BU432 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Ernest Dichter, Femininity, Materialism
Chapter 6: Personality, Lifestyles and Values
• Personality: Refers to a person’s unique psychological makeup and how it consistently
influences the way he or she responds to the environment
Consumer Behaviour on the Couch: Freudian Theory
• Freudian Systems
o Id: Component of the self that is oriented towards immediate gratification
▪ Operates according to the pleasure principle
▪ Maximize pleasure and avoid pain
▪ Selfish and illogical
▪ Does not think about consequences
o Superego: A person’s conscience
▪ Internalizes society’s rules
▪ Prevents the id from seeking selfish gratification
o Ego: Mediates between the id and superego
▪ Fights between temptation and virtue
▪ Realistic – wants to gratify id but in a way that is acceptable to the world
▪ Conflicts between the 2 forces happen in the unconscious level so the
person isn’t aware of the underlying reasons for behaviour
o Freud’s work highlights the importance of unconscious motives underlying
purchases
o Products may represent symbols – ex. For some males, a sports car symbolizes
sexual gratification and they spend hours taking care of the car
• Motivational Research:
o Based on Freudian ideas and Ernest Dichter
o Emphasis on unconscious motives
o Relies on in-depth interviews with individual consumers and probes into their
purchase motivations
o Some say that interpretations are subjective and conclusions are based on the
analyst’s judgement so some of this motivational research cannot be generalized
to the larger market
o Freudian theories carry strong sexual overtones and this emphasis tends to
overlook other causes of behaviour that are not related to companionship and
related desires
o Major motives for consumption by Ernest Dichter:
▪ Power/masculinity/virility
▪ Security
▪ Eroticism
▪ Moral purity/cleanliness
▪ Social acceptance
▪ Individuality
▪ Status
▪ Femininity
