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LESSON 5.
COGITO ERGO CONSUME: Consumer Culture and the Material Self

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According to William James, The principles of psychology in

1890 that understanding the self can be examined through its
different components namely:

1] its constituents;
2] the feelings and emotions they aroused self-feelings;
3] the actions for which they prompt the seeking and self-
preservation.

The constituents of self are composed of material self, the social self,
the spiritual self, and the pure ego.
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“… sum total of all he call his, not only his

body psychic powers, but his clothes and
his house, his wife and children”

-Willliam James

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MATERIAL SELF:

1. Body is the innermost part of material

self. You are directly attached to this
commodity that you cannot live
without. You strive hard to make sure
that this body functions well and good.
Example is Mariah Carey, she was reported to have
placed a huge amount for the insurance of his vocal
cords and legs.

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2. Clothes is next to the body that was

being influenced by the “the
philosophy of dress” by Herman Lotze.
William James believed that an
essential part of the material self is
clothing. Lotze stipulated in his book
that any time you bring an object into
the surface of your body, you invest
that object into any consciousness of
your personal existence taking in its
contours to be your own and making it
part of the self.
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3. Immediate Family is the third in the

hierarchy. Your parents and siblings hold
another great important part of yourself.
What they do or became affects you.
When an immediate family member dies,
part of you dies, too. When their lives are in
success, you feel their victories as if you are
the one holding the bacon. In their failures,
you are put to chance or guilt. When they
are disadvantage situation, there is an
urgent urge to help like a voluntary instinct
of saving one’s self from danger.

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4. Home is the fourth component of

material self. Home is where your
heart is. It is the earliest nest of your
selfhood. Your experience inside the
home were recorded and marked on
particular parts and things in your
home.

There was an old cliché about rooms:

“if only walls can speak”. The home
thus is an extension of self, because in
it, you can directly connect yourself.

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SPIRITUAL SELF: BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

The spiritual self is the most intimate, inner subjective part of self –
the most intimate version of the self because of the satisfaction
experienced when thinking of one’s ability to argue and
discriminate, of one’s moral sensibility and conscience, and our
unconquerable will is purer than all other sentiments of
satisfaction.

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Religion

Rebecca Stein (Stein 2011) works on the definition of religion "as a set of
beliefs and practices that usually includes some or all of basic
characteristics.

These characteristics are:

1. A belief in anthropomorphic supernatural being, such as spirit and gods
2. A focus on the sacred supernatural, where sacred refers to a feeling of reverence
and awe
3. The presence of supernatural power or energy that is found on supernatural
beings as well as physical beings and objects.
4. The performance of ritual activities that involves the manipulation of sacred
object to communicate to supernatural beings and/or to influence or control
events
5. The articulation of worldview and moral codes through narratives and other
means
6. Provide the creation and maintenance of social bonds and mechanism of social
control within a community; provide explanation for unknown and a sense of
control for individuals.
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Ritual

It is the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by a tradition or sacred law (Britannica 2017).
Ritual is a specific, observable mode of behavior exhibited by all known societies. It is thus possible to
view ritual as a way of defining or describing humans.

There are three fundamental characteristics of rituals according to Penner (Britannica 2017). Ritual
has the characteristics of:

1) A feeling or emotion of respect, awe, fascination, or dread in relation to the sacred

2) Dependence upon a belief system that is usually expressed in the language of myth
3) Is symbolic in relation to its reference

The self can be described as a ritual being who exhibits a striking parallel between their ritual and
verbal behavior. Just as language is a system of symbols that is based upon arbitrary rules, ritual may be
viewed as a system of symbolic acts that is based upon arbitrary rules. Participation to rituals is
expressions of religious beliefs.

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Some World Religious Beliefs and Practices

There are different religious with different beliefs and practices.

Some of the major world religions are Buddhism, Christianity,
Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism.

Excerpt of some religious beliefs and practices are found in the University of London's Religion
and Belief Guide 2017.

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Buddhism Core beliefs

Buddhism believes that life is not a bed of roses. Instead, there

are suffering, pain, and frustrations. When people suffer, they
want to experience the goodness of life and avoid
disappointments. It becomes a habit known as the reactive cycle
of wanting and hating, like and dislike, band craving and
aversion. This reactive cycle can be broken through the practice
of mediation, acquiring more wisdom and deeper
understanding, and acceptance of things as they are.

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Customs and Practices

There are two types of meditation practices: samatha and vipassana.

The Samatha is practiced as mindfulness of breathing and
development of loving kindness (Metta Bhavana).
Vipassana practices aim developing insight into reality. Acquiring
wisdom is by studying Buddha's teaching, the Dharma. Through the
reflection of Dharma, Buddhist can achieve a deeper understanding of
life. Buddhists believe in non- violence principle.
Some of the major Buddhist celebrations are Parinirvana Day in February; Buddha Day (Wesak) in
May; Dharma Day in July; Padmasambhava Day in October; and Sangha Day in November.

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Christianity Core beliefs

Christians believe in Trinitarian God.

One God in three personas:

God the Father (Creator),
God the Son( Savior),
and God the Holy Spirit Sustainer).

Eternal after death will be achieved through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is,
God the Son, who came into flesh, to spread the good news of salvation. He died
on the cross for the sins of the humanity but resurrected from the death, so that
anyone who believes in him will be saved in have eternal life.

The holy bible is a selection of books, which is divided in to two, the Old
Testament and New Testament.

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Customs and Practices

Sacrament of Baptism and Sacrament of Communion are practiced by

Christian churches. The sacrament of Baptism symbolizes the birth in Christian world,
while the sacrament of communion is an act of remembrance of Jesus Christ 's
sacrificial love. Jesus Christ teaching in unconditional love that is expressed in
loving the poor, oppressed, and outcast of the society

Christmas and Resurrection (Easter) are the two major celebrations in

Christianity. Christmas, usually on December 25, commemorates the birth of Jesus
Christ while Resurrection Sunday (depends on the lunar calendar, sometime in
March or April) celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death.

