Winthrop as a Model of Consumer Behavior, Movie Review Example

Compliance

Since Winthrop started the story as a wealthy man, his ability to follow the laws of compliance were somewhat distorted. Rather than accepting the fate that he had encountered, he took specific actions in order to ensure that he would be able to return to his former status. When he lost nearly everything, he decided that he was so far at the bottom of society that any negative consequences that would occur as a result of illegal actions were acceptable. This is what led to his ability to plant drugs on Valentine, in hopes of getting his old job back.

One of the best examples of Winthrop’s compliance is when he chooses to partner with Valentine in an attempt to make the Dukes poor at the same time that he is made rich. Since the Dukes decided to invest in orange-juice futures contracts, the team decided that they would utilize this particular investment to ensure the downfall of the two brothers. It is likely that Winthrop could have selected another investment to ensure that this plan would work, but compliance is exhibited because it was easier to use this investment plan rather than researching new information about another company that the Dukes might have been interested in. Ultimately, Winthrop’s shift in social class completely altered his decision making process. This decision was a cognitive one.

Identification

One of the consumer behaviors that Winthrop most frequently demonstrates is that he conforms to the expectations of groups both when he is rich and when he is poor. When he is rich, he acts like we would expect a rich individual to act. He maintains professionalism, dresses well, and generally acts like he is better than those below them. While this causes the main drama of the movie, no one would consider his behavior strange considering his high status.

When Winthrop loses his esteemed position in the company, he finds himself making many decisions that he would not have in his formal role. Since the expectations that society had set for him dropped so significantly, he lowered his own standards. A primary example of this involves his friendship with the prostitute Ophelia. It is likely that he would have not brought himself down to this low level if he were in his former position, but now that he was not making money, he decided that it would be appropriate to behave in the manners of other less fortunate individuals.

Furthermore, it is likely that Winthrop would have never been capable of committing a crime by placing drugs in Valentine’s pockets to set him up. While Winthrop certainly did not have a high level of ethics while in his former position, his idea as to what is acceptable behavior and what is not changed significantly. Therefore, he appropriately exemplifies identification, which occurs when we form an attitude to conform to another person’s or group’s expectations. Despite Winthrop’s inability to change his attitude towards his new life situation, his future had changed due to environmental factors. In this case, his decision making process was purely habitual.

Internalization

Even though Winthrop’s actions changed somewhat significantly throughout the story, his attitude continued to remain the same. The trait that was most strongly emphasized about his character is that he felt entitled due to his status. Even after he lost his job, Winthrop continued to feel this sense of entitlement that encouraged him to attempt to get his job back. He was annoyed that Valentine was able to adapt to the new position and succeed, and thought himself to be the better person for the job.

This internalization, or deep-seated attitudes that become a part of the belief system of individuals, caused Winthrop to scheme against Valentine, and then with Valentine against the Dukes when he recognized the truth of the situation he was experiencing. This is also emphasized when Winthrop attempts to commit suicide by overdosing on pills. It appears to him that if he cannot live the way he did, luxuriously in his former glory that life was not worth living. As a consequence of the new trials before him, Winthrop’s consumer confidence decreased and it was difficult for him to reassure himself that he would be able to return to the top ranks where he believed that he belonged. Furthermore, his behavior was affective, which is demonstrated by the fact that he had an intense emotional outcome with a potentially immediate result.

In conclusion, one could use consumer behaviors to understand Winthrop’s experiences in his transition between social classes. He made some of his decisions knowingly, while others were a pure consequence of the environment around him. We can use these observations to gain a greater understanding of how consumers act when advertisements and products are presented to them. While most of the time the products will not change their lives significantly, it is important to create advertisements that will be thought about in some manner after they are no longer in front of the target audience.