In this way, only those products or brands symbolized as similar to the self-concept will maintain or enhance the self in matching the product or brand images to the images of himself (Dolich, 1969), implying that the consumer will tend to purchase the product whose image is closest to his own. Landon and Laird (1974) propose that dissonance, on the other hand, may lead the consumer to believe that the product actually expresses his true self and that there is a more subtle possibility that consumers may come to change their image of itself after certain purchases. Accordingly, the self-image congruence model assumes a cognitive matching process between a product's image and the consumer's self-image. Indeed, modified consumption changes both the “I” and the “me” in the hope of moving closer to the “I” in choosing products that better reflect the true “I” (Mittal, 2006). A clear interpretation of this may convey that individuals have a desire to bridge the gap between their current state of perceived self-image and an idealized and improved self-image. This disparity between the two can be bridged through the act of consumption in an attempt to move from the former to the latter. Different incidences, Mittal (2006) explains, can allow the consumer to choose products that index the desired “I”, which are shaped to shape the “I”, particularly the vision of the “I” embodied in consumption. Like most individuals who are not completely satisfied with themselves, they will always try to improve or alter their self as it is something that continually changes between people and over time (Belk, 1998). Likewise, it conforms to the notion of postmodernism which holds that the self is, in some way, a coherent construction and suggests that the core values of the card for products develop greater acceptance of the product. or rejection due to the similarity of these values to the self (Dolich, 1969). Consumers will be less likely to purchase from brands that reference the ideal self-image if their ideal self-image is inconsistent with the product image. Therefore, careful consideration should be given to consumer psychology when psychological involvement is used as a promotional tool for brand differentiation (Dolich, 1969). Mittal (2006) criticizes such image-based measurement as it concerns its moderation, the content of which needs a more complete accounting. Since many consumer activities are related to self-definition, it is not surprising to learn that consumers demonstrate consistency between their image and the products they purchase, but not exclusively, on the basis that they are self-relevant when constructing the self..
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