Chapter 6
The Self
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2/12 Topic Outline
The Self
Does the Self Exist?
Self-Concept
Are We What We Buy?
The Extended Self
Embodied Cognition
The Digital Self
3/12 The Self
Does the Self Exist?
Western cultures emphasis on the unique nature of the self. Eastern
cultures stress the importance of a collective self.
Both Eastern and Western cultures believe that the self divides into an
inner, private self and an outer, public self.
Independent self Interdependent self
Western Eastern
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Self-Concept
The self-concept summarizes the beliefs a person holds
about his or her own attributes and how he or she
evaluates the self on these qualities.
The self-concept is a complex structure. We describe
attributes of self-concept along such dimensions as
content (e.g., facial attractiveness versus mental
Attributes:
aptitude), positivity (i.e., self-esteem), intensity and height: 174 cm
stability over time, and accuracy (i.e., the degree to weight: 70 kg
which one’s self-assessment corresponds to reality). Beliefs (handsome standards):
height: 170 cm or above
A person’s self-concept is a work in progress. Some weight: 65 kg or above
parts are fairly stable, but each of us modifies some Evaluation:
elements of it as we make our way through life I’m a super handsome man!
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Self-Concept
Self-Esteem :
Refers to the positivity of a person’s self-concept.
People with low self-esteem expect that they will
not perform very well, and they will try to avoid
embarrassment, failure, or rejection.
Social comparison process: a person tries to
evaluate his/her attributes by comparing them to
other people
How do marketers influence self-esteem?
Marketers tap into our needs for self-esteem
6/12 The Self
Self-Concept
Real and Ideal Selves:
The ideal self is a person’s conception of how he or she
would like to be.
The actual self refers to our more realistic appraisal of
the qualities we do and don’t have.
People buy products and services that fit with their
actual self or help them reach an ideal standard.
Impression management: is a process in which
we work hard to “manage” what others think of
us.
Impression management applies to all sorts of
behaviors
7/12 The Self
Self-Concept
Multiple Selves:
Dramaturgical perspective：We
have as many selves as we do
different social roles. Depending on
the situation, we act differently, use
different products and services.
We buy different products based on
our multiple selves.
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Self-Concept
The Looking-Glass Self:
The process of imagining others’ reactions “taking the role of the
other”.
Our appraisal of who we are varies depending on whose
perspective we consider and how accurately we predict their
evaluations of us.
Self-Consciousness:
Self-consciousness can be understood as an awareness of oneself.
Consumers who score high on a scale of public self-consciousness
express more interest in clothing and use more cosmetics than
others who score lower.
High self-monitors are more attuned to how they present
themselves in their social environments, and their estimates of how
others will perceive their product choices influence what they
choose to buy
9/12 The Self
Are We What We Buy?
Self-image congruence models suggest that we choose products
when their attributes match some aspect of the self. And, when we
choose a product that we think is aesthetically pleasing this choice
makes us feel better about ourselves.
Consumers often link product attributes
and their self-image
People use an individual’s consumption
behaviors to identify that person’s social
identity
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The Extended Self
External objects that we consider a part of us
constitute the extended self.
Consumers continue to discover new ways to
integrate man-made products into our
physical bodies (plastic surgery…)
Levels of the extended self:
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Embodied Cognition
Embodied Cognition Theory: “states of the body
modify states of the mind.” In other words, our
behaviors and observations of what we do and buy
shape our thoughts rather than vice versa.
In one study researchers asked respondents to wear a
lab coat, which people associate with attentiveness
and precise work. Indeed they found that subjects
who wore the lab coat displayed enhanced
performance on tasks that required them to pay close
attention. But they also introduced a twist: When
respondents were told the garment was in fact a
painter’s coat rather than a doctor’s lab coat, the
effects went away.
12/12 The Self
The Digital Self
The rapid development of technology has
allowed us to virtually modify our digital self.
Our physical bodies continue to merge with
our digital environments.
Wearable computing: Apple Watch, Google
Glass, computer chips…
Virtual Makeovers: New virtual makeover
technologies make it even easier for each of
us to involve the digital self as we choose
products to adorn our physical selves.