Here’s Looking at Me, Kid.

How we see ourselves is central to how we decide among alternatives.

Last summer I wrote a post about my Utility Tradeoff Model. Since then, quite a few of you have asked me to say more about the various tradeoff currencies. In particular, people really want more information about self-esteem. This makes sense, as qualitative research is indispensable to understanding self-image issues, and has been since its beginning. Remember the Betty Crocker cake mix story in that Utility Tradeoff Model piece? This is often where qualitative researchers earn their pay.

I’ve identified nine specific factors that seem to drive self-esteem and influence decision-making, and have trained myself to listen for them when conducting research.

Knowledge and skills. The things we know and can do are fundamental to how we see ourselves. If you know how to bake a cake from scratch, buying a cake mix could compromise your ability to activate and demonstrate that skill.

Possessions and wealth. I know, it’s shallow. But nobody is immune to seeing themselves through the lens of their stuff. If you just built an expensive new kitchen, you’re going to want to have people over for dinner instead of eating in a restaurant. Maybe you’ll even bake a cake.

Affiliation. We all want to be like Mike. The people, places and brands we associate ourselves with matter a great deal. There’s a reason GEICO pays that adorable little lizard so much money every year.

Altruism. Acts of sacrifice tend to make us feel good about ourselves. That’s why we’re so eager to pay a premium for eco-friendly products, and why nonprofits routinely publicize their donor lists. We also love to suffer for our children, despite how much we complain about it (and how ungrateful they are).

Nurturing. Much like sacrifice, the desire to feed, protect and care for those who depend upon us is hard-wired into our emotional makeup and profoundly influences our self-image—you can’t fight 60 million years of primate evolution. The impulse to nurture is as powerful as any human beings have. That’s why so many brands promise that using their products will make you a better parent.

Morality. Our moral code defines us as much as anything, and the morality mindset is probably the dominant lens through which we see the world and ourselves. For more about morality, read this recent blog post.

Control. We all want to exert influence, whether over ourselves, our circumstances or our environment. That’s one of the fundamental appeals of smart devices. It’s also why so many consumers prefer to buy multiple, separate OTC cough and cold products rather purchasing a single multi-symptom remedy.

Uniqueness/individuality. We all want to feel special, despite our crushing ordinariness. We particularly want to believe our children are unique. This is often at the heart of the appeal of home décor services, fashion consultation services, tutoring services and highly customizable products.

Ability to add value. Just about every premium haircare brand offers a full line of products to meet all of its consumers’ needs. However, only a very small percentage of a brand’s consumers use that one brand’s products to cover all their haircare needs. And why do jarred pasta sauce users insist on doctoring the product instead of serving it as-is? Because, by creating a customized product or array of products, users become part of the creation of the product’s benefits, thus generating additional value over and above the value provided by the products themselves. This act fosters considerable pride. If you’ve ever heard enthusiastic cooks describe the process by which they curated their collection of knives, you’ll know what I mean.

Obviously, this is my self-esteem checklist, based upon my own experiences as a researcher and a human. I’ve found it to be an indispensable tool, particularly when analyzing research results. However, I’d love to get the perspective of others on this topic. How do you look at self-esteem when conducting and analyzing research? What trends and consistencies have you noticed? What techniques do you use to spark discussion of self-image? Please get in touch and let me know.