To successfully understand why people make decisions, we must look at the factors that influence decisions and the level of involvement in the decision. An individuals personality in a critical factor in understanding consumer behaviour as it can help explain the underlying motivations of individuals. There are three main theories of personality which help explain why people make purchasing decisions: Freudian theory; Neo-Freudian personality theory; and Trait theory.
The Freudian Theory developed by Sigmund Freud is the idea that an individuals personality is derived from the conflict between a persons desire to satisfy their physical needs and function as a responsible member of society
(Solomon, Russell-Bennet & Previte, 2019).
The Neo-Freudian theory refer to other explanations of behaviour that is more influenced by social relationships
(Solomon, Russell-Bennet & Previte, 2019) .
The Trait theory is a quantitative approach where personality is based on psychological traits.
(Solomon, Russell-Bennet & Previte, 2019)
The Freudian Theory also has 3 alternatives for motivation, the first being Id, which is all about immediate satisfaction which operates on self pleasure. The second, Superego, which is based more on ethics and tries to prevent selfish gratification (or Id). Finally, Ego, which tries to balance Id and Superego. So in simpler terms it means the consumer will strive for the most amount of individual gain, that the outside world finds acceptable on an ethical basis.
(Solomon, Russell-Bennet & Previte, 2019)
In the situation of Subway, i would say consumers would tend to follow the Freudian theory with Id as the motive theory, as hunger is a natural human response and and consumers aim for immediate gratification to satisfy only themselves. Subway are very aware of this and if you ever walk past a subway store you can immediately smell the scent of freshly baked breads and goods, this strategy unconsciously triggers a reaction from the consumer by suggesting they must be hungry.
References
Solomon, M., Russell-Bennet, R., & Previte, J. (2019). Consumer behaviour (4th ed.).
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