McGuire’s Psychological Motivations is a classification system that organizes theories of motives into 16 categories. The system helps
marketer
Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of business management and commerce.
Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or manufacturer. Products can ...
s to isolate motives likely to be involved in various
consumption
Consumption may refer to:
* Eating
*Resource consumption
*Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically known as consumption
* Consumer (food chain), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms
* Consumption (economics), the purchasing of n ...
situations.
Categories
McGuire first divided the motivation into two main categories using two criteria:
# Is the mode of motivation
cognitive
Cognition is the "mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...
or
affective
Affect, in psychology, is the underlying experience of feeling, emotion, attachment, or mood. It encompasses a wide range of emotional states and can be positive (e.g., happiness, joy, excitement) or negative (e.g., sadness, anger, fear, dis ...
?
# Is the motive focused on preservation of the
status quo
is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...
or on growth?
Then for each division in each category he stated there is two more basic elements.
# Is this behavior actively initiated or in response to the
environment?
# Does this behavior help the individual achieve a new internal or a new external
relationship to the environment?
Divisions of categories
#Cognitive Preservation Motives
#:a. Need for
Consistency
In deductive logic, a consistent theory is one that does not lead to a logical contradiction. A theory T is consistent if there is no formula \varphi such that both \varphi and its negation \lnot\varphi are elements of the set of consequences ...
(active, internal)
#: b. Need for Attribution (active, external)
#: c. Need to categorize (passive, internal)
#: d. Need for
objectification
In social philosophy, objectification is the act of treating a person as an object or a thing. Sexual objectification, the act of treating a person as a mere object of sexual desire, is a subset of objectification, as is self-objectification, th ...
(passive, external)
#Cognitive Growth Motives
#: a. Need for
Autonomy
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...
(active, internal)
#: b. Need for
Stimulation
Stimulation is the encouragement of development or the cause of activity in general. For example, "The press provides stimulation of political discourse." An interesting or fun activity can be described as "stimulating", regardless of its physic ...
(active, external)
#: c. Teleological Need (passive, internal)
#: d. Utilitarian Need (passive, external)
#Affective Preservation Motives
#: a. Need for Tension Reduction
#: b. Need for Expression (active, external)
#: c. Need for Ego Defense (passive, internal)
#: d. Need for Reinforcement (passive, external)
#Affective Growth Motives
#: a. Need for Assertion (active, internal)
#: b. Need for Affiliation (active, external)
#: c. Need for Identification (passive, internal)
#: d. Need for Modeling (passive, external)
See also
*
Inoculation theory
Inoculation theory is a Social psychology, social psychological/communication theory that explains how an Attitude (psychology), attitude or belief can be made resistant to persuasion or influence, in analogy to how a body gains resistance to disea ...
References
*Hawkins, D, Mothersbaugh, D, & Best, R (2007). Consumer Behaviour: Building Marketing Strategy. New York City: McGraw-Hill.
*Loudon, D. L. & Della Bitta, A. J. 1993. Consumer Behavior: Concepts and applications. 4th ed. Singapore: McGraw-Hill. p 326-328.
Classification systems
Marketing
Motivational theories