what is freudian motivation theory 
freudian motivation theory posits that unconscious psychological forces such as hidden desires and motives shape an individual s behavior like their purchasing patterns this theory was developed by sigmund freud who in addition to being a medical doctor is synonymous with the field of psychoanalysis understanding freudian motivation theoryfreudian motivation theory is frequently applied to a number of disciplines including sales and marketing to help understand the consumer s motivations when it comes to making a purchasing decision more precisely freud s theory has been applied to the relationship between the qualities of a product such as touch taste or smell and the memories that it may evoke in an individual recognizing how the elements of a product trigger an emotional response from the consumer can help a marketer or salesperson understand how to lead a consumer toward making a purchase the freudian motivation theory explains the sales process in terms of a consumer fulfilling conscious functional needs such as blinds to cover a window as well as unconscious needs such as the fear of being seen naked by those outside a salesperson trying to get a consumer to purchase furniture for example may ask if this is the first home that the consumer has lived in on their own if the consumer indicates yes this may prompt the salesperson to mention how the furniture is warm or comfortable triggering a feeling of safety freudian motivation theory tenetsfreud believed that the human psyche could be divided into the conscious and unconscious mind the ego the representation of the conscious mind is made up of thoughts memories perceptions and feelings that give a person their sense of identity and personality the id which represents the unconscious mind is the biologically determined instincts that someone possesses since birth and the superego represents the moderating factor of society s traditional morals and taboos as seen in the fact that not every person acts on impulse these ideas can help market researchers determine why a consumer has made a particular purchase by focusing on their conscious and unconscious motivations as well as the weight of societal expectations freudian motivation theory put to use