The word personality itself derives from the Latin word persona that refers to a theatrical mask work by performers in order to either project different roles or disguise their identities. Personality is the unique combination of emotional, attitudinal, and behavioural response patterns of an individual.
Personality can also be described as the psychological characteristics that both determine and reflect how a person responds to his or her environment. Although personality tends to be consistent and enduring, it may change abruptly in response to major life events, as well as gradually over time.
In the study of personality, the three distinct properties which are important are individual difference, consistent & enduring and change in personalities. The three main theories of personality are prominent in the study of consumer behaviour: psychoanalytic theory, neo-Freudian theory, and trait theory.
Freudian Theory
The theory is based on the premise that unconscious needs especially biological and sexual drives, are at the heart of human motivation and personality. Those who stress on Freudian theory, understands that human drives are unconscious and they are primarily unaware of their true reasons for buying what they buy. So, these researchers focus on the consumer purchases/situations, and take these traits as the consumer personality.
Non-Freudian Personality Theory
It emphasized on the basic role of social relationships in the formation and development of personality. Alfred Adler, viewed consumers as seeking to overcome feelings of inferiority. Harry Stack Sullivan believed that people try to establish significant and rewarding relationships among each other. Karen Horney saw individuals as trying to overcome feelings of anxiety and categorized them as compliant, aggressive, or detached.
Trait Theory It focuses on measuring the personality on the basis of psychological characteristics known as traits. Some
References: Consumer behaviour- Schiffman, Kanuk, Kumar Consumer Behaviour Module 6- Sangeeta Sahney, Vinod Gupta School of management Personality Characteristics of Market Mavens- Vito Brancaleone, La Trobe University, Australia and John Gountas, La Trobe University, Australia http://jvortega.wordpress.com/2013/01/19/personality-traits-and-consumer-behavior/ http://www.webpagefx.com/blog/internet-sales/how-to-sell-to-everyone-the-4-personality-types/ http://psychology.about.com/od/overviewofpersonality/a/persondef.htm http://www.slideshare.net/birubiru/personality-and-consumer-behavior-7038943