
What is consumer self-concept theory?
This term describes situations in which consumers further identify their self-concept through their purchasing decisions and consumption choices. This theory explains how we further define our self-concept by comparing ourselves to other people. The comparisons are based on two dimensions: superiority/inferiority and similarity/difference.
Is the role of self-concept in consumer behavior approved?
The Role of Self-Concept in Consumer Behavior is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts - Journalism and Media Studies Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies Paul Traudt, Ph.D., Committee Chair Gregory Borchard, Ph.D., Committee Member
What is self-concept?
Self-concept can be described simply as how one perceives himself and his behavior in the market place. It is the attitude one holds towards himself. What one thinks of himself.
How does our self-concept affect our behavior?
Our self-concept influences our wants and needs, and can also shape our behavior. Whether it is true or not, we tend to believe that our purchases will help establish our identity. There is a reason why people buy certain clothing, cars, etc. And this idea has a name: self-concept attachment.

What do you mean by self-concept?
What Is Self-Concept? Self-concept is how we perceive our behaviors, abilities, and unique characteristics. 1 For example, beliefs such as "I am a good friend" or "I am a kind person" are part of an overall self-concept. Our self-perception is important because it affects our motivations, attitudes, and behaviors.
What is self-concept discuss how the self-concept strongly influences consumer behaviour?
As stated in Chapter One, the self-concept is how an individual thinks about or perceives themselves. One way an individual can maintain their self-concept is through the consumption of products. Possessions (products) help to define the self and create a sense of identity (Richins, 1994).
How is self-concept important in marketing?
Self-concept, otherwise known as self-perception, is the way a consumer views themselves. In the world of marketing, this is crucial for a brand to consider as it allows them to see how their image, product, and service can alter this perception.
What is the role of self-concept?
Self-concepts represent knowledge structures that consist of beliefs about the self, including one's attributes, social roles, and goals. The main factors determining the formation of the self-concept of an individual are the environment as well as people with whom the individual lives.
What are the characteristics of self-concept?
The self-concept is a knowledge representation that contains knowledge about us, including our beliefs about our personality traits, physical characteristics, abilities, values, goals, and roles, as well as the knowledge that we exist as individuals.
What are the types of self-concept?
According to Carl Rogers, self-concept has three components: self-image, self-esteem, and the ideal self. Self-concept is active, dynamic, and malleable.
How does self-concept affect behavior?
Self-concept heavily influences behavior because it causes a person to dictate to themselves what they may or may not be able to accomplish through self-categorization. Every person holds beliefs and biases of different categories in their life, whether they are aware of them or not.
Who influences self-concept the most?
Culture and Self-Concept This is a generalization, but one that holds under scrutiny: culture influence self-concept. Research suggests that those from more collectivist cultures produced more group self-descriptions and fewer idiocentric self-descriptions than those from individualistic cultures (Bochner, 1994).
How do marketers use insights about self-concept?
How do marketers use insights about the self-concept? Marketers attempt to create product images that are consistent with the self-concept of their target market.
Why is it important to study self-concept in consumer Behaviour?
Positive statements about a product reinforces both perceptions of a product and a consumer's self-concept. Self-concept is how a consumer sees and feels about him / herself, both the actual self and the ideal self he or she would like to become. Self-concept also relates to how consumers want others to see them.
What are the benefits of self-concept?
When you value yourself and have good self-esteem, you feel secure and worthwhile. You have generally positive relationships with others and feel confident about your abilities. You're also open to learning and feedback, which can help you acquire and master new skills.
What influences self-concept?
Factors That Shape Self-Concept Self-concept can be shaped by feedback received from parents, siblings, teachers, community, and coaches. Temperament, context, cultural heritage, gender, life experiences, and the media can also shape who a person thinks he/she is, and even how they feel about themselves.
What is self concept?
Self-concept can be described simply as how one perceives himself and his behavior in the market place. It is the attitude one holds towards himself. What one thinks of himself. The self concept is not very realistic because an unconscious component is always present.
