Can you think of this thinking ?

I came across a very interesting concept today. Before presenting that concept to you, I will specify the backdrop for the later.

When it comes to consumers’ purchase behavior, the first step in the process of purchase is the recognition of a need. If we go the psychological aspect of it, there lays a motivation to fulfill the needs. The key to motivation is a goal, wherein a prospective buyer decides the objective of his/her behavior or response to a need.

The prospect may succeed in achieving a goal in terms of getting the desired result or may fail. To elaborate on this concept, let me give an example. Suppose, a middle-aged woman recognizes the need to look younger. So, the need is to counter the effects of ageing and the goal is to look younger. The prospect may not be able to attain the goal because of constraints like financial constraints as the product is supposedly a high-end product. This leads to an unfulfilled goal that in turn leads to frustration.

Now, people do have several defense mechanisms to counter their frustration. Among others, one such way is daydreaming. Though the exemplified woman may not be able to attain her goal to look younger, she can be involved in daydreaming, thinking of great applause and appreciation on her looks in the society. This dimension of defense mechanism is referred to as Autistic Thinking. Autistic thinking doesn’t fulfill the unsatisfied need, but it fends off the affect of failure in terms of goal attainment, may be for a short while.

Well, marketers capitalize on this thinking too. For example, in a Lux TVC, a girl aspires to look like the celebrity and there lies a hint of autistic thinking in the content of the advertisement. Click here to see the advertisement.