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Chapter 6: The Self: Mind, Gender and Body - Coggle Diagram
Chapter 6: The Self: Mind, Gender and Body
6-4. The way we (and our culture) think about our bodies is a key component of self-esteem.
The body
A person’s physical appearance is a large part of his or her self-concept
Body image
refers to a consumer’s subjective evaluation of his or her physical self
Some marketers exploit consumers’ tendencies to distort their body images
Social media impacts how we feel about our bodies
Ideal of beauty
Satisfaction with the physical image depends on how closely the image corresponds to the ideal culture values
The desires to match up to
ideal of beauty
drive a lot of purchase decisions
Is beauty universal?
Tastes for physical features are “wired in” genetically
Favor features often associate with good health and youth because these signal reproductive ability and strength.
People across ethnic and racial groups use to signal sexual desirability
The way we “package” our bodies varies enormously
Advertising and other forms of mass media determine which forms of beauty we consider desirable
An ideal of beauty functions as a sort of cultural yardstick
Consumers dissatisfied with their appearance
Lower own self-esteem
Diminishing the effectiveness of an ad because of negative feelings a highly attractive model arouses
Language provides phrases to sum up cultural ideals
Ideals of female beauty evolve over time
Our culture communicates standards of beauty virtually everywhere we turn
The changes of ideal body type cause to redefine sexual dimorphic markers
Man and woman have different taste of ideal body shapes
Throughout history, women have worked hard to attain beauty
Cultural changes modify the ideals of beauty that are dominant at one point in time
The Western ideal of female beauty
Most major
body image distortions
occur among females
Researchers link a distorted body image to eating disorders
People sacrifice their health to attain desirable body image
What is today’s ideal of female beauty?
Fattism
is deeply ingrained in our culture
Clothing manufacturers offer
vanity sizing
, where they deliberately assign smaller sizes to garments
The body shape of each ethnic population is diverse
Standards are changing because the typical woman’s body is no longer as “petite” as it used to be
Consumers can agitate to make market friendlier to shoppers who don’t conform to a pencil-thin ideal of beauty
Ideals of male beauty
Male ideals involve length of hair, the presence and type of facial hair, musculature, clothing styles and accessories
Advertisers appear to have the males’ ideal in mind
Sport the strong and muscular physique of the male stereotype
A society’s ideals of beauty for men change as well
Beards were a no-no for over a century
Beards became linked to capitalists
The “beard movement” came into fashion
Workers’ rebellions evoked bearded men committing violent acts against their bosses
Man and woman have different taste of ideal body shapes
6.1 The self-concept strongly influences consumer behavior.
THE SELF
Self-Concept
View
The beliefs a person holds about his or her own attributes and how he or she evaluates the self on these qualities
The attributes of self-concept along such dimensions as
content
,
positivity
,
intensity and stability
over time, and
accuracy
A person’s self-concept is a work in progress
Regardless of age, people acknowledged that their prior choices had changed quite a bit over time, but they still tended to predict that they would not change as they got older.
Each element that contributes to our self-concept is an
identity
One way to define identity
" 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"
For example, Lisa feels better about her professional identity than she does about her feminine identity.
There certainly are parts of it you evaluate more positively than others
Some of these identities are pretty stable
e.g., mother, African American
Whereas other identities are more temporary and likely to change
e.g., Libertarian, college student, Prius driver
Self-Esteem
People with low self-esteem
They will not perform very well, and they will try to avoid embarrassment, failure, or rejection
Consumers
low in self-esteem
- portion-controlled snack items because they left they lacked self-control
The positivity of a person's self-concept
A more recent study found that individuals who are made to feel powerful spend more money on themselves (
because I'm work it !
) , whereas those who experience a feeling of powerlessness spend more on others than on themselves.
How do marketers influence self-esteem ?
