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Well before Dichter and Freudian analysis, American businesses had spent decades trying to decipher market patterns. Such efforts date from the late 19th century, when new polling techniques were used to suss out the needs of consumers. This trend picked up after the first world war, as national brands began dominating the marketplace and companies invested more time and money in edging out competitors. In the late 1920s and 1930s advertising executives were encouraged to mingle with the masses to discern preferences and interview shoppers.
But these surveys were ultimately slapdash and speculative. Businesses were recognising the limits of quantitative studies (dismissively described as “nose counting”), which offered little genuine insight into how customers behaved. Asking shoppers why they bought particular products was like “asking people why they thought they were neurotic,” quipped Dichter.
In fact, he believed, most people have no idea why they buy things. They might answer questions in an effort to be helpful (particularly in the early 20th century, when consumers were chuffed to be asked to share their thoughts). But these were attempts to make sense of decisions retrospectively. To understand what truly motivated people, Dichter said, it was necessary to get them to talk at length about their everyday habits. Instead of subjecting many people to quick questionnaires, he preferred a deep, psychoanalytical approach with fewer participants: “If you let somebody talk long enough, you can read between the lines to find out what he really means.”

A. 어휘
decipher 解讀(해독)하다. date from 로부터 起算(기산)되다, 시작하다.
polling techniques 여론조사기술. suss out=find out=figure out 찾아내다.
dominate 지배하다. edging out 쫓아내다.
advertising executives 광고회사 경영간부. mingle with 섞이다.
masses 대중. discern 分揀(분간)하다, 알아보다. preferences 선호하는 물건.
ultimately 궁극적으로. slapdash 猪突的(저돌적)인, 엉성한.
speculative 思辨的(사변적)인, 투기적인, 위험한. quantitative 量(양)적인.
dismissively 경멸적으로. nose counting 인원수 세기, 다수결.
genuine 틀림없는, 참된. insight 통찰. particular products 특정제품.
neurotic 신경증의. quip 警句(경구), 재치 있는 말, 빈정대다.
chuff 격려하다. make sense of 이해하다.
retrospectively 回顧的(회고적)으로, 遡及(소급)해서.
at length 상세하게. subject...to 하게 하다, 복종시키다.
questionnaires 質問紙(질문지). psychoanalytical approach 정신분석학적 방법.
participants 참가자. read between the lines 行間(행간)을 읽다.