To a substantially lesser degree we also base inferences about identity on group characteristic such as family background, national historical achievement and public symbols of cultural status (e.g., museums). Within contemporary Western cultures we are most accustomed to assessing the identity of self and others based on individual characteristics such as age, occupation, behavior, and various material symbols of individual status. This dimension bears a loose resemblance to Mary Douglas' (1970) concept of 'group'.

One significant difference in the nature of concepts of se is the degree to which identity is derived from individual traits and actions versus from group traits and actions. TWO DIMENSIONS OF DIFFERENCE IN CONCEPTS OF SELF The following comments provide a preliminary explication of these ideas. James 1890, Allport 1937, McClelland 1951, Prelinger 1959, Dixon and Street 1975, Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton 1981), it also follows that there may be systematic cross-cultural and cross-temporal differences in consumer behavior that arise from these differences in concepts of self.

And inasmuch as possessions are commonly viewed as a part of self (e.g.

It follows that these implicit theories of self may differ systematically between cultures and time periods that differ in the social roles and experiences provided for individuals. These differences in the sense of self are shown to have systematic effects on consumer behavior resulting in an increased role for possessions in defining identity in large scale modern cultures.Įpstein (1973) and Brim (1976) have insightfully suggested that our notions of who-we-are are not constant and are more properly regarded as individual theories that we test and revise according to our experience. Kinnear, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 754-763.Īdvances in Consumer Research VolPages 754-763ĬULTURAL AND HISTORICAL DIFFERENCES IN CONCEPTS OF SELF AND THEIR EFFECTS ON ATTITUDES TOWARD HAVING AND GIVINGĬoncepts or self differ between cultures and time periods in terms of the extent to which they are group-based versus individually-based and the extent to which they are based on ascribed characteristics, doing, or having. Belk (1984) ,'Cultural and Historical Differences in Concepts of Self and Their Effects on Attitudes Toward Having and Giving', in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 11, eds. These differences in the sense of self are shown to have systematic effects on consumer behavior resulting in an increased role for possessions in defining identity in large scale modern cultures. ABSTRACT - Concepts or self differ between cultures and time periods in terms of the extent to which they are group-based versus individually-based and the extent to which they are based on ascribed characteristics, doing, or having.

Notes towards the definition of culture