Trait Approach to Personality

Trait Approach to Personality

There are many ways in which consumer researchers study traits. Not surprisingly, there are multiple approaches available for researchers. The following text lists the differences between nomothetic and idiographic approaches as well as single-trait and multiple-trait approaches.

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  Nomothetic approach  A “variable-centered” approach that focuses on particular variables, or traits, that exist across a number of consumers.
  
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  Idiographic approach  Focuses on the total person and the uniqueness of that person’s psychological makeup. Attention is not placed on individual traits or how they can be studied across multiple consumers. Rather, the focus is placed on understanding the complexity of each individual consumer.
  

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  Single-trait approach  Focus of the researcher is placed on one particular trait. Thus, researchers can learn more about the trait and how it affects behavior.
  
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  Multiple-trait approach  Combinations of traits are examined, and the total effect of the collection of traits is considered.
  

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A handful of important traits found when conducting consumer research are discussed below. They include the following:

1. Value Consciousness  An important concept in consumer behavior because it underlies tendencies to perform certain behaviors, such as redeeming coupons.

2. Materialism  Refers to the extent to which material goods are important in a consumer’s life. Most western cultures, including the United States, are generally thought to be relatively materialistic. A current trend is emerging in which people are beginning to downshift or reduce their material possessions. Older people tend to be less materialistic than younger people.

3. Innovativeness  Refers to the degree to which a consumer tends to be open to new ideas and buys new products, services, or experiences early in their introduction.

4. Need for Cognition – Refers to the degree to which consumers enjoy engaging in effortful cognitive information processing.

5. Competitiveness  An enduring tendency to strive to be better than others. The trait often emerges in the following ways:

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  When a consumer is directly competing with others
  
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  When a consumer enjoys winning vicariously through the efforts of others
  
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  When a consumer attempts to display some superiority over others by openly flaunting exclusive products
  

Other personality traits include frugality, impulsiveness, trait anxiety, bargaining proneness, and trait vanity.

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A multiple-trait perspective that proposes that the human personality consists of five traits (extroversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, stability, and conscientiousness) is called the five-factor model (FFM) approach. The FFM is illustrated in Exhibit 6.2.

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