Robert F. Rhone
This topic is not one that has much prominence in our current curriculum. Below I have included some background information that will be useful for teachers to have.
There are volumes of information gathered by corporations about the psychology of their consumers. For a business to be successful what better information could be collected than of the way their customers think and feel about goods. A prime example is the Handbook of Consumer Psychology, an over 1,000 page text written by three psychologists discussing and analyzing information and research done about the psychology of consumers and how to manipulate them.
Below is a chart describing consumer's attitude toward making decisions.(Haugtvedt225)
The most pertinent piece of information may be the very last box, showing us that teenager's perspective on purchasing is based mainly on social context. This means many things. Including social norms and roles that teenagers see themselves fitting. We can also see from the chart how children's decision-making ability changes over time and how, according to these psychologists, teens make decisions depending on many different variables. Showing students this information could be beneficial. At least explaining to them how on some levels we look to others to show us what is cool and what to buy, so they can be aware of the cycle of consumption they are part of.
