| The various aspects of social psychology could be | | | | such as risk taking and curiosity, purchasing behaviour |
| examined within the wide concepts of intelligence, | | | | and purchasing frequency and demographic variables |
| gender, advertising, consumer culture, stress and | | | | such as age and gender. Contemporary consumer |
| psychological issues that define society. Considering | | | | culture could be studied in relation to an excessive |
| consumer behaviour, social psychology uses | | | | emphasis on beauty and appearance and an |
| convincing theories to explain addictive consumption, | | | | obsession with youth, a phenomenon that has seen an |
| the influence of advertising and the phenomenon of | | | | increased dependence on cosmetic surgery. The |
| purchasing. Advertising is seen as a subtle | | | | increased importance of the body in the consumer |
| psychological manipulation as it creates desires and | | | | culture could be studied along with the significance of |
| anxiety in the potential consumers (Papers4you.com, | | | | appearance in modern society, the role of marketing |
| 2006). Advertising can have both psychological and | | | | and advertising images, and the psychological need for |
| commercial aspects including misattribution, bias, | | | | self-expression (Papers4you.com, 2006). |
| suggestibility, and could be studied from global or local | | | | Social psychology is however focused not just on |
| perspectives. Organisational consumption is seen as | | | | consumption and public attitudes on advertising, but |
| different from individual consumption although generic | | | | also on group behaviour, general individual and |
| psychological theories of human motivation such as | | | | collective attitudes towards various social issues |
| that of Maslow and Freud can explain consumer | | | | including war, work, violence and quality of life. This |
| behaviour. However consumer behaviour can also be | | | | would in turn explain how individuals deal with stress, |
| studied in terms of the notion of quality and its relation | | | | and focus on the psychological consequences of |
| to customer satisfaction (Silva et al, 2005). The | | | | stress. Although psychological disorders may in some |
| objective measures of customer needs, pricing and | | | | cases be a direct result of social stress, deviant |
| expectations of the customers may have to be | | | | behaviour in society could be explained with the help of |
| analysed within Service Quality or Expectations | | | | several theories such as the theory of subcultures by |
| models. Hogg and Garrow (2003) highlighted on the | | | | Parker, the structural strain theory by Merton, or the |
| psychological aspects of gender and the influence on | | | | theory of conformity. Social psychology is thus |
| consumption of advertising. Advertising has been found | | | | focused on explaining a wide range of issues from |
| to be processed and interpreted differently according | | | | advertising and consumer behavior to public attitudes |
| to gender schemas and perceptions. This would in turn | | | | on social issues and antisocial behaviour. |
| relate to psychological theories of gender such as the | | | | Bibliography |
| theory of biological determinism, Freudian theory of | | | | Hogg M.K.; Garrow J. (2003) Gender, identity and the |
| personality development, cognitive-developmental | | | | consumption of advertising Qualitative Market |
| theory, and feminist theories. Bridging the gap between | | | | Research: An International Journal, Volume 6, Number |
| gender studies and gender differences in consumption | | | | 3, June, pp. 160-174(15) |
| could provide us with new insights on social and | | | | Orth, Ulrich R.(2005) Consumer personality and other |
| psychological aspects of consumer behavior. Orth | | | | factors in situational brand choice variation The Journal |
| (2005) indicated that consumer behaviour largely | | | | of Brand Management, Volume 13, Number 2, |
| depends on consumer personality and susceptibility to | | | | November, pp. |
| interpersonal influence, consumer situational disposition | | | | |