Who Am I Really? Concept of the Self, Body Image, and Buying Behavior

Abstract

Linking the symbolic value of goods purchased in the marketplace with the psychological construct of an individual’s self-concept can be seen as a specific means of developing a theoretical approach to consumer behavior. Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are affected by our sense of who we are, and the label we put on ourselves, and our self-concepts become parts of our identity as soon as we begin to strive to ‘be’ that person (Reed et al. 2012). The purpose of this article is to develop relational hypotheses based on a synthesis of earlier research to explain how perceptions and the concept of the self have an impact on consumer behavior. Alongside, the proposed model advances a premise that consumers’ self-identity is tightly connected to their body images, which in turn is shaped by other factors such as culture and media.