Exposure to ads such as the ones Lisa checked out can trigger a process of
social comparison
In which the person tries to evaluate her appearance by comparing it to the people depicted in these artificial images
This is a basic human tendency
Many marketers tap into our need for benchmarks when they supply idealized images of happy, attractive people who just happen to use their products.
Example
In Clearasil campaign, two teenage boys enter a kitchen where a 40-ish mother is mixing something in a bowl. When her son leaves the room, his friend hits on Mom. The ad's tagline : "
Clearasil may cause confidence
"
Female college students who were exposed to beautiful women in advertisements afterward expressed lowered satisfaction with their own appearance, as compared to other participants who did not view ads with attractive models .
Young women alter their perceptions of their own body shapes and sizes after they watch as little as 30 minutes of TV programming ; So do men
People who were served food by a server who was either fat or thin different portion sizes
Does The Self Exist ?
Western cultures
Tends to subscribe to an independent understanding of the self, which emphasizes the inherent separateness of each individual .
Western conventions as "
casual Friday
" which encourages employees to express their unique selves through dress ( at least short of muscle shirts and flip-flops)
Non-Western cultures
For example, a Confucian perspective stresses the importance of "
face
"
Tend to focus on an interdependent self where we define our identities largely by our relationships with others
"Face" - others' perceptions of the self and maintaining one's desired status in their eyes.
One dimension of face is
mien-tzu
, the reputation one achieves through the success and ostentation
Eastern cultures
Stress the importance of a
Collective self (collectivist)
where a person derives his or her identity in large measure from a social group
Some Asian cultures
Developed explicit rules about the
specific garments
and even colors that certain social classes and occupations were allowed to display
These traditions live on today Japanese style manuals that set out detailed instructions for dressing and how to address people of differing status
Why they are interested is another story !
The explosion of these and other social networking services enables everyone to focus on himself or herself and share mundane or scintillating details about life with anyone who's interested
Real and Ideal Selves
The actual self
Our more realistic appraisal of the qualities we do and don't have
The Impression Management
In which, we work hard to "manage" what others think of us
Applies to all sorts of behaviors, from professional contexts and dating to makers to religious observance
The Ideal Self
A person's conception of how he or she would like to be
Fantasy : Bringing the Gap Between the Selves
An ad may transport us to an unfamiliar, exciting situation; things we purchase may permit us to " try on" interesting or provocative roles
A Fantasy or daydream
A self-induced shift in a consciousness, which is sometimes a way compensate for a lack of external stimulation or to escape from problems in the real world
The Virtual Makeovers
Several Web sites offer, consumers can experiment with different looks before they actually take the plunge in the real world
Vogue’s “Makeup Simulation” application (now available in Japan) allows women to see how brands such as Clinique would look on their (simulated) faces.
Johnson & Johnson’s ROC Skincare offers its “Skin Correxion Tool” to simulate the effects of anti-aging products.
Multiple Selves
Depending on the situation, we act differently, use different products and services, and even vary in terms of how much we like the aspect of ourselves we put on display
A person may require a different set of products to play each of their roles
We have as many selves as we do different social roles
The dramaturgical perspective
on consumer behavior
Views people as actors who play different roles
We each play many roles, and each has its own script, props, and costumes
The self has different components, or role identities, and only some of these are active at any given time
Some identities (e.g., husband, boss, student) are more central to the self than others, but other identities (e.g., dancer, gearhead, or advocate for the homeless) may dominate in specific situations.
The Torn Self
Where respondents struggle with retaining an authentic culture while still enjoying Western freedom ( and dealing with assumptions of others who believe they might be terrorists)
The sociological tradition of
symbolic interactionism
stresses that relationships with other people play a large part to form the self.
to place advertising messages in contexts in which people are likely to be well aware of that role identity
We assign meaning to any situation or object when we interpret the symbols in this environment
consumer behavior because it implies that our possessions play a key role as we evaluate ourselves and decide “who we are.”
