The extended self The possible selves The connected vs. separated selves

Symbolic Interactionism and the Self

Symbolic interactionism views consumers as living in a symbolic environment, and how people interpret these symbols determines the meanings derived.

The Self-Concept and Product Symbolism

Products most likely to be used as symbols have three characteristics:

They must have visibility in use The product must show variability The product must have personalizability

Materialism: You Are What You Own

Materialism is the importance a consumer attaches to worldly possessions

Four (4) types of possessions help to make up our personal sense of self:

Body and body parts Objects

Places and time periods Persons and pets

Life-Style and Psychographic Analysis

Life-style refers to how people live, how they spend their money, and how they allocate their time Life-style and personality are different, yet are closely related

The distinction between personality and life-style:

Personality refers to the internally based dispositions of the person. In contrast, life-style refers to the external manifestations of how a person lives.

Psychographics is the quantitative investigation of consumers life-styles, personality, and demographic characteristics.

AIO statements identify consumer activities, interests, and opinions

Activity questions ask consumers to indicate what they do, what they buy, and how they spend their time. Interest questions focus on what the consumers preferences and priorities are. Opinion questions ask for consumers views and feelings on such things as world, local, moral, economic, and social affairs.

SRI developed two psychographic inventories: VALS and VALS 2

VALS is based upon motivational and developmental psychological theories particularly Maslows hierarchy of needs theory. VALS 2 was developed specifically to measure consumer buying patterns.

The VALS 2 Inventory

Goal of VALS 2 is to identify specific relationships between consumer attitudes and purchase behavior. Three self-identify orientations: principle oriented people, status oriented people, and action oriented people. Three resource orientations: financial, psychological, and material. Based upon total number of resources, people could be categorized based upon their level of resources. VALS 2 used by corporations to understand the basis for consumer lifestyles, which is useful for developing promotional strategy and even where to place retail stores such as The Sharper Image.

The List of Values (LOV) Scale

The list of values (LOV) scale was developed to correct some of the problems of VALS. Goal is to assess the dominant values of a person (i.e., it does not use AIO statements).

Nine values are assessed by the LOV scale:

Sense of belonging Being well-respected Security Fun and enjoyment Warm relationships with others

Self-fulfillment Excitement Sense of accomplishment Self-respect

A Warning

Psychographic inventories often result in clever descriptions of a target market that can result in stereotypes. It can result in managers disparaging the target group. It can cause managers to view the target market as more homogeneous than it really is.

Managerial Implications

Position and differentiate product based upon the dominant personality or psychographic characteristic of the target market. Scan the environment to identify the dominant cultural values of the target market. Use market research to identify the personality, selfconcept, and psychographic characteristics that distinguish the target market. Develop promotions to be consistent with the dominant personality characteristics of target market. Create products that fulfill the motivational needs of targete.g., low risk products for the low need for arousal group. Use personality and psycholographics to identify segments of consumers to target, such as one-price auto dealers for low bargain prone.