The Psychology of Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Psychology of Marketing - Essay Example This might not have been possible without the existence of those valuable possessions. This approach depicts a unique psychology of the consumers, which would be discussed in details in this essay. This trait or characteristics which the consumers portray can be evaluated within the domain of the consumer behaviour. The psychology of consumers cannot be understood without referring to the personal values. Though consumer researchers have largely ignored the importance of value in consumer behaviour, but consumer value has shown signs of being a challenging area in consumer research. Personal values have significant implications for the consumer researchers. The term value means different things in different disciplines. In anthropology value signifies the social elements which drives out or provokes reaction from an individual. In case of sociology, value means to focus on the customs or ideologies. It is a concept which groups together to form a mode of behaviour in the society. Psy chology examines value from the perspective of personal motives and attitudes. Values are accountable for the assortment and protection of the goals which human beings struggle to achieve and at the same time regulate the manner and the method in which the struggle takes place (Vinson, Scott, and Lamont, 2002, p. 44-45). Possession reveals the characteristics of the possessor. So if possession is measured in terms of material values, then a relationship can be drawn between personal values and possession. The link between these two aspects is materialism. Materialism is actually the value which symbolizes the perspective of an individual regarding the position possession should have in his/her life. It has been discussed that the individual holding solid material values put possession and also acquisition of such as a centre of their lives. Value possessions are means to achieve happiness and acts as an indicator of success for the possessor. Thus it can be said that materialism is closed tied to value possession and its usage in an individual’s life (Richins, 1994, p. 522). In this context the difference between personality and value can also be studied. Value has an evaluative component which lacks personality and it relates to our belief that we should do. Personality on the other hand involves those things that we naturally do, without pretending what we are doing. Personality traits of an individual do not conflict with each other, but values do (Parks, and Guay 2009, p. 677).The perception, values, attitudes, self-concept affects the consumption pattern of an individual. It reflects the type of products or services the consumer is willing to use or required. The consumption pattern is also largely affected by personality traits of an individual such as aggressiveness, compulsivity, etc. Apart from this self-identity, or self concept also affects consumption. The elements of value such as ethics, materialism, influence the buying behaviour or consu mer behaviour largely (Ruvio, and Shoham, 2011, p. 1089-1091). There are three psychological terms that needs to be discussed in this context are the self-image, self-identity and self concept. It becomes important to discuss these concepts which evaluating the significance of personal values and possessions. Self image denotes the total subjective insight of oneself, which includes the impression of the individuals’ personality and capabilities. It has been also said that self-image is the mental