What is the difference between ideal and situational self?
Expected self: An image of self somewhere in between the actual and ideal self. Situational self: A person’s self image in a specific situation. Self-concept is a social phenomenon. It is an attitude to the self.
What is the interaction between product and self concept?
The interaction between the product and self-concept can be situation specific. In some situations, the self-concept can be enhanced or reinforced to a lesser or higher degree. Marketers use these tools as a guide to product and brand choices.
What is the relationship between the self image of a person and the product one wants to buy?
There is a relationship between the self-image of a person and the product one wants to buy. Products act as symbols for consumers. People like to use the products which match their personality. These include clothing,leisure products, personal care products.
How many types of self are there?
It can be divided into six types, as given below: Actual self: How a person actually perceives himself. Ideal self: How a person would like to perceive himself. Social self: How a person thinks others perceive him. Ideal social self: How a person would like others to perceive him.
What is the difference between a brand and a product?
A “ product ” is a single, tangible item that a company creates and sells while a “ brand ” is the concept or big idea that consumers affiliate with a product, service, or company. Therefore, a brand is oftentimes viewed as a symbolic promise to be achieved and is used as a form of self-expression and a representation of an individual’s identity.
What is social identity theory?
In simpler terms, these are the characteristics that individuals use to define the “us” within a social group that they associate with.
What is consumer behavior?
Consumer behavior is the psychology behind how consumers make purchases and use products and services. Companies study this behavior to try and sell products to as many potential customers as possible. There are three factors that influence these behaviors:
What is the meaning of self?
The Self is defined as a psychological construct that describes how the totality of one’s attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs shape who they are and how they behave. As an individual matures, they define their principal value of self. The more they value the self, the more regulation, balance, and consistency they will have in their life. While their own determination and definition is vital for the formation of their value of self, their environment is also a key component in the development of their self-concept and self-esteem. For example, interactions with friends, family, and significant others can have either a positive or negative impact on who a person believes they are and how they feel about that belief.
How does self image congruity affect consumers?
A theory called self-image congruity (aka product-image congruity) is defined as the process of consumers purchasing from brands that have perceived symbolic images that are similar to the image that they have of themselves. The consumer’s choice to buy, display, and use the products or brands with a perceived symbolic image allows individuals to convey the message to themselves and others. More congruity between the human characteristics someone uses to define their sense of self and the characteristics that portray a brand leads to a higher chance of brand selection and brand loyalty.
What is the reasoning behind consumer behavior?
Over the years marketing researchers have pondered the reasoning behind consumer behavior, conducting study after study even in the present day as these behaviors continue to change. When research pointed toward solutions that didn’t maximize results, marketers were still wondering what the key determinant was for consumer behavior. Finally, they have come to the conclusion that consumers develop behaviors and preferences based primarily on one thing, and that thing is themselves.
What is Self-Concept?
We all have various views about ourselves. We all may think we are kind, calm, patient, selfish, rude and what not. It doesn’t matter what perception you have about yourself, but the one perception that facilitates all these insights is organized self concept. When a person believes in something that matches his self concept he sticks to his view and does not agree to change the same and even if does, it takes a lot of time.
What is the purpose of consumer behavior study?
To understand a buyer needs and convert them into customers is the main purpose of the consumer behavior study. To understand the buyer habits and his priorities, it is required to understand and know the personality of the buyer. Personality signifies the inner psychological characteristics that reflect how a person reacts to his environment.
What is the socialization process?
The socialization process that takes place within people in a social set up has a huge impact on individual behavior. Freud explained much of how the psyche or the mind operates, and proposed that, human psyche is composed of parts within our awareness and beyond our awareness.
What is the trait theory?
Practical. Imaginative. Trait theory is representative of multi-personality theories. Trait theory is based on certain assumptions, such as traits which are certainly stable in nature and a limited number of traits are common to most of the people.