The Looking-Glass Self
simulates the “primping” process many shoppers undergo when they prance in front of a mirror and try to imagine how a garment will look on them
"
Taking the role of the other
', or the looking glass self
Our desire to define ourselves operates as a sort of psychological sonar: We take readings of our own identity when we “bounce” signals off others and try to project their impression of us.
When you choose a garment, the mirror superimposes it on your reflection so that you can see how it would look on your body without having to go to the trouble of trying it on.
Our appraisal of who we are varies depending on whose perspective we consider and how accurately we predict their evaluations of us.
A form of
self-fulfilling prophecy
When we act the way we assume others expect us to act, we often confirm these perceptions.
Self-Consciousness
Highly self-conscious subjects expressed greater willingness to buy personal products
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.
Self-consciousness on steroids
perhaps that’s what we’re experiencing in what historians looking back might call “The Era of the Selfie.
Meerkating
Which describes the act of someone shooting a live video stream, has become a verb as thousands of people create their own running self-documentaries
The Empty Self
The decline of shared points of reference over the last 50 years as we witnessed a decline in family, community, and traditions.
Are We What We Buy ?
Self-image congruence models
We choose products when their attributes match some aspect of the self.
When we choose a product that we think is aesthetically pleasing this choice makes us feel better about ourselves.
Indeed recent research that included brain wave measures such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed that when a person has a close relationship with a brand this activates the insula, a brain area responsible for urging, addiction, loss aversion, and interpersonal love.
A process of cognitive matching
between product attributes and the consumer's self-image
After a “breakup” with a brand, people tend to develop strong negative feelings and will go to great lengths to discredit it, including bad-mouthing and even vandalism
Congruity between consumers and their most preferred brands of beer, soap, toothpaste, and cigarettes relative to their least preferred brands, as well as between consumers’ self-images and their favorite stores
Some specific attributes useful to describe matches between consumers and products
excitable/calm
rational/emotional
rugged/delicate
formal/informal
A brand personality
for an expressive, image-oriented product, such as perfume, and quite another to impute human characteristics to a toaster
The similarity between a person’s self-image and the images of products purchased does tend to increase over the time the product is owned
people see themselves as they imagine others see them
People use an individual's consumption behaviors to identify that person's social identity
A consumer's use of products influences other's perceptions, the same products can help to determine his or her own self-concept and social identity
Example : Study participants make surprisingly accurate guesses about the occupant's personality
We are attached to an object to the extent we rely on it to maintain our self-concept
Objects act as a security blanket when they reinforce our identities, especially in unfamiliar situations.
Example
as they aged, their feelings about these objects evolved from concrete relationships (e.g., “I own it”) to more sophisticated, abstract relationships (e.g.,
“It is like me”).
older kids between middle childhood and early adolescence inserted more photos of branded merchandise.
Symbolic self-completion theory
people who have an incomplete self-definition tend to complete this identity when they acquire and display symbols they associate with that role
As we mature into a role, we actually rely less on the products people associate with it
The contribution of possessions to self-identity is perhaps most apparent when we lose these treasured objects
One of the first acts of institutions that want to repress individuality and encourage group identity, such as prisons or the military, is to confiscate personal possession
Victims of burglaries and natural disasters commonly report feelings of alienation, depression, or of being “violated.”
Consumers may have lost literally everything but the clothes on their backs following a fire, hurricane, flood, or earthquake, highlights the dramatic impact of product loss.
Some people are reluctant to undergo the process of re-creating their identities by acquiring new possessions.
Interviews with disaster victims reveal that some hesitate to invest the self in new possessions and so become more detached about what they buy.
6-2 Products often define a person’s self-concept.
