The Four Selves:
My Main Framework
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The Present Self is about decisions driven by the immediate environment. Think of ads, habits, attention.
It is is where attention studies and other cognitive functions are found (e.g. you buy the red product because you notice brighter colours). -
The Future Self is about decisions driven by downstream consequences. Think of health concerns, retirement, diet.
It is prevalent in economics and studies on future discounting (e.g. you pass on the cake now because you want to feel heathy later). -
The Internal Self is about decisions driven by internal triggers. Think of hunger, sugar level, gut microbiome.
It is often accessed through fMRI studies and physiological markers (e.g. you tend to eat chocolate when your blood sugar is low).
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The External Self is about decisions driven by external considerations. Think of status, culture, need for approval.
It is found in studies statistically noting the impact of others on purchases (e.g. you buy less flashy clothes when advised by a salesperson).
PRESENTED AT
Publicis
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Ogilvy
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DSM-Firmenich
•
ESSEC
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Publicis • Ogilvy • DSM-Firmenich • ESSEC •
Leveraging different areas of science
The Four Selves is leveraging different fields of science, while keeping a focus on the consumer experience. Psychology, Neuroscience, Economics, Sociology, can be incorporated without being bound by any.
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Explore how The Four Selves framework can help you investigate, understand, and test the decision-making paths consumers take to buy their products.
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