Freudian Theory

"Sigmund Freud's theory was that most of one's adult personality stems from a conflict between a person's desire to satisfy her physical needs and the necessity to function as a responsible member of society."^[1]

This conflict is carried out in the mind in three systems:

1. The id

2. The superego

3. The ego ^[2]

^[3] 

The Id

-Immediate gratification

-"the party animal" of the mind

-Operates according to the pleasure principle

Pleasure principle: our basic desire to maximize pleasure and avoid pain

-Directs a person towards satisfying their pleasures without any regard to consequences^[4]

The Superego

-The opposite of the id, counters the id

-This is essentially a person's conscience

-Works according to society's rules, usually as our parents taught them to us, and prevents the id from seeking selfish gratification^[5]

The Ego

-Mediates between superego and id

-The "referee" of the fight between temptation and virtue

-Balances the opposing desires using the reality principle

Reality principle: Finding ways to gratify the id that the outside world (society) will find acceptable

-These conflicts occur on a subconscious level, person not aware of the reasons of their behavior^[6]

^[7]

How Does This Affect Consumers?

-Consumer researchers have started using some of Freud's ideas

-Consumers can't always discern their true motivation for choosing to buy a certain product, could be considered a subconscious choice

-Freud's theory emphasizes that the internal conflicts between desire and societal expectations IS subconscious

-Therefore, the theory is that consumers satisfy their unacceptable desires by using acceptable products that are symbols of those secret desires

-By purchasing a product, the consumer is experiencing the "forbidden fruit"; the product is a symbol of the consumer's true goal, which might be socially unacceptable/unattainable.^[8]

Sexual Symbolism?

-Most Freudian theories in marketing are related to the products' sexual symbolism.

-Some analysts have speculated that owning a sports car is a substitute for sexual gratification. (Midlife crisis)

-Popular applications of Freud's ideas involve the use of objects that resemble sex organs (e.g. cigars, trees, swords for male sex organs; tunnels for female sex organs)^[9]

-This focus on sexual symbolism comes from Freud's main line of work which was his analysis of dreams; Freud thought dreams communicated repressed desires through symbols.^[10]

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