THE MATERIAL SELF

CRISTOBAL, FRANCISCO B.
DELA CRUZ, CHERWIN ANDREI
NAZARRO, MARK JAYSON S.
BASQUEZ, ATHENA VINCRISTINE U.
FRIALDE, KRISTINE GRACE
LEANO, MIKA JOYCE G.
MANDAPAT, VERLIZA D.
 C. THE MATERIAL / ECONOMIC SELF

- Scholars conclude that people have a core set of behaviors, attitudes,

beliefs and values that constitute to their selves.

- It is the sum of who they are, however, their concepts of self can and
does change, depending on circumstances and influences.

- Luxury and Materialism are by products of the material self.

- Materialism refers to the theory or belief that nothing exists except

matter, its movements and its modifications; the theory or belief that
consciousness and will are wholly due to material agency; a tendency to consider
material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual
values.

I. THE MATERIAL SELF

 William James – Harvard psychologist and the giant of the American

intellectual scene

- “People had a material self”

 - A “man’s self is the sum total of all that he can
call his”. This included his body, family and reputation but
also his clothes, house, land, and bank account.

- If they grew, their owners felt triumphant. If they

faded, people felt a part of themselves was dying (Trentman,
2016)

 All the physical elements that reflect who a person is, maybe possessions,
cars, home, body, clothes are part of the material self.
 The material self is constituted by our bodies, clothes, immediate family
and home. The more we invest of ourselves in these objects, the more
attached we inevitably are to them.
 Psychologist who study the impact of wealth and inequality on human
behaviour have found that money can powerfully influence our thoughts and
actions in ways that we’re often not aware of, no matter what our economic
circumstances are (Greogorie, 2014)

Evidences behind the idea that money truly can change people:

♦ SOCIAL AND BUSINES VALUE

- Heyman and Ariely (2004) surmised that there are two motivations.
o First social, “social value”, people sees it as a worthy
investment of time and a part of his social duty.
o Second money, when it is offered as motivation, people then start
thinking less of the social aspects and more about business value

♦ SELF SUFFICIENCY AND SERVICE

- Those who are conscious of money typically strive to be more self-
sufficient that those for whom money is not priority.
♦ SELF-VIEW
- The wealthiest people are those with the deepest sense of class
essentialism - the idea that difference between classes are based upon
identity and genetics, rather circumstances
- Poor people tend to believe that social class was not related to genes.
Rich people were more likely to believe that wealth was part of genes
and identity
♦ Ethics
- Piff, in his study labelled the behaviour, “self-interest
maximization” an idea that suggests those who have the most money or
occupy higher classes are more likely to take a “what’s in it for me?”
attitude.
♦ Addiction
- Behavioural or process addiction a compulsive bahavior not motivated
by dependency on an addictive substance, but rather by a process that
lead to a seemingly positive outcomes

II. Shaping the Way We See Ourselves: The Roles of Consumer Culture on Our Sense
of Self and Identity

II.1 POSSESSIONS AND THE EXTENDED SELF

  If possessions are viewed as part of self, it follows that an
unintentional loss of possessions should be regarded as a loss or
lessening of self.
 Non-voluntary loss of possessions may bring about a diminished sense of
self when possessions are lost due to theft or casualty.
 Victims perceive their belongings as an extension of themselves, so they
feel the loss as a threat to their self-identity, which elicits strong
negative emotional reaction.
 Our immediate family is part of ourselves, if they do anything wrong,
it is our shame.

II.2 SPECIAL CASES OF EXTENDED SELF

♦ COLLECTIONS (“I SHOP, THEREFORE I AM”)

- Collections may be initiated by gifts or other unintended acquisitions,
but the cultivation of a collection is a purposeful self-defining act.
- “I SHOP, THEREFORE I AM; I HAVE, THEREFORE I AM”
- A person is defined not by what he think, but by what he owns.
- Shopping is an expressive and constitutive existential act (Kruger)
♦ PETS AS EXTENDED SELF
- Pets are regarded commonly as representative of self.
- Levinson, Robin and Bensel – found that pets are so instrumental to
self-identity that they are often useful transition objects.
- Pets can be therapeutic in expanding the self of children, hospital
patients and elderly
♦ BODY PARTS
- Body parts are among the most central parts of the self
- Cathexis involves the charging of an object activity or idea with
emotional energy by the individual.
- One is symbolically afraid of being less of a person following an
amputation.