Previously I have said that man is primarily a pack animal and is critical to understanding our decisions including our purchase decisions. But why are we?
Man has never been that physically powerful. To survive on the plains and forests of Africa we needed to group together. As such we could protect ourselves from predators and limit the damage to our numbers to a few weaker members in the same way a herd of gazelle does. Additionally grouping together increases our chances of trapping wildebeests and feeding ourselves.
So the prime need for survival is to belong to a pack. A solitary person has much less chance of survival.
That need survives in our genes to this day, even if there are few lions to protect ourselves from and few buffalo to trap. They explain why we enjoy supporting sports teams; why it matters that we keep up with the Jones; why it matters that people know how much our BMW cost. Why people “collect” friends on Facebook; why we are addicted to our Blackberries; and why Canadian Idol can still get mass audiences in an age of personal media.
So far this is similar to Mark Earls’ idea of man as a herd animal (1). But he ignores one key element which is particularly true of pack animals and groups of apes – your status in the pack.
Another selection process was also at work in man’s history. Within the tribe the individuals with the most status got the best and most mates and so had the best chance to pass on their genes. So the need for status is also hard wired into our DNA. But we can’t all be the alpha, so the rest of us need some kind of status which gives us some hope of both survival and passing on our genes.
So different roles within the tribe exist. We can be the leader. Or we can be the one people turn to for comfort. Or the one who makes them laugh. Or the one we all laugh at. Each of these will affect what products we buy, what clothes we wear.
We choose products that reflect or slightly enhance our position in the pack.
And our latitude to choose products from outside the norm of the pack is constrained.
One concept from social psychology I really like is ‘idiosyncrasy credits”. (2) Essentially what this means is that when you join a group you are expected to conform to that group’s norms fairly tightly. However if you conform well and help the group succeed you are given idiosyncracy credits by the group. These allow you to deviate from the group’s norms – you can act and dress differently for example. You’re ability to do this and still be accepted by the group is an external display of your status within the group. Demonstrating your individuality within the constraints of the pack is a way of demonstrating your status within the pack.
So overall as pack animals we are driven by two needs - the need to belong and the need to demonstrate status. And while other survival needs exist e.g. caring for children as they carry our genes, it is these two that explain the majority of our behaviour.
1. “Herd” Mark Earls. John Wiley 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOqCHe355p4
2. Idiosyncracy Credits comes from “Leaders, groups and influence” E.P. Hollander New York : Oxford University Press, 1964. For a description online see http://books.google.ca/books?id=kqY8SQigMnwC&pg=PT122&dq=idiosyncrasy+credits#v=onepage&q=idiosyncrasy%20credits&f=false
