The Concept of Sex Appeal and Its Influence on the Consumer Essay Example for Free

The Concept of Sex Appeal and Its Influence on the Consumer Essay More complex variables such as confidence and the personal interpretation of the individual’s beauty/attractiveness may give us more insight into the underlying psychological and sociological purchasing patterns of today’s consumer. The first hand research for this topic will be carried out with a questionnaire designed and created by the members of the group and thereafter each part will be worked on and analyzed mutually. Many question why sex appeal is used so frequently in advertising, never becoming an outdated phenomenon of the past like so many other techniques. The study of consumer behaviour is very much connected with the area of psychology. Few people know that when being subjected to advertising they may be influenced on a far greater scale then they could ever imagine. The first aspect which must be taken into consideration is sex. In our current modernized lives where survival is a word used less frequently, many forget about the urges humans have inherited over thousands of years. Abraham Maslow’s diagram of the hierarchy of needs displays the ranking of necessities for human survival, â€Å"The basis of Maslows theory is that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Anon, 2007) It is observed that once a human fulfills a need, he then progresses to the next level to ultimately strive to reach the last level which is self actualization. The first level deals with physiological needs which encompasses breathing, food, water, sleep, homeostasis, excretions and last but not least, sex. This drive that humans have, which plays a fundamental role in survival, can help justify why marketing experts use sex appeal as a vital part in advertising their products. With this valuable knowledge, advertising professionals are able to reach their target customers on a subconscious level. The use of sex can be compared to shock advertisements such as those in anti-smoking or obesity campaigns. In terms of marketing, all publicity can be beneficial to the company so the main objective is to shock. Kandarp Baxi, the accounts director for Chase advertising states the following about the use of sex appeal; â€Å"There is little that the product is offering that is different from others. When technological differentiation is neither noticeable nor long-lived, you need to improve the intangible experience. Put simply, the attempt is to position them to shock† (Seth, 2005). Studies have shown that sex in advertising can generate feelings of happiness, risk-taking and pleasure all desirable traits for the distributor of the product. During a study at Stanford University, a group of male students were asked to look at revealing sexual images of women and were then given money to gamble with on a random chance game. Either a dollar or a dime could be won, though the chance of winning was always the same. The men who had looked at provocative images were more likely to make greater financial risks then those who were shown neutral images (office supplies) or scary images (snakes and spiders) which generally risked less. Brian Knutson, a psychologist at Stanford expresses â€Å"its all about the power of emotion and arousal and our financial decisions†¦ What really matters is that the sexy woman is having an emotional impact. That bleeds over into your financial decisions. (Borenstein, 2008) I’m sure many have experienced the need to buy when they are unhappy. This materialism is more prominent in consumers with lower self esteem. People that do not feel positively about themselves are generally more insecure and therefore try to fill this emptiness in their lives with products. Sex appeal in advertising can negatively impact the consumer which lacks self confidence as the overly styled images of beautiful and sensual faces act as bait. The more unhappy one is, the more one will depend on products and buyable commodities to ease this self doubt. A study conducted by researchers from the university of Illinois and Minnesota stated that â€Å"By the time children reach early adolescence, and experience a decline in self-esteem, the stage is set for the use of material possessions as a coping strategy for feelings of low self-worth. (Sato, 2007). The article also explains that a lot in terms of societal happiness has changed over the past 50 years, â€Å"Yet as societies become richer, they do not become happier. In fact, the First World has more depression, more alcoholism and more crime than fifty years ago. † Along with the need to earn more to be able to consume more comes a range of problems which use the consumer as their prime target. Compulsive shopping is a disorder continuously affecting insecure consumers. This sickness was discovered by German psychiatrist, Emil Krapelin and is â€Å"characterised by an irresistible urge to buy items that are either unneeded or unwanted†¦most compulsive buyers are young women who spend excessive amounts on clothing, shoes and makeup. † (Andreasen Et. Al, 2006) Here one can identify that these affected have self low esteem as they are purchasing mass amounts of products that have been designed and created to increase the physical appearance of the consumer. It is assumed that between 1. and 2% of our population are affected by this disorder (Day, 1997) University of London psychologist Kevin Gourney found that â€Å"63 per cent of people with a shopping problem went on a spree when they felt depressed† (Day, 1997) When describing why most of compulsive shopping sufferers are women he blamed marketing strategies â€Å"They are also deluged with advertising for clothes, cosmetics and perfumes†. Andreasen. N, Black. D (2006) Intr oductory Textbook of Psychiatry, American Psychiatric Pub. Inc, pp. 360

