Although Carl Jung might be best known for his theories on introversion and extroversion, we marketers need to take note of Jung's theory of Individuation. Also known as his Self-Realization theory, his premise that throughout our lives we really project four different personalities, provides marketers with a good framework on how to address, and when to address, the different priorities, perspectives, and values of our individual customers. Jung maintains that when we hit our mid 30's, our values shift from one of materialism, and self-focus, to those more aligned with defining our life's mission, and that as we get into our even later years, our focus becomes altruistic and on our life's legacy.
Jung also, like other psychologists, teaches that most of what we do is unconscious, and that our psyche is really one of mass confusion. If this is the case, as other psychologists agree that it is, we need to adapt our marketing messages to appeal to the unconscious mind as it changes for each of Jung's stages of our individuation in addition to the changing influences of the generations consumers pass through in their life cycle.
Complicated? To say the least, but when we marketers study how the human psyche works, rationally and irrationally, we get a much better window into what we need to do to adapt our brands to adapt to the ever changing and oh so complex consumer.
Some great resources to help you understand the unconscious drivers of the consumer mind include, "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahnemann, "Drive," by Daniel Pink, and of Dan Ariely's, "Predictably Irrational."
Please share your thoughts on Jung's theory of Individuation and how marketers can embrace it for success.
