상품소비의 사회적 상징성과 소비자행동에 관한 고찰 : A Symbolic Interactionism Perspective 상징적 상호작용의 관점을 중심으로 = The Role of Products as Social Stimuli

국문 초록 (Abstract)

상품의 상징성에 관한 대부분의 실증적 논문들은 일상적인 사회생활에서 상품들이 소 비자들에 의해 어떻게 사용되고 있는지에 대해서 상대적으로 그다지 관심을 기울이지 않고 있다. 본 고에서는 많은 상품들을 소비함으로써 체득하는 주관적인 경험들이 사실상 소비자의 사회적 실체와 자아개념 그리고 행동의 구조화에 공헌하고 있다는 사실을 다양한 관련 2차자료의 고찰과 분석을 통한 연역적 방법에 의해 규명하고자 한다.
나아가, 소비자가 사회적 역할을 수행하는테 있어서 안내자로서의 역할을 하는 상품의 사회적 의미에 소비자가 보다 의존하고, 특히 그러한 역할 요구가 새로운 것일 때 더욱 의존하는 경향이 있다는 사실을 논의하고자 한다. 전통적인 마케팅 이론에서는 상품을 개인의 중요한 욕구에 대한 반응으로 간주해 온 반면, 본고에서는 "상품이 개인의 행동에 대해 중요한 자극물로써 작용한다" 라는 전제를 그 바탕에 두고 있다.
따라서 본 연구에서는 상징적 상호작용으로부터 응용된 개념을 통합함으로써, 상품 상 징성의 중요성을 "자기정의와 역할수행' 의 중재자로서 강조하고자 하는 것이다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

most empirical work on product symbolism has paid relatively little attention to how products are used by consumers in everyday social life. this paper argues that the subjective experience imparted by the consumption of many products substantially contributes to the consumer's structuring of social reality, self-concept, and behavior Moreover, the consumer often relies upon the social meanings inherent in products as a guide to the performance of social roles, especially when role demands are novels. While marketing theory traditionally views products as post hoc responses to underlying needs. the focus here is on conditions under which products serve as a prioistimuli to behavior. By integrating concepts adapted from symbolic interactionism, this approach stresses the importance of product symbolism as a mediator of self-definition and role performance.
A theory of symbolic consumption must account for the mechanism(s) by which the consumption of products is related to the rest of social behavior. this need echoes that voiced by others for a focus on social stimuli in consumer research(e.g., Schenk and Holman 1980). Given the central role of consumption in everyday social life, the behavioral sciences also need to address the lack of a theory of materialism-i.e., a theory that elucidates the relationship(5) between people and objects(Belk 1981; Csikszentmihalyi 1982).
The thrust of the present argument is that:
1. The symbolism embedded in many products is the primary reason for their purchase and use.
2. Individuals are evaluated and placed in a social nexus to a significant degree by the products which surround them.
3. The reflexive evaluation construct implies that the product symbolism which is instrumental in assigning meaning to others is also used by individuals to assign social identity to themselves.
4. The outcome of this self-definition process guides behavior via the script that is evoked.
5. Symbolic consumption can exert an a priori effect on role definition and interaction, especially in situations where internalized behavioral responses are lacking.
The Marketing Implications of this literature review are as follows.
First, "Non-Human Variables Affect Human Behavior" Products function as social entities which, much like other (human) role models, act as guides to behavior. The process of consumption is thus integrally related to the process of role-playing. This new emphasis seems warranted, especially given the robust impact of a variety of ecological variables on human interaction patte군 Various situational cues have been showen to affect consumer behavior (Belk 1974); the very layout of an office affectsthe tone of interactions that occur within it (Amira and Abramowitz 1979). If interpersonal relations are affected by factors such as heat (Bell and Baron 1976), crowding (Griffitt and Veitch 1971), and air pollution (Rotten et at. 1978), it seems likely that material goods, which are so central to self-expression and communication, have at least as much -if not more-impact. As one example, debates in such fields as law enforcement (Tenzel, Storms, and Sweetwood 1976) and health care (Brown and Gold Stein 1968) over the effects that uniforms versus civilian clothing have on service delivery attest to the potential impact of clothing symbolism upon role performance.
Second, "The Fluidity of Self-Concept"
Some past work has acknowledged that people employ products to influence how they appear to others in a given situation (e. g., Schenk and Holman 1980) While most work on self-concept and brand choice assumes that the consumer's actual and/or ideal self is static (e. g., Birdwell 1968; Dolich 1969), the present approach adopts a more fluid perspective. This assumption appears to be consistent with past psychological research on the self-concept (of Wylie 1961). As was recently observed by Sirgy (1982), this general approach has the advantage of acknowledging that consumers have many self-concepts; brand consumption may by highly related to self-image in one situation but not in another.
Third, "Products Define the Self" The concept of reflexive evaluation poses the question: When does the actor begin to believe in his or her own script? Under some circumstances (e. g., role transition), product symbolism may evoke a specific self-image. Behavior is then patterned to be consistent with the "me" that is called forth. Cooley's (1902) looking glass self provides a useful way of viewing this process. The feedback that the individual receives from the reflection of others' estimated appraisals results in a decision as to whom he or she "is" at that point. It is then that the individual can make conscious, minor adjustments to optimize the image quality communicated to others- that is products can be used to communicate role information after they have been used by their owner to decide what role should be communicated.
Fourth, "Consumers Are People Too"
If the focus of symbolic consumption is broadened to consider the a priori impact of material symbolism on behavior, the role of products in general theories of social behavior may be upgraded. In addition, marketers should be made more aware of the significance of products as determinants of behavior. An abundance of products and services-from clothing, automobils, cosmetics, and furniture to restaurants, office environments, and air lines-are rich in symbolic content. The nature of consumers' interactions with symbol systems may determine their attitudes toward them and toward themselves. A further integration of products with social science constructs is a challenge for both social psychologists and consumer behavior researchers. It is hoped that the theoretical input of the former can be blended with the empirical contributions of the latter to balance and extend our knowledge of symbolic consumption. The result may be a blurring of the sometimes artificial distinction between consumer behavior and human behavior.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• I. 서론
• II. 상징적 상호작용의 개요:사회적 대상으로서의 자신
• III. 상품과 사회적 행동
• IV. 상품의 상징성과 반사에 의한 평가
• V. 상품 상징성의 생산과 소비
• VI. 상품과 행동의 관계 : 역할수행과 인상관리
• VII. 결론