The Antagonism of the “Bank Customer” Constructs: A Sociological Etude

Abstract

This article examines how images of financial clients are constructed in two contrasting organizational settings: the Israeli commercial bank Bank Hapoalim and the Russian financial pyramid MMM. Its aim is to compare the institutional representation of a responsible bank client with interpretations of the risk-taking participant in a financial pyramid. The study takes the form of a qualitative sociological etude based on comparative documentary analysis and the interpretation of cultural representations. The materials comprise corporate environmental, social, and governance reporting, published sociological research, retrospective survey evidence, regulatory guidance, press accounts, and the film PyraMMMid. These sources are distinguished by their evidential role: corporate reports express institutional self-presentation, published observations concern participant behavior, and the film provides an artistic representation rather than direct historical evidence. The analysis suggests that Bank Hapoalim presents an ideal client through the language of trust, social responsibility, and sustainable development. In the MMM case, the literature complicates an exclusively naive-victim interpretation by identifying participants whose awareness of risk coexisted with speculative expectations and collective pressures. The comparison is interpreted through constructivist and objectivist perspectives, understood as analytical emphases rather than mutually exclusive properties of the organizations. The main conclusion is that client portraits depend on institutional narratives, social conditions, and the researcher's choice of evidence. Because the cases differ in historical context and source composition, the findings are exploratory and do not establish representative psychological profiles of either client population. The study highlights the importance of separating institutional ideals from observed behavior when assessing trust and responsibility in financial relationships.