With reference to Bourdieus theory of distinction and other relevant Essay

With reference to Bourdieus theory of distinction and other relevant theorists on social class, give a detailed example of how a specific habitus shapes consumer behaviour - Essay Example Consumers who do not have economic capital are not likely to become ‘choosers’ in relation to consumer settings; their choice will depend on what they can pay for.2 Capital, similar to habitus, results in particular values and behaviour and has a tendency to prevent others in specific situations. Bourdieu argues that class position is not rooted loosely in the ownership or non-ownership of means of production (e.g. capital, labour) just like in Marxist materialistic explanations of class.3 He uses the ideas of Weber, which enables him to classify various classes and class segments in a hierarchical scheme instead of viewing class as two classes opposed to each other, even though he keeps the idea of class struggle.4 Bourdieu views class as shaped by the ownership of varying sums of different types of capital. Nevertheless, Bourdieu, contrary to Marx, who simply took into consideration economic capital, expands the notion of capital to other social domains, which he claims are themselves social outcomes which are mingled and which can be utilised to generate more capital.5 Of such, symbolic capital and cultural capital are the most important for this paper. This essay gives a detailed example of how class habitus shapes consumer behaviour, particularly food preferences and co nsumption patterns, using Bourdieu’s theory of distinction and other theories of social class. If Bourdieu identifies an obvious relationship between class and consumer behaviour, he also views his theory as different from an income model. Although he recognises that a great deal of consumer behaviour is related to income levels, Bourdieu argues that this connection is arbitrated by the nature of habitus. He says that â€Å"income tends to be credited with a causal efficacy which it in fact only exerts in association with the habitus it has produced†.6 The superiority of habitus over mere amount of cash in influencing consumer