UTS

TOPIC: Material, Economic, and Spiritual Self

MATERIAL and ECONOMIC SELF

What is the material/economic self?

- A Harvard psychologist in the late nineteenth century, William James, wrote in his
book, 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 the material self, the social
self, the spiritual self, and the pure ego.

- It explores the ability to understand oneself in terms of the materials possesses and how
it is associated with his/her being.

Composition of Material Self

The material self, according to William James is primarily about: our bodies;
clothes; immediate family; home.

MATERIAL SELF:

1. Body is the innermost part of the 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. An example is Mariah Carey, she was reported to have placed
a huge amount for the insurance of his vocal cords and legs.

2. Clothes are next to the body which was influenced by 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 abject into the
surface of your body, you invest that object into any consciousness of your
existence taking in its contours to be your own and making it part of the self.

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 disadvantaged situation, there is an urgent urge to
help like a voluntary instinct to save themselves from danger.

4. Home is the fourth component of the material self. Home is where your heart is. It
is the earliest nest of your selfhood. Your experience inside the home was 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.

Effects of Materials Possessions

- Regardless of how much or how little material possessions have, they are interested in
material possessions

- Possessions can be used as status, symbols, cars, houses, gadgets, and clothes are the
most valuable possessions because they are the most visible in the eye of others. In
some cases, people buy things worth millions because they can afford them. In some
cases, people buy things worth millions because they can afford them. but the downside,
some people buy things they cannot afford, using credit cards but they are not able to
pay.

- Material possessions can be a reflection of hard work and success.

- People tend to measure success through material possession.
- Material possession can make people motivated to work harder to achieve them.
However, lack of loss of material possessions can be disruptive to the mental health of
some people.

Materialism
- Materialism is an escape from the self in that the individual has excessively high
standards and fails to reach these high materialistic aspirations.

Materialistic Person
- Is someone with a high level of materialism. They are excessively concerned with the
acquisition of material possessions.
 SPIRITUAL SELF

- 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

- The spiritual self is defined as relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed
to material or physical things.

Religion

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

1) A belief in an anthropomorphic supernatural being, such as a 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 in 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 mechanisms of social
control within a community; provide an explanation for the unknown and a sense of
control for individuals.
An individual lives in a society where there are many practices of religion. The
choice of religious belief lies within the spiritual self although the choice may be
influenced by society and its culture.

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
ritual and verbal behavior. Just as language is a system of symbols that is based
upon arbitrary rules, the ritual may be viewed as a system of symbolic acts that are based
upon arbitrary rules. Participation in rituals is an expression of religious beliefs.
Some World Religious Beliefs and Practices

● There are different religions with different beliefs and practices. Some of the
major world religions are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Excerpts
of some religious beliefs and practices are found in the University of London's Religion
and Belief Guide 2017.

Core beliefs

Buddhism believes that life is not a bed of roses. Instead, there are suffering,
pain, and frustration. 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.

Customs and Practices

- There are two types of meditation practices: Samatha and vipassana. The
Samatha is practiced as mindfulness of breathing and the development of loving-kindness
(Metta Bhavana). Vipassana practices aim to develop insight into reality. Acquiring
wisdom is by studying Buddha's teaching, the Dharma. Through the reflection of
In Dharma, Buddhists 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.

Christianity

Core beliefs

Christians believe in Trinitarian God. One God in three persons: 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 the flesh, to spread the good news of salvation. He died on the cross for the sins of
humanity but was resurrected from death so that anyone who believes in him will be saved in
eternal life. The holy bible is a selection of books, which is divided into
two, the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Customs and Practices

- Sacrament of Baptism and Sacrament of Communion is practiced by Christian

churches. The sacrament of Baptism symbolizes birth in the 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 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 (depending on the lunar calendar, sometime in March
or April) celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death.

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 its next incarnation 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.
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 celebrates the triumph of good
over evil. Hindus have set dates to honor particular manifestations of God.

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.

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 – fasting. Muslims do fasting on 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.

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 to Jewish living. The study and
interpretation of the Torah are part of Jewish culture.

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.

Finding and Creating Meaning of Life

Another extensive study of self can be found in the works of Dr. Viktor E. Frankl.
[The following are the excerpts from the website:
http://www.victorfranklinstitute.org/About_Viktor_Frankl.html
He was born on March 26, 1905, in Vienna, Austria, where famous psychiatrists
Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler lived. He graduated with a medical degree from the
The University of Vienna in 1930. He was assigned to the Vienna Hospital suicide ward and
headed the Rothschild Hospital.
A survivor of the holocaust, he published a book about logotherapy. In 1959, the
book was translated into English and was revised in 1963 as The doctor and the Soul: An
Introduction to Logotherapy. His book, Man‟s search for meaning has been used as a
textbook in high school and college courses. He died in 1997.

Logotherapy

It is 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
the search for meaning.” Logotherapy aids individuals to find the personal meaning of life,
whatever life situation they may be in.

In logotherapy, meaning can be discovered by creating a work or doing a 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 to suffer 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.

The basic concept of Franklin Psychology

There are three basic concepts using Franklin's 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 the defiant power of the human spirit and
stand up against adversity.
Logotherapy assumptions (that cannot be proven w/
certainty) These include the following:
1. The human being is an entity consisting of a 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 the 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 a change of attitudes about unavoidable fate.
5. Life has a demanding 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 the ultimate
meaning. Unlike ultimate meaning, this meaning can be found and fulfilled.
6. The individual is unique. This is enhanced by the realization that we are irreplaceable.
In essence, all humans are unique w/ an entity of body, mind, and spirit. We all go
through unique situations and are constantly looking to find meaning.

Frankl’s Sources of Meaning

There are three possible sources of the 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; 3] love – is the only
way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. The ultimate
factor to find meaning in 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
the meaning of life is love.