Write Notes on Following

Measurement of Motives, Personality and Self-Concept (Consumer Behaviour Notes)

(a) Measurement of Motives

(b) Personality and Self-Concept

1. Meaning and Importance of Motives

Motives are internal psychological forces that drive individuals to take action in order to satisfy needs. In consumer behaviour, understanding motives helps marketers identify why consumers buy, prefer, or avoid certain products. Measuring these motives enables better market segmentation, product positioning, and advertising strategies.

2. Methods for Measuring Consumer Motives

• Self-Report Methods (Questionnaires & Scales)

These include structured tools like Likert scales, surveys, and motive inventories.

• ✔ Easy to administer and cost-effective
• ✔ Provides quantitative data
• ✖ May suffer from social desirability bias

• Projective Techniques

Techniques such as Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), story completion, and sentence completion help uncover hidden motives.

• ✔ Reveals unconscious or sensitive motives
• ✖ Requires expert interpretation

• In-depth Interviews & Free Association

Unstructured discussions allow researchers to explore deeper psychological drivers.

• ✔ Provides rich qualitative insights
• ✖ Time-consuming and difficult to generalize

• Observation and Ethnography

Studying consumers in real-life settings like homes or stores.

• ✔ Captures actual behaviour
• ✖ Motives are inferred, not directly measured

• Experimental Methods

Researchers manipulate variables to observe changes in consumer behaviour.

• ✔ Helps establish cause-effect relationships
• ✖ Artificial environments may influence results

• Physiological and Neuromarketing Tools

Includes eye-tracking, EEG, heart rate monitoring, etc.

• ✔ Objective measurement of attention and emotional response
• ✖ Expensive and requires technical expertise

• Implicit Measures (IAT)

Reaction-time tests to measure subconscious preferences.

• ✔ Less biased by conscious thinking
• ✖ Complex to interpret

• Diaries and Experience Sampling

Consumers record their daily experiences and feelings.

• ✔ Captures real-time motives
• ✖ Risk of incomplete data

3. Steps in Motive Measurement Research

1. Define research objectives
2. Select appropriate methods (often a combination)
3. Design research tools
4. Conduct pilot testing
5. Collect data ethically
6. Analyze results (qualitative & quantitative)
7. Interpret findings for decision-making

4. Validity and Reliability Issues

• Reliability: Consistency of results
• Validity: Accuracy in measuring actual motives
• Combining multiple methods improves research accuracy

5. Marketing Applications

• Identifying emotional triggers behind purchases
• Understanding brand loyalty
• Improving product design and advertising strategies

(b) Personality and Self-Concept

1. Definitions

• Personality: A set of consistent psychological traits influencing behaviour
• Self-Concept: An individual’s perception of themselves (“Who am I?”)

2. Major Personality Theories

• Trait Theory

Focuses on measurable traits like the Big Five:

• Openness
• Conscientiousness
• Extraversion
• Agreeableness
• Neuroticism

• Psychoanalytic Theory

Emphasizes unconscious motives and inner conflicts

• Social Learning Theory

Behaviour is shaped through learning and experience

• Humanistic Theory

Focuses on self-growth and self-actualization

3. Measurement of Personality

• Psychometric tests (Big Five, MBTI)
• Behavioural data (purchase patterns)
• Digital footprints (social media activity)

4. Components of Self-Concept

• Actual Self: How a person sees themselves
• Ideal Self: How they want to be
• Social Self: How others see them
• Ideal Social Self: Desired perception by others
• Extended Self: Possessions linked to identity (e.g., car, phone)

5. Role in Consumer Behaviour

• Personality influences preferences and decision-making
• Consumers choose brands that match their self-image (Self-Congruity Theory)
• Products act as symbols of identity (symbolic consumption)

6. Marketing Implications

• Develop brand personality aligned with target consumers
• Use self-image-based advertising
• Segment markets using psychographics (AIO: Activities, Interests, Opinions)
• Offer product customization for identity expression
• Leverage influencers representing aspirational selves

7. Examples

• Apple appeals to creativity, innovation, and status
• Patagonia attracts environmentally conscious consumers

8. Limitations

• Personality does not fully predict behaviour
• Self-concept changes across situations
• Ethical concerns in consumer profiling

📌 Conclusion

Measuring motives requires a combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques to understand both conscious and unconscious consumer drivers. Personality and self-concept play a crucial role in shaping consumer preferences, influencing brand choices, and enabling marketers to create effective, personalized strategies.

Academic Note

For official syllabus and updates related to M.Com courses, you can visit
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You can also refer to previous year question papers of Consumer Behaviour (M.Com III) for better exam preparation.