VALS and Values:

So I took the VALS survey. Apparently I am primarily an Achiever while secondarily an Experiencer.

Achievers are goal oriented. They are people who are deeply committed to their family and careers. To quote the site: "Their social lives reflect this focus and are structured around family, their place of worship, and work. Achievers live conventional lives, are politically conservative, and respect authority and the status quo. They value consensus, predictability, and stability over risk, intimacy, and self-discovery." Achievers are focused on buying products that show that they are accomplished.

Experiencers are, well, all about the experience. They love self expression, and being creative. The site has this to say about experiencers: "Young, enthusiastic, and impulsive consumers, Experiencers quickly become enthusiastic about new possibilities but are equally quick to cool. They seek variety and excitement, savoring the new, the offbeat, and the risky. Their energy finds an outlet in exercise, sports, outdoor recreation, and social activities." Experiencers like fashion and focus on buying things that make them feel good or that are new. Experiencers like having cool, new stuff


I'm not sure either of these really are a good representation of what kind of consumer I am.

First of all, for the most part, I don't like to shop. Both categories mentioned fashion, which I do not care about. I like looking good, but I primarily look for function when shopping.

I don't know how accurate this survey was. I'm not sure which category I think I should fit into, but I didn't think that the survey was particularly accurate; perhaps I just don't see myself as a consumer.

I almost like top think of myself as being outside the world of products and advertisement. Is this just ego? I don't think so, because I think of myself as someone who is hard to sell to. I don't go shopping for new gadgets, and I don't watch television (which means that I'm not bombarded by adds all the time).

Maybe I can't see my own consumerism... this survey has been useful as it made me question whether I fit into the system of capitalism in my culture. Interesting...