What is the id in Freud's theory?
Id − According to Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality, the id operates based on the pleasure principle, which stresses on immediate fulfillment of needs. The id is the personality component made up of unconscious psychic energy which satisfies basic urges, needs, and desires. Ego − Ego is that state of awareness which thinks ...
What is the difference between ego and superego?
Ego − Ego is that state of awareness which thinks of you as separate from the other. It always thinks of the glories of the past and hopes of the future and focuses on guiltiness. It always thinks of what was and what could be. Super Ego − The superego provides guidelines for making judgments.
How many personality types are there in consumers?
Based on this, consumers are classified into three personality types −
What is Self-Concept? (Overview)
Self-concept is composed of two different parts: the ideal self and the authentic self. The ideal self is who we would like to be, and the authentic self is. The discrepancy between the two can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction or inadequacy.
What are the three components of Self-Concept?
According to Carl Rogers, Self-concept is made up of three components: self-image, self-esteem, and the ideal self. Each one is important, and they all work together to form our overall view of ourselves. A healthy self-concept is vital for our mental and physical well-being.
Difference between Self-esteem and Self-Concept
Self-esteem is a term used in psychology to reflect a person’s overall evaluation or appraisal of their worth. It includes beliefs (either positive or negative) and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame.
How does self-concept make communication more effective?
In general, people with a positive self-concept are more likely to be effective communicators. They tend to see communication as a way to build relationships and share information rather than as a means to achieve their own goals.
What are the two categories of self-concept?
There are two types of self-concept: personal and social. Personal self-concept refers to our attributes and qualities, such as our abilities, beliefs, and opinions. Social self-concept is how we see ourselves about others – it includes our sense of self-identity and how we think others perceive us.
10 Amazing Benefits of High Self-Esteem
High self-esteem is an overall positive evaluation of oneself. People with high self-esteem have a sense of control over their lives and feel confident in their abilities. They can celebrate their successes and learn from their failures.
What is the role of Self-concept in consumer behavior?
Self-concept is the set of beliefs that we have about ourselves. It includes our values, attitudes, and opinions. It can influence our behavior in many ways. For example, if we believe that we are intelligent, we may be more likely to take on challenging tasks. On the other hand, if we think of ourselves as shy, we may avoid social situations.
How is self esteem determined?
Our self-esteem is determined by many factors, including how well we view our own performance and appearance, and how satisfied we are with our relationships with other people (Tafarodi & Swann, 1995). Self-esteem is in part a trait that is stable over time, with some people having relatively high self-esteem and others having lower self-esteem. But self-esteem is also a state that varies day to day and even hour to hour. When we have succeeded at an important task, when we have done something that we think is useful or important, or when we feel that we are accepted and valued by others, our self-concept will contain many positive thoughts and we will therefore have high self-esteem. When we have failed, done something harmful, or feel that we have been ignored or criticized, the negative aspects of the self-concept are more accessible and we experience low self-esteem.
How is self concept formed?
Sometimes our self-concept is formed through our interactions with others and in these interactions we come to see, describe, and evaluate ourselves based on their reaction's to us.
What is self esteem?
The concept of self-esteem refers to your personal value or the way you view yourself (Solomon, 2014). People with low self-esteem have low confidence, and try to avoid embarrassment, failure, or rejection (Solomon, 2014).
What is the meaning of self esteem?
Self-Esteem. Self-esteem. refers to the positive (high self-esteem) or negative (low self-esteem) feelings that we have about ourselves. We experience the positive feelings of high self-esteem when we believe that we are good and worthy and that others view us positively.
What does it mean to have a complex self?
Having a complex self means that we have a lot of different ways of thinking about ourselves. For example, imagine a woman whose self-concept contains the social identities of student, girlfriend, daughter, marketing student, and hockey player and who has encountered a wide variety of life experiences.
How does self awareness affect us?