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Hinduism Core beliefs

Hinduism covers a wide range of traditional beliefs and religious groups; thus,
there is no single founder or leader.
Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth, governed
by Karma.
Karma is a concept where the reincarnated life will depend on how the past
life was spent.
Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and it's
next in carnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived. Vedas
are sacred Scriptures of Hindus.
Mahabharata and Ramayana are two other important texts of the Hindus.

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Custom and practices

Diwali and Navrati are the most celebrated festivals of the Hindus.
Diwali is the festival of lights while Navrati is the festival of nine nights,
which celebrate the triumph of good over evil.
Hindus have set dates to honor particular manifestations of God.

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ISLAM Core beliefs

Muslims believe in Allah, who is their "One God" They believe in the unity
and universality of God. Muslims also have a strong sense of community or
"ummah" and an awareness of their solidarity with all Muslims worldwide. Islam
means "willing submission to God ".

Muslims believe that Mohammed is the last and final prophet sent by God.

Mohammed was born in Mecca in 570 CE and received revelations from

God through the Angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years.

The Holy Bible of Islam is called the Quran, which was taught to be recited
in Arabic because any translation is seen as inadequate.

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Customs and practices

Muslims believe in the five pillars of Islam, which are the foundation of Muslim
life:

1) Shahadah - statement of faith: "There is no God but the one true God and Mohammed is his
messenger".
2) Salat - the prayer that is practiced five times a day.

3) Zakat - the monetary offering for the benefit of the poor. It comprises the 2.5% of a Muslim's assets.
4) Haji – the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims who can afford are asked to do the pilgrimage at
last once in their lifetime.
5) Sawm – the fasting. Muslims do fasting from food, drink, and sexual act during the celebration of
Ramadan s the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The fast is from dawn to sunset.

Two of the major festivals in Islam are Eidul-Fitr and Eidul-Adha. The first one refers to the celebration
at the end of Ramadan, while Eidul-Adha is the celebration within the completion of the Pilgrimage,
the Haji.

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Judaism Core beliefs

The Jews believe in the God of Abraham ,the same God that
liberated the Hebrew slaves from Egypt to Canaan, the
promised land through the leadership of Moses and later,
Joshua.
The Jews believe in the coming of Messiah, the Savior. The
sacred scripture of the Jews is called the Torah or the Law. The
Torah is the guide of the Jewish living. The study and
interpretation of Torah is part of the Jewish culture.

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Customs and Practices: There are five major festivals observed by the Jews:

1. Rosh Hashanah - the New Year

2. Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement

3. Pesach - Passover

4. Shavuot - Pentecost

5. Sukkot - Tabernacles. The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening at

sunset and is an important time when families gather for the Shabbat
meal.

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Finding and Creating Meaning of Life

Another extensive study of self can be found in the works of Dr. Viktor E. Frankl. He published a
book about logotherapy.

Logotherapy

It is a psychotherapy introduced by V. Frankl, who is considered the father of logotherapy. The

main belief of logotherapy is that “man’s primary motivational force is search for meaning.”
Logotherapy aids individuals to find personal meaning of life, whatever life situation they may be.
In logotherapy, meaning can be discovered by creating a work or doing deed, experiencing
something or encountering someone and the attitude toward unavoidable suffering.

According to V. Frankl institute of logotherapy, it uses the philosophy of optimism in the face of
tragedy, where people are capable of turning suffering into human achievement and
accomplishment deriving from guilt the opportunity to change oneself for the better; and deriving
from life‟s transitoriness an incentive to take responsible action.

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Basic concept of Franklian Psychology

There are three basic concepts using Franklian Psychology:

1) Life has meaning under all circumstances.

2) Main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.
3) Freedom to find meaning.

Furthermore, his psychology aims to: 1] become aware of spiritual resources; 2] make
conscious spiritual resources; and 3] use defiant power of the human spirit and stand
up against adversity.

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Logotherapy assumptions (that cannot be proven w/ certainty) These include the following:
1. The human being is an entity consisting of body [soma], mind [psyche] and spirit [noos]. i.e.
according to him, the body and mind are what we have and the spirit is what we are.
2. Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable. Ie. it‟s hard to grasp
but it is something everyone experiences and it represents an order in a world w/ laws that
go beyond human laws.
3. People have a will to meaning. When we see meaning, we are ready for any type of
suffering. This is considered to be different than our will to achieve power and pleasure.
4. People have freedom under all circumstances to activate the will to find meaning. This
deals with change of attitudes about unavoidable fate.
5. Life has a demand quality to w/c people must respond if decisions are to be meaningful.
The meaning of the moment is more practical in daily living than ultimate meaning. Unlike
ultimate meaning this meaning can be found and fulfilled.
6. The individual is unique. This enhanced by the realization that we are irreplaceable.

In essence, all human are unique w/ an entity of body, mind and spirit. We all go through
unique situations and are constantly looking to find meaning.

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Frankl’s Sources of Meaning

There are three possible sources of meaning of life:

1] purposeful work – meaning of life is unique to every individual;
2] courage in the face of difficulty – a meaningful life is a life with
suffering. Suffering is part of life; and
3] love – is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost
core of his personality. The ultimate factor to find meaning of life is love.

Costello captured V. Frankl‟s message: “The ultimate secret on the spiritual

foundation of life is that love is salvation and joy eternity.” The ultimate factor
to find meaning of life is love.

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Assignment

Reflection paper: Reflect on V. Frankl’s sources of the meaning of life.

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