Assignment 2

            The primary VALS type the survey assigned me is an experiencer, and the secondary type is an innovator.  I believe these categorizations are a fairly accurate assessment of my individual behavior, especially related to my consumption patterns. My primary categorization as an experiencer aligns with my excitement for new experiences and action.  When it comes to travel and fun social experiences, I usually tend to splurge and be impulsive with my consumerism.  I am willing to spend a large amount of my income on travel, concerts, skiing, and various other recreational and social activities.  I believe that seeing the world and having new experiences are almost always a good use of my money, and I rarely regret my impulsive purchases on these things. The description of experiencers also states, “their purchases reflect the emphasis that they place on looking good and having “cool” stuff.  I acknowledge that I sometimes spend too much on “cool stuff”; however, I believe that the component of the description of the experiencer that emphasizes spending on activities and experiences rather than objects, more accurately describes my consumer behavior. 

My secondary categorization as an innovator also describes many aspects of my behavior.  The description states that innovators lives “are characterized by variety.”  I have a variety of interests that are reflected in my patterns of consumption, such as music, various recreational activities, and academic interests. Overall, I believe the VALS analysis is a good representation of my self-perception, and therefore would be very affective in assessing and predicting my consumer behavior.