Clothing Selection Criteria and Preferred Clothing Image Related to Personal Traits of Extroversion and Openness -Focused on High School Students-

외향성과 개방성 성격특성에 따른 의복선택기준과 선호의복이미지 -고등학생을 중심으로-

Since personality lead to relatively consistent responses to one's own environment, consumers' distinct personality influences their buying behavior. In order to understand the relationship between consumer's personal characteristics and purchase behavior, the study investigated the effect of consumers' personality trait on the clothing selection criteria and preferred clothing image. Survey was utilized to collect the data and subjects were 333 high school students. Measures consisted of three main constructs: Consumer's extroversion and openness based on the Big-Five personality trait, clothing selection criteria, and preferred clothing image. The data were analyzed using PRELIS 2, LISREL 8.8, and SAS 9.2. The subjects was classified into three groups; Group 1 was a group of intermediate-level in openness and extroversion while Group 2 was a group of high-level in both personality traits. Group 3 was a group of high-level in openness but of low-level in extroversion. Clothing selection criteria were confirmed to have five constructs: other-directed, aesthetic, fashion & conformity-oriented, brand-oriented, and practical. In the buying situation, Group 1 prioritized fashion & conformity-oriented and brand-oriented criteria but regarded other-directed and aesthetic as less important than other groups did. Group 2 considered that all of the clothing selection criteria were important except practical. "The were six factors in the clothing image: elegance, simple, ethnic, masculine, active, and modem. The result showed a significant difference between groups in preferred clothing images. Group 2 liked most of the clothing images but group 3 did not. Group 3 preferred simple clothing image more than masculine or ethnic ones. Overall, the study concluded that the openness and extroversion of Big-Five personality traits could serve as a predictor of clothing selection criteria and preferred clothing image.