The Digital Self
we have access to “post-production” tools to engineer
our identities
These free or inexpensive applications
allow virtually anyone to dramatically modify his or her digital self
create additional identities in the form of avatars in virtual worlds
U.S. Americans alone spend about $1.6 billion per year to buy virtual goods just for their
avatars
you are what you wear
you are what you post
Wearable computing
Get ready for the invasion of wearable computing
the Apple Watch
Google Glass
our digital interactions will become attached to our bodies
implant computer chips into
our wrists
inserted into our bodies
Sensing for sleep disorders by tracking breath, heart rate, and motion
Detecting possible onset of Alzheimer’s by monitoring a person’s gait via a GPS embedded in his or her shoes
Tracking ingestion of medication via sensors that are activated by stomach fluid
Measuring blood sugar via a contact lens with a chip that can track activity in a patient’s tears
Assessing the impact of blows to a football player’s head via sensors inserted in his
helmet
Virtual Makeovers
New virtual makeover technologies
easier for each of us to involve the
digital self as we choose products to adorn our physical selves
These platforms allow the
shopper to superimpose images on their faces or bodies
L’Oréal offers a Makeup Genius app
turns the front-facing iPhone and iPad camera into a makeup mirror so that the customer can virtually try on hundreds of cosmetics products
The shopper can change facial expressions and lighting conditions
the virtual makeup stays on her face
The online glasses merchant Warby Parker
allows consumers to upload a picture of themselves and try on frames virtually
Perfect 365 and Face Tune
Embodied Cognition
what extent do the products we buy influence how we define ourselves?
study relationships between thoughts and behaviors increasingly talk about the theor of embodied cognition
states of
the body modify states of the mind
the idea that our body language actually changes how we see ourselves
The embodied cognition approach is consistent with consumer behavior research
In one study they asked respondents to wear a lab coat, which people associate
with attentiveness and precise work
“dress for success”
results for students in
job interview settings
male candidates who wore professional attire acted more assertively
and confidently during the interviews
The Extended Self
the props and settings consumers use to define their social roles
incorporate objects into the self
lick new possessions
take the names of conquered enemies
in some cases eat them
or bury the dead with their possessions
integrate man-made products into
our physical bodies
The use of foreign materials
to replace
supplement human body
it is not necessarily new
George Washington’s infamous wooden teeth
but recent advances in technology
erode the barrier between self and not self
More than 4 million Americans have an artificial knee
the integration of man-made silicon implants with the patient’s organic material.
More than 200,000 people now have cochlear implants that deliver sound from a
microphone directly to the auditory nerve
In fact, some of us willingly (and perhaps eagerly) label ourselves as fanatics about a cherished product
many people feel a strong bond to
their footwear
The singer Mariah Carey recently posted a photo of her huge shoe closet on Instagram and labeled it
"Always my fovorite room in the house....#shoes #shoes #moreshoes.
their shoes as magical emblems of self
stories as Dorothy’s red shoes in The Wizard of Oz, Karen’s magical red shoes in Hans Christian Anderson’s The Red Shoes, and Cinderella’s glass slippers
many material objects—ranging from personal
possessions and pets to national monuments or landmarks help to form a consumer’s indetity
everyone can name a valued possession that has a lot of the self
“wrapped up” in it
four levels of the extended self
Individual level
consumers include many of their personal possessions in self-definition
The saying “You
are what you wear” reflects the belief that one’s things are a part of one’s identity
Family level
This part of the extended self includes a consumer’s residence and the furnishings in it
the house as a symbolic body for the family
Community level
consumers to describe themselves in terms
of the neighborhood or town from which they come
close ties to a community, this sense of belonging is particularly
important
Group level
We regard our attachments to certain social groups as a part of the self
A consumer also may feel that landmarks, monuments, or sports teams are a part of the extended self
6-5 Every culture dictates certain types of body decoration or mutilation
Body decoration or mutilation
enhance sex-role identification
indicate desired social conduct
place the person in a gender category
indicate high status or rank
place the individual in the social organization
provide a sense of security
separate group members from nonmembers
Body anxiety
experience a gap between their real and ideal physical selves, change aspects of their appearance
Cosmetic Surgery
Tattoo
a fairly risk-free way to express an adventurous side of the self
Body piercing
6-3.Gender identity
Expectations for
the appropriate behavior of men and women are not set in stone around the world.