Language of Extremes in Romeo and Juliet :: Free Essay Writer

Language of Extremes in Romeo and Juliet "I have no joy of this contract tonight. It is too rash, too sudden, Too like the lightning which doth cease to be Ere one can say it lightens." (2.1.159-162) Juliet prophesies her own doom from her balcony, an acknowledgment that does nothing to curb the rashness she identifies in their twenty-four hour meeting, engagement, and marriage. It is of course impossible to gauge Shakespeare’s personal interpretations of his characters’ actions, and since the action of the story comes directly from a long narrative poem by Arthur Broke, and Broke got his material from a French story, which was adapted from an Italian work by Bandello, who was working from earlier texts, Shakespeare cannot exactly be looked to as the final authority for the moral worth of Romeo and Juliet’s actions anyway. Since Shakespeare’s feeling cannot be evaluated, theories about Romeo and Juliet’s actions can be weighed without worrying about original intent. One argument is that Romeo and Juliet were actually quite misled in their actions, that instead of a celebration of uncontrollable passion, the play should be seen as a condemnation of rashness. Toward this, Juliet’s admission on the balcony is very important. The line betrays not only a rational apprehension of the impetuousness of their acts, but a supernatural misgiving, a portent of impending doom, which Romeo also betrays before the Capulet party: "...My mind misgives Some consequence yet hanging in the stars Shall bitterly begin his fearful date With this night’s revels, and expire the term Of a despised life, closed in my breast, By some vile forfeit of untimely death." (1.4.106-111) The idea of fate is hard to pin down in this play. Fate as a fact of life or a deity is not found in the Italian context like it would be in Greek tragedy or Greek and ancient Roman settings, but these lines from the two young heroes show that fate is there, undefined, but present and deadly still. Friar Laurence, at once both a religious icon and a humanistic one, seems to dispute the supernatural power of fate: "These violent delights have violent ends, And in their triumph die like fire and powder, Which as they kiss consume. The sweetest honey Is loathsome in his own deliciousness, And in the taste confounds the appetite. Therefore, love moderately. Long love doth so." (2.5.9-14) His speech throws the responsibility of moderation on the lovers, not to fate or heaven (as the Prince will in the final scene of the play).

The Ethical use of cell phones

The morals and values combine to form ethics, technology and the changes it brings in todays society, the effect of cell phones, the different use of the cell phone, and who can use their cell phones in the nursing homes. Ethics describes a system of morals that are studied, recommended, and accepted by society. These unwritten rules, made up of morals and values combine to form ethics. If something is ethical, it falls within the realm of behavior that society prefers.The unethical uses of the cell phones in the nursing homes workers are hose behaviors that society deems right when on the cell phone it is a combination of laws, manners and common sense. Camera phones can be a difficult privacy issue. ( http://www. ehow. com/about_5165198_ethical- uses-cell-phones. html) daily basis. The use of the cell phones has the biggest affect in this country. People either use it to communicate or even surf the web, to find various information that they are trying to inquire about.This is one use of technology is how people keep up with stocks, education, paying bills, knowing what is going on with their Job, and maintaining their busy schedules. Using this type of technology can help you to stay on top of your entire task and agendas and still stay in communication. Cell phones are the way many people communicate in the world. We use this device to keep in touch with our love ones when they are near or far away. With cell phones you can communicate with people Just about anywhere in the world.You have options of paying your bills, checking the weather; surf the internet. Use the built-in calculator for simple math, send or receive e-mail, play games, watch TV, send text messages, and last but not least keep track of all appointments, and set reminders when they are needed. So the corporation state that the use of the camera violate the HIPPA program, so they should ban cell phones because of the camera, and sound recorder functions? Next we ban cameras, sound recorders, telephones, and even Laptops. How about electric lights and hot tap water?Maybe we should ban pencils, pens, and paper so we can't write anything on our hands that we can take out of the building? Just like how the doctors' know when and where to use their cell phone, so do the direct care staff. It's not the technology, it's the users. I think a few of us have commented on the very valid point that the perpetrators were in violation f several laws and the ethical standards of the profession. Let's see them get the punishment they have earned. But misusing a tool won't stop by removing the tool; there always will be substitutes.Perhaps not having a phone in your hand was a luxury a few years ago, but today, it's expected. I will not answer personal calls and really I don't believe that personal calls to staff of any kind (yes, I do mean the sick family members, the kids in school, and the spouses stuck in traffic) should be validated (http://allnurses. com/nursing- news/lawmakers-c urb-cell-392956-page3. html) These cell phones come in all shapes, olors, and sizes for our personal use. The cell phones are in such demand for this nation because they are very convenient.

Altruism - Definition in the Study of Sociology

Definition: Altruism is the tendency to see the needs of others as more important than one’s own and to therefore be willing to sacrifice for others. In one of his major books (Suicide) Emile Durkheim saw altruism as the basis for patterns of suicide in some societies in which people might identify so strongly with a group or community that they would readily sacrifice themselves to protect its interests or to uphold its traditions.