Personality
To understand a buyer needs and convert them into customers is the main purpose of the consumer behavior study. To understand 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. Personality shows individual choices for various products and brands. It helps the marketers in deciding when and how to promote the product. Personality can be categorized on the basis of individual traits, likes, dislikes, etc.
Though personality is static, it can change due to major events such as death, birth or marriage and can also change gradually with time. By connecting with the personality characteristics of an individual, a marketer can conveniently formulate marketing strategies.
We will discuss in this chapter the various theories of personality.
Trait Theory
Traits are the features of an individual or tendency of an individual in a particular manner. Traits help in defining the behavior of consumers. According to the Trait theorists, an individual’s personality make-up stems out of the traits that he possesses, and the identification of traits is important.
Following are the few of the most common traits −
- Outgoing
- Sad
- Stable
- Serious
- Happy go lucky
- Relaxed
- Self-assured
- Practical
- Imaginative
Trait theory is representative of multi-personality theories. Trait theory is based on certain assumptions, such as traits that are certainly stable in nature and a limited number of traits are common to most of the people.
According to the Trait theorists, an individual’s personality make-up stems out of the traits that he possesses, and the identification of traits is important. The trait theories can be of two broad categories, viz., Simple trait theories, and general trait theories.
Self Concept
Self-concept is defined as the way, in which we think, our preferences, our beliefs, our attitudes, our opinions arranged in a systematic manner, and also how we should behave and react in various roles of life. Self-concept is a complex subject as we know the understanding of someone’s psychology, traits, abilities sometimes are really difficult. Consumers buy and use products and services and patronize retailers whose personalities or images relate in some way or other to their own self-images
Traditionally, individuals are considered to be having a single self-image which they normally exhibit. Such type of consumers are interested in those products and services which match or satisfy these single selves. However, as the world became more and more complex, it has become more appropriate to think of consumers as having multiple selves.
Below are some of the major aspects of Self-concept
Self-Concept is Organized
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 an 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 it does, it takes a lot of time.
Self Concept is Learned
It is believed that self-concept is learned and no person is born with a self-concept. It develops as and when we grow old. Our self-concept is built when we meet people socially and interact with them. We are the ones who shape or alter our self-concept and its quite natural that we may have a self-concept different for ourselves as compared to what people think about us.
For example − If an individual thinks, he is very generous and helpful, it may not necessarily be the case with others. Others may see him as a selfish person.
Self Concept is Dynamic
Our self-concept in life is not constant and it may change with instances that take place in our lives. When we face different situations and new challenges in life, our insight towards things may change. We see and behave according to things and situations.
Thus, it is observed that self-concept is a continuous development where we let go of things that don’t match our self-concept and hold on those things that we think are helpful in building our favorable perception.
Self-concept is the composite of ideas, feelings, emotions, and attitudes that a person has about their identity and capabilities.