UNDERSTANDING

THE SELF

UNPACKING THE SELF

THE ECONOMIC /
MATERIAL SELF
 GAME NA!

TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY?

THAT IS THE QUESTION.
DEBIT CARD
CHALLENGE!
A WEALTHY PERSON GIVES YOU
A DEBIT CARD AND TELLS YOU
TO USE IT AS MUCH AS YOU
WANT TO MAKE YOURSELF
HAPPY.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO
WITH IT?
WRITE AS MUCH AS
YOU WANT IN
A MINUTE!

START NOW!!!
Objectives:
Explore the different aspects of self and
identity.
Demonstrate critical, reflective thought in
integrating the various aspects of self and
identity.
Identify the different forces and institutions
that impact the development of various aspects
of self and identity.
Examine one’s self against the different
aspects of self.
UNPACKING THE SELF:
THE ECONOMIC / MATERIAL SELF

THE MATERIAL SELF, ACCORDING TO

WILLIAM JAMES, PERTAINS TO THE
OBJECTS, PLACES, OR EVEN PