Belks Theories of Consumer Behavior - Term Paper Example

Belk’s theories of the extended self - different aspects of the self Belk’s theories of the extended self - different aspects of the self 1.0. Introduction In the contemporary world, consumer behavior needs to be analyzed with a lot of keenness so as to comprehend the factors that lead to the consumers purchasing some goods and opting for some services. Belk and Goffman have been instrumental in an analysis of the various aspects of the self that have been fundamental in shaping consumer behavior. As seen in the research work of Belk (1988), the theory of the extended self and possessions is one that revolves around the purchasing behavior of consumers being shaped by an individual’s inner desire and the attitudes shaped by the consumer. Additionally, Belk (1988) continues to emphasize that the perceptions that consumers have towards a specific item are critical in influencing the type of purchase they are expected to make. The extended self also includes various beliefs that consumers have about themselves, and the same is simulated in the type of consuming conduct they ought to represent (Belk, 1988). This paper, in this perspective, will assess varying blog posts on the extended self, and how they are correlated to Belk and Goffman’s ideologies on the self . 2.0. Body Consumer conduct, just as Goffman (1990) indicates, entails a process of consumers buying a product in regard to their feelings, and expressive state. This can be verified from the Ali’s (2007) blog post that is of the thought that the extended self theorem asserts that, several of the commodities persons purchase are likened to the additions of the people’s personal needs, desires, and beliefs. This is to mean that if an individual is a football player, they will purchase different commodities from sport producers, and if people are part of a brilliant class then they will purchase fancy clothes. In this case, if there are fashionable senior managers they will purchase vehicles. The sorts of products people purchased, in this case, are in line with the individual personalities (Ali, 2007). Behavior traits have been discovered to have an impact on customer choice and use models. The client’s personality motivates their choice making, and subsequent utilization patterns. Goffman (1990) is of the opinion that behaviorists have recognized wide-ranging. Based on this, consumers have been in a position to express their right to select the best product (Goffman, 1990). Similarly, a blog post posted by Sif (2012) states that, economists say that what makes people full of life is what makes them happy. Individuals make selections grounded on the fact that the commodities they purchase and consume will satisfy them. Goffman (1990) states that all persons are unique in their own way, therefore, character reveals distinct choices. However, while people are dissimilar, people may be comparable to each other because of characteristics, which might entail a behavior type. A personality’s choice with regard to the product, as well as the planning and importance of consumption, the amount bought, and its usage are all founded on the individual character, and this might have inferences for a salesperson who could give each character as a distinct part. Andy (2012) and Larvalsubjects (2011) assert that the extended mind which refers to understanding that extends past the brain/ mind and body of the person postulates to the view that the person or self widens beyond the individual (Philosophical Investigations For Applied Linguistics, 2012; Vieth, 2006 & Shores, 2013). According to Belk (1988), personal influences and the extended self helps an individual describe people’s awareness of their personality. Studies linked to how customers use commodities to create uniqueness became main issues in research and exploration of the self (Shaun & Marcel, 2002). Similarly, Neisser (1988) asserts that the extended self is the personality that was in the past and is expected to be relayed in the future, based on the past memory. According to Neisser (1988) the self is a complex theory that has been tackled from several perspectives in history. Several paradigms of self involve a diversity of sub-selves with distinct functions, procedures, and variable relations with intellectual reality and understanding (My 2 Brains: my new blog, n.d). Belk (1988) compiled comprehensive information to support the suggestion that customers make use of assets to broaden, increase, and strengthen their appreciation of behavior and extended self. For instance, a blog post posted by My 2 Brains: my new blog (n.d) illustrates the four stages of the extended self. The first is the being level where consumers incorporate several of their private assets in self- account. These commodities may be inclusive of clothes, jewelry, and vehicles among others (Gallagher, 2002). Gallagher (2002) says that the family level involves the extended self, which entails a consumer’s residence and its furnishings. The household can be a representative figure of a particular individual. In the personal level, individual fronts assume the setting of a demonstration. Individual fronts may incorporate ethnicity, size, age, gender, facial languages, position, among others (Gallagher, 2002). It is of fundamental nature to note that a number of people may be rationally secure while others are not. For example, a tradition is fixed while facemask appearances change from time to another (Gallagher, 2002). The blogs are generally primed for a short term depending with the needs and changes taking place in the society. This explains why the authors keep changing the pages from time to time. These blogs are also highly influenced by age, size, ethnicity and languages backgrounds just as Bergers (2007) explains that research has been done showing customers regularly make procurements as an effort to signal characteristics of their uniqueness to others. Goffman (1990) explores the description of group changing aspects through a discussion of teams and the relationship between demonstration and observation. Goffman (1990) makes uses of the concept of the team to demonstrate the structure of a group personality who take part in the demonstration. On other hand Ahuvia (2005) states that there is the concept of the unwanted self, and past- unwanted self or the certainly not self. Life evolutions enable customers to destroy items that act as undesirable connotations on their way to an anticipated self (Barstow, 2009). Goffman (1990) provides an illustration of the relation between a personalitys daily events and their performance. Goffman (1990) uses the word ‘performance’ to indicate events. Therefore, all individuals involved are performing duties that are influenced by character’s behavior. Tian (2005) indicates that customers’ identity process starts with a cultural allegory of the moral character, which changes their philosophical beliefs into dramatic descriptions of identity. According to Goffman (1990), an individual presents his promotion with symbols, which focus and represent confirmatory evidences that might remain incomprehensible. Therefore, an exact businessperson usually tries to create invisible evidence in an approved way. Employees must decide which aspects of the self-belong. Tian (2005) explains that the field of work which fits elsewhere in these discussions self may be comprehensive, but it might also be withdrawn and hidden. Moreover, possessions can aid to compose the self; they also help shifting among several self in reaction to workplace actions. It is explained that these procedures discuss inferences for a comprehensive self-concept (Oldcola, n.d). The self-expressions, individualities and awareness of self as illustrated by Belk (1988) are alternates of how an individual makes their choices. Belk (1988) discards any assertion of what is involved in the individualities that is common among personalities and principles as they suppose what represents the character is a personal assessment that varies between people and the time spent on making purchases. In the case of blogs, in buying and selling, we see that the authors keep editing the web pages from time, with regard to the changes taking place within the society. Sivadas and Venkatesh (1995) and Vold (2010) note that, the extended self is the self and possessions, which refers to solid objects but also comprises of parts of the body, intellectual thinking, ideas, occurrences, persons and positions. Consumers embrace importance of a salesperson in the appreciation that clients hold thoughts of their individual characters, and such distinctive feelings have an influence on the choice they made (Goffman, 1990). In several times, this valuation of self- perception and self- appearance has a superior influence than the character personalities. For instance, we could make comprehensive generic inferences with character personalities (Goffman, 1990). Goffman (1990) insists that the self- perception and self- appearance aid in making specific inferences among consumers. Research studies show that the bigger the affection to any of possessions, the more expected individuals will be a fraction of the extended self (Goffman, 1990). However, the extended self does not include all the possessions. Persons who consider possessions as significant for their awareness of self are likely to have a portion of extended self (Escalas, 2005). Behaviorists have applied marketing approaches, via initial segmenting of the marketplace by putting their manufactured goods and plotting the advertisements based on personalities (Goffman, 1990). Florida (2002) says that the topics to explore range from customer innovativeness, customer vulnerability to relational impact and customer ethnocentrism. For Goffman (1990) personality entails the awareness of responsibilities that people play in a given contexts in their lives. Community identity is made public for a particular audience. In these performances, people are continuously monitoring the impersonations they give out and make to the audience. It is through social interactions that private self is revealed. Reports concerning the notion of the extended self seem to propose that those substances most personally recognized with an entitys awareness of self will be respected more by that person and uphold a position of increased importance within their existence (Belk 1988; Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton, 1981). 3.0. Conclusion In summary, the self- notion refers to the principles a person possesses about individual characteristics and how the individual assesses these abilities. Therefore, consumers’ self- perceptions are reflections of their opinions concerning themselves. Whether these feelings are negative or positive, they will assist in making decisions on what to purchase which in turn boost self-esteem or to motivate the self (Joshi, 2011). Consumers discover that dissimilar roles are complemented by collections of products and actions that assist to describe their responsibilities. Individuals use a character’s consumption behaviors to assist them make decision about that individual’s social individuality. Those outside objects that people believe to be part of them include the extended self. These objects are individual level which is what one wears, family level, which includes the households, community level which includes the neighborhood and local town, and the group level, which entails religion, language, ethnicity, sports, and group (Sif, 2012). Several theories tend to encourage the notion of similarity between commodity usage and self- appearance. However, not all these theories apply to all products. Self-image theories predict that commodities will be selected when their qualities correspond to some characteristic of the self. Theories assume a procedure of perceptive matching between goods qualities and the customer self-image. The development of extended self-incorporates personal and social features (Baker, 2010). Furthermore, personal and social features, includes symbolic and useful aspects. Symbolically companions are manifestations of consumers’ characteristics and functionally they are customers’ attachments. Consumer behavior refers to how persons or individuals get, use, and placing of commodities, services, beliefs, or occurrences. It entails exploring of information and definite purchasing. It also involves recognition of consumer feelings, emotional state of products (Wordpress, 2013). Baker (2010) continues to say that consumer behavior is a report of entities, groups, or institutions, and the aspects consumers used to choose, secure, consume, and select products. Consumer behavior also assesses the influences that these procedures have on the customer and society. This consumer behavior is highly influenced by the extended self and the self. As a basis of self and extended self, consumer actions are interdisciplinary based on theories and philosophies about people as elaborated by scientists, theorists, sociologists, anthropologists and psychologists. Theorists assess consumer behavior to equip the marketers with information and data, which is beneficial whilst conducting comprehensive consumer research -which can be used to explain markets as well as develop advertisement strategies. Consequently, scientists dealing with consumer behavior have the skills on the realistic settings of the market attempts to offer wide range contribution to the comprehension of individual views and beliefs. The perception of self helps a marketer understand, envisage, and influence the purchase outcomes of consumers. As a result, marketers need to value the congruity involving individualism, self- perception, and self- manifestations of the consumers, the product disposition, and appearance of the goods. The analysis of customer characters, self- perception, and self- exteriorities can be useful to a salesperson in a myriad of ways. References Ahuvia, A., (2005), “Beyond the Extended Self: Loved Objects and Consumers’ Identity Narratives,” Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 32, Iss. June, pp. 171-184. Ali M. (2007, 18 Jan). Possessions and the Extended Self. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/48066.html Baker, R. (2010, May 4). A Critique of Cheap Internalism. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from: http://thenakedvoid.com/blog/nikola/a-critique-of-cheap-internalism-lynne-rudder-baker-and-the-extended-self Barstow, K. (2009, June, 27). The extended you: body, mind, and spirit. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from: http://integral-options.blogspot.com/2009/06/kurt-barstow-extended-you-body-mind-and.html Belk, R. W. (1988). “Possessions and the Extended Self”, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol 15, 2, pp. 139-168. 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