Personality: one individual is different from the other in personality

Consumer behavior

Personality: One individual is different from the other in personality. It is one of the factors that influence ones behavior in the marketplace. What a consumer purchases,

When and how he purchases are influenced by his personality type. That is why marketers are interested in understanding the meaning of personality and traits of personality as well as identifying how these traits affect consumer behavior.

Personality can be defined as those inner psychological characteristics that both determine and reflect how a person responds to his or her environment.

According to some, personality of an individual is sum total of his hereditary characteristics and childhood experiences.

To others, it is the result of the social and environmental influences on the person concerned.

The nature of personality:

In the study of personality, three distinct properties are of central importance;

i) Personality reflects individual difference

ii) Personality is consistent and enduringiii) Personality can change.

Personality reflects individual differences:

No one is like the others in the earth. There may be similarities on certain dimensions of personality traits. For instances, some people can be described as high in venturesomeness, whereas other can be described as low in venturesomeness. Thus using the personality concept, we can categories consumers into different groups and can segment the market and develop different types of products for different personality types. If each person were different in terms of all personality traits, it would be impossible to group consumers into segments, and there would be little reason for marketers to develop products and promotional campaigns targeted to particular segments.

Personality is consist and enduring:

An individuals personality tends to be both consistent and enduring. It means that personality of an individual does not change in a short time span. Both qualities are essential if marketers are to explain or predict consumer behavior in terms of personality. Although marketers cannot change consumers personalities to conform to their products, if they know which personality characteristics influence specific consumer responses, they can attempt to appeal to the relevant traits inherent in their target group of consumer.

Personality is one of a combination of factors that influence how a consumer behaves.

Personality can change:

Personality of a person may change as the circumstance changes. For examples, an individuals personality may be altered by major life events such as marriage, the birth of a child, the death of a parent or change of job or profession. His personality may also change with the elapse of time as he gradually becomes mature because of his exposures to new things or acquisition of new experiences.Theories of personality:There are quite a few theories of personality developed by the researchers based on their own interpretation of personality traits. Since there is no universally accepted theory on personality, here we will discuss a theory name Freudian Theory.

Freudian theory:

The most widely used theory of personality is one developed by Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freuds psychoanalytic theory of personality is a cornerstone of modern psychology. This theory was built on the premise that unconscious needs or drives, especially sexual and other biological drives are at the heart of human motivations and personality. Freud believes that there are three forces that work in an individuals psyche.

They are

i) ID

ii) The Superego

iii) The ego

He thought that an individuals personality is determined by the interaction of the id, superego and the ego.

The id: ID includes the instincts and is present at birth. Id includes the basic physiological needs such as thirst, hunger and sex-for which individual seeks satisfaction without concern for the specific means of satisfaction.

The Superego: the inhibits the impulses of the id and influence the individual toward conforming to all of the moral principles. The superego is conceptualized as the individuals internal expression of societys moral and ethical codes of conduct. The superegos role is to see that the individual satisfies needs in a socially acceptable fashion. Thus the superego is a kind of brake that restraints or inhibits the impulsive forces of the id.The ego: finally ego is the individuals conscious control. It functions as an internal monitor that attempts to balance the impulsive demands of the id and the sociocultural constraints of the superego. The following figure shows the interrelationships among the three distinct interacting systems. He also believed that an individuals personality is formed as he or she passes through a number of distinct stages of infant and childhood development. One personality develops on the basis of the amount of frustration and anxiety he faces at each of these stages. The stages identified by Freud are i) oral

ii) anal

iii) phallic

iv) latent

v) genital stages

According to Freudian theory, an adults personality is determined by how well he or she deals with the crises that are experienced while passing through each of these stages. The oral stages start from the birth and continue approximately up to eighteen months. The basically eats, sucks and swallows during this stage. If he experiences excessive anxiety and frustration and cannot cope up with the situation. He becomes either talkative, selfish, passive or greedy or all at a time.

ID

System

Ego

System

Superego system

Gratification