The Personality Continuum and Consumer Behavior

(Hardback)

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Why do consumers behave as they do Why do some make consistent, predictable, and rational choices among competing products while others demonstrate inconsistent, unpredictable, and irrational purchasing patterns Why do some people and not others become compulsive shoppers The answers lie in the individual's personality organization. Albanese has formulated an operational approach to the organization of the personality of an individual from psychoanalytic object relations theory combined with an interpersonal theory of the personality. He relates this to the neoclassical theory of the consumer. The results are encapsulated in the Personality Continuum, an integrative framework drawing on the disciplines of economics, sociology, psychology, and anthropology. This multidisciplinary conceptual construct does not exclude any approach to the study of consumer behavior, and will therefore be of interest to scholars and practitioners in all of these fields, as well as in marketing.

Reviews

"Paul Albanese has written a definitive account of personality theory and its relation to economic phenomena in general and to consumer behavior in particular. Covering a broad spectrum of approaches to personality theory, this comprehensive and meticulously researched work will become a standard reference for all those interested in the psychoanalytic aspects of consumption."-Morris B. Holbrook William T. Dillard Professor of Marketing, Columbia University Graduate School of Business
"The conventional wisdom among consumer behaviorists is that personality research is dead. Fortunately, Paul Albanese's brilliance has never been constrained by conventionality. This book is a masterly interdisciplinary work that brings object relations theory into contact with consumer choice and marketing management. Paul Albanese's book has profound implications for marketing academicians but also for economists and psychologists. It should find a place on the bookshelves of every professional involved with understanding consumer behavior."-Gordon Foxall Professor of Consumer Behavior and Professor of Psychology Keele University, England
"This book is a jewel. Albanese presents a highly original framework for explaining consumer behavior that is steeped in objects relations theory. Especially noteworthy are the rich interdisciplinary focus and the emphasis on processes of development and growth. This book is a major addition to the current literature."-Richard Bagozzi Rice University
"Why do consumers behave the way they do To find an answer to this deceivingly simple question the Paul Albanese's book is a must. This book will take you on a profound and complex journey. Albanese integrates findings from various schools of psychoanalysis, psychology, sociology, anthropology, behavioral economics, and consumer behavior. Using his framework of the "personality continuum" he raises our understanding of the behavior of consumers to another level. I highly recommend this book to students of human behavior."-Manfred Kets de Vries Raoul de Vitry d'Avaucourt Professor of Human Resource Management INSEAD, France & Singapore

Author Bio

PAUL J. ALBANESE is Assistant Professor of Marketing at Kent State University. An economist by training, he has spent the past 20 years researching personality and consumer behavior.