Essay Example on Veganism: From Real Self to Ideal Self

Vegans are a group of people who do not consume animal products. The word "vegan" was coined by a group of vegetarians who broke away from the vegetarian society in England to form a vegan society. Veganism is, therefore, a way of life that attempts to exclude all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty through abstaining from the consumption of animal products (Thun, 2019). Veganism in an individual can be motivated by either real self or the ideal self. In an authentic self, the desire to consume and exploit animal products is avoided naturally without necessarily having an external motivation (Waters, 2018).

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Veganism on ideal self, however, is motivated by social influence like ethics, religious beliefs, environmental sustainability and personal health (Waters, 2018). Ethically-motivated vegans usually attribute their identity to animal welfare issues. Such ethics are grounded on the sense that animals should not be subjected to unnecessary pain and suffering. Adoption of a vegan identity can also be influenced by gender and other social factors. This paper seeks to discuss reasons why people buy vegan foods referring to McDonald's, Ed's Easy Diner and TGI Fridays to explore whether the real or ideal self motivates the customers' behaviour.

The real self indicates a person who you is and takes into account how we think, feel, look and act. Other people will see the real self because people have no means of knowing how others genuinely view them. The real self is the genuine or authentic self where one starts being open-hearted, trusting and spontaneous (Purnama & Setiawan, 2017). However, the ideal self indicates how a person wants to be. The ideal self is an image of what people have developed over time, based on learning and experience with the environment. The ideal self could include what one has learnt from parents, what society promotes, and what a person admires from others (Purnama & Setiawan, 2017). In Ideal self, one does not have a choice as there are outside forces that influences the expressions of natural preferences, needs, and desires.

The example one products are the McDonald's Spicy Veggie and four veggie dippers. The spicy veggie one is vegan approved and contains 1537kJ. Its ingredients include "red pesto goujons with spicy relish, tomato, lettuce and red onion in a soft, toasted tortilla wrap" (McDonald's, par. 1). The four veggie dippers are "vegan certified by the Vegetarian Society and contain 1339 kJ, made of a tasty blend of red pepper and sundried pesto, all coated in crispy golden breadcrumbs" (McDonald's, par.1). In this case, the McDonald's products consumer is ideal self in that, Bertschy, (2020) argues that she will eat vegan because she needs to look healthy, giving examples of her cousins and other family members who are vegans and seems to admire them. She continues to explain how it requires some degree of commitment to avoid animal products. Bertschy (2020), brings a sense of self-concept when she tells what she wants to look like and how she wants to be seen by others (Hanspal & Devasagayam, 2017).

According to Mothersbaugh & Hawkins (2016), self-concept is the personal image that one has in mind about her/himself or the attitude one's holds towards oneself. Bertschy, (2020), consumption behaviour depicts her attributes, motivations and the kind of lifestyle she wants to have. She says that have no prior experience with veganism, that is her identity, and thus seeks new vegan products in the menu so that her identity matches with the brand image (Hanspal & Devasagayam, 2017). Hawkins Stern Impulse Buying theory is expressed in this video where the consumer is not sure about the vegan menus in McDonald's and outlines that she will probably have to ask first. Impulse buying behaviour is generally purchasing a product without a specific prior plan and is most common in online shops, fast food joints and malls (Unsalan, 2016).

The example two product is Big Ed's Burger from Ed's Diner. The customer goes to the store to review the type of food in the restaurant and gives his opinion after the burger was served (Serola, 2016). He argues that the burger was not relatively tasty, and there was no value for money but appreciates the customer service at the restaurant. This is a case of real self where he discloses what he thinks about the product. According to Rayma & Ali (2016), consumer behaviour is affected by factors that spread from social, cultural, economic, personal and physiological factors. The theory of reasoned action is perceived in this context because consumer behaviour is based on the outcomes from the first experience (Blalock, 2019).