In these cases, self-discrepancy theory states that when we perceive a discrepancy between our actual and ideal selves, this is distressing to us (Higgins, Klein, & Strauman, 1987). In contrast, on the occasions when self-awareness leads us to comparisons where we feel that we are being congruent with our standards, then self-awareness can produce positive affect (Greenberg & Musham, 1981). Tying these ideas from the two theories together, Philips and Silvia (2005) found that people felt significantly more distressed when exposed to self-discrepancies while sitting in front of a mirror. In contrast, those not sitting in front of a mirror, and presumably experiencing lower self-awareness, were not significantly emotionally affected by perceived self-discrepancies. Simply put, the more self-aware we are in a given situation, the more pain we feel when we are not living up to our ideals.
What is self concept?
The self-concept is a knowledge representation that contains knowledge about us, including our beliefs about our personality traits, physical characteristics, abilities, values, goals, and roles, as well as the knowledge that we exist as individuals.
What is self awareness?
Self-awareness also influences self-concept. It is the quality or trait that involves conscious awareness of one’s own thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and traits (Cherry, 2018A). To have a fully developed self-concept (and one that is based in reality), a person must have at least some level of self-awareness.
What is self image?
Self-image is related to self-concept but is less broad. Self-image is how an individual sees themselves, and it does not have to align with reality.
What is the definition of self concept?
A similar definition comes from Rosenberg’s 1979 book on the topic; he says self-concept is: “…the totality of an individual’s thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object. ”. Self-concept is related to several other “self” constructs, such as self-esteem, self-image, self-efficacy, and self-awareness.
Why is journaling important?
Journals can be beneficial in many ways, as keeping a journal allows you to self-examine. Help your students develop their sense of self by assigning journal entries that they keep in one notebook all year.
What is self concept theory?
Self-Concept Theory. There are many theories about what exactly self-concept is and how it develops. Generally, theorists agree on the following points: On the broadest level, self-concept is the overall idea we have about who we are and includes cognitive and affective judgments about ourselves;
How many items are in the self-concept questionnaire?
The Self-Concept Questionnaire from Dr. Saraswat (1984) has become a popular choice for measuring self-concept. It consists of 48 items measuring self-concept across six dimensions:
How do we regulate our self-concept?
We form and regulate our self-concept as we grow, based on the knowledge we have about ourselves. It is multidimensional, and can be broken down into these individual aspects. For example, you may have a very different idea of who you are in terms of your physical body, and who you are in terms of your spirit or soul.

The Self
Consumer Behavior
- Consumer behavioris the psychology behind how consumers make purchases and use products and services. Companies study this behavior to try and sell products to as many potential customers as possible. There are three factors that influence these behaviors: 1. Personal factors People’s opinions and interests that are determined by demographics, such as age, gender, cultu…
Consumer Behavior After Covid-19
- The Covid-19 pandemic affected the mindsets of consumers by sparking a new interest in different brands, products, and services instead of sticking to their old ways. Researchers now realize that the key to shaping consumer behavior relies mostly on meeting customers where they are and providing a solution to their current needs. A brand’s ability to adapt and select the mos…
The Self and Consumer Behavior
- Researchers agree that the social identity theoryis an important perspective to mention when discussing self-concept. The social identity theory is a subset of self-concept that is developed through the membership of social groups. In simpler terms, these are the characteristics that individuals use to define the “us” within a social group that the...
The Self and product-image
- Previous studies prove that the images individuals have for themselves directly influence their purchasing decisions and emphasize the importance of self-concept and consumer preferences. A theory called self-image congruity (aka product-image congruity)is defined as the process of consumers purchasing from brands that have perceived symbolic images that are similar to the …
Brands and Symbolism
- The terms “brand” and “product” are frequently used when describing consumer behavior and overall business goals. A “product” is a single, tangible item that a company creates and sells while a “brand” is the concept or big idea that consumers affiliate with a product, service, or company. Therefore, a brand is oftentimes viewed as a symbolic promise to be achieved and is …