Indian culture is sensitive in matters of gender
They don't allow sex-sensitive ads to air
Women are not allowed to get close and close to men except in love relationships
Sex role
People often conform to their culture's expectations about how those of their gender should act, dress, or speak.
these guidelines change over time, and they differ radically across societies
A society communicates its assumptions about the proper roles of men and
women as it defines ideal behaviors for each gender.
Sex Role Socialization
Children pick up on the concept of gender identity at an earlier age
By as young as age 1 in some cases
By the age of 3, most
U.S. children categorize driving a truck as masculine and cooking and cleaning as feminine.
Depending on gender, male or female professors are evaluated differently
Other
terms that fit female stereotypes pop up in reviews of female professors
Bossy
Strict
Demanding (as well as nurturing)
Positive words such as smart and genius are more
much more likely to describe males than females across 25 different disciplines
Women professors usually come out on the losing end of these reviews.
Five basic conclusions about gender
differences
Females are more cautious responders
Females are more responsive to negative data
Males are more self-oriented, whereas females are more other-oriented
Males process data more selectively and females more comprehensively; and
Females are more sensitive to differentiating conditions and factors.
Gender Identity Versus Sexual Identity
Masculinity
Men in the United States limit touching each other, but some Latin and European cultures do not
Teenagers of both sexes adopt the new fad of hugging as a standard form of greeting (sometimes accompanied by the high-five or the fist-bump)
A behavior that one culture considers to be masculine might get a different response in another.
Gender-role identity
a state of mind as well as body
Sex-typed Products
Male Sex roles
Like women, men receive mixed messages about
how they are supposed to behave and feel
The researchers suggest that men try to make sense out of three different models of masculinity
Rebel model
, on the other hand, emphasizes rebellion, independence, adventure, and potency
Man-of-action hero
o is a synthesis that draws from the best of the other two models.
Breadwinner model
draws from the U.S. myth of success and celebrates respectability, civic virtues, pursuit of material success, and organized achievement
Culture’s stereotype of the ideal male is a tough, aggressive, muscular man who enjoys “manly” sports
Androgyny
Androgyny refers to the possession of both masculine and feminine traits
Sex-typed people are more sensitive to the sex role depictions of characters in advertising
Researchers developed a scale to identify “nontraditional males” (NTMs) who exhibit stereotypically female tendencies. The scale included statements such as these
In our family, I take care of the checkbook and pay the bills.
I am concerned about getting enough calcium in my diet.
I enjoy looking through fashion magazines
I am good at fixing mechanical things.
I would do better than average in a fistfight.
Androgyny can open new markets if marketers can expand the reach of their target audience
Some other gender benders
Old Spice has long been known as the brand Dad keeps in his medicine cabinet, but young women who like the scent and the relatively low price are tuning into the deodorant as well
Febreze is an odor-neutralizing line of products that Procter & Gamble (P&G) markets to women for housecleaning
Rubbermaid introduced a line of grooming tools specifically for men, including tweezers and clippers
Female Sex roles
The evolution of a new managerial class of women has forced
marketers to change their traditional assumptions about women as they target this growing market.
The 1949 film Adam's Rib shows that a woman can have a successful career and still be happily married.
Islamic countries require women to be completely covered in public and prohibit them from working as salespeople in stores open to the public
Sex roles constantly evolve
Gay, Lesbian, bisexual, and Transgender (GLbT) consumers
The GLBT market is about as large as the Asian American
population
These consumers spend in the range of
$250 billion to $350 billion a year
The proportion of the population that is gay or lesbian is difficult to determine
They are 12 times more likely to hold professional jobs than the opposite sex
They are 2 times more likely to own a motel than the opposite sex
They are eight times more likely to own a laptop than the opposite sex
Gay relationships are increasingly mainstream in most parts of the United States.
Finally, the cultural spotlight has turned on transgender people