The example three product is TGI Fridays Vegan burger is a delicious dessert made of plant-based proteins, beetroot and coconut oil. It is served with legendary glaze and creamy avocado dipping sauce (TGI Fridays, n.d.). The consumers, in this case, are real self, one says for the past three months she has been unhappy due to health issues where she realized she often had immune diseases and increased body weights. The customers think she has not been taking good care of herself and decided to incorporate more vegan dishes in her lifestyle. The other comments on the need to make the right health choices and say he will be eating more vegan desserts (Lia, 2018). Consumer decision, in this case, is mostly determined by health consciousness where one is concerned about maintaining the health thus has to consume select foods (vegans). Health forms a motivational element which encourages consumers to maintain their physical wellness status, therefore focusing on preventative behaviours to improve or manage it (Hanspal & Devasagayam, 2017). Motivation-need theory of consumer behaviour is applicable in this scenario where consumers act to fulfil their needs in a hierarchical order of importance based on survival, and safety among others (Uysal, Genc & Aydemir, 2017).

Conclusion

In conclusion, vegans are a group of people who do not consume animal products. Veganism in an individual can be motivated by either real self or the ideal self. In real self, the desire to consume and exploit animal products is avoided naturally without necessarily having an external motivation. In Ideal self, one does not have a choice as there are outside forces that influences the expressions of natural preferences, needs, and desires. The example one products are the McDonald's Spicy Veggie and four veggie dippers. The example two product is Big Ed's Burger from Ed's Diner. The example three product is TGI Fridays Vegan burger where health forms a motivational element which encourages consumers to maintain their physical wellness status, thus focusing on preventative behaviours to improve or manage it.

References

Bertschy, S. (2020). Trying the McDonald's Vegan Menu. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7r6R5Yj-4M

Blalock, S. et al., (2019). Health Behaviour and Health Education: Theory Research and Practice. https://www.med.upenn.edu/hbhe4/part2-ch4-theory-of-reasoned-action.shtml

Hanspal, S. & Devasagayam, P. R. (2017). Impact of Consumer' Self-image and Demographics on Preference for Healthy Labeled Foods. Sage. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016677325

Lia, V. (2018). TGI Fridays Goes Vegan with the Beyond Burger. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnKI2NKNSd8

McDonald's (n.d.) Veggie Dipper-4 pieces. https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/product/veggie-dippers-4-pieces.html

McDonald's (n.d.). The Spicy Veggie One. https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/product/the-spicy-veggie-one.html

Mothersbaugh, D. L. & Hawkins, D. I. (2016). Consumer behavior: Building marketing strategy. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Purnama, A. & Setiawan, A. K. (2017). The self-concept of the main character of H.H in Hermann Hesse's "Erzahlung Die Morgenlandfahrt" A Carl Rogers' Psychological analysis. eJournal Theodisca Lingua. doi: https://doi.org/10.21831/10.21831/TLv1i1

Ramya, N. & Ali, M. (2016). Factors affecting Consumer buying behaviour. International Journal of Applied Research. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316429866_Factors_affecting_consumer_buying_behavior

Serola, R. (2016). Ed's Easy Diner Disaster. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WreGsXTjl9c&t=16s

TGI Fridays, (n.d.). Vegan choices, vegan mains. https://www.tgifridays.co.uk/menu/vegan-choices/

Thun, M. (2019). Veganism in a Post Modern Society. Critical Reflections: A student Journal on Contemporary Sociological issues. https://ojs.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/index.php/SOC/article/view/4575

Unsalan, M. (2016). Stimulating Factors of Impulse Buying Behavior: A Literature Review. Research gate. 572-593. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308635943_Stimulating_Factors_of_Impulse_Buying_Behavior_A_Literature_Review

Uysal, H.T., Genc E., & Aydemir, S. (2017). Maslow's Hierarchy of needs in 21st Century: The Examination of Vocational Differences. Vol.1, chap. 23, 211-227. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321267309_MASLOW'S_HIERARCHY_OF_NEEDS_IN_21ST_CENTURY_THE_EXAMINATION_OF_VOCATIONAL_DIFFERENCES

Waters, J. (2018). A model of the dynamics of the households vegetarian and vegan rates in the U.K. Appetite. Vol. 128, 364-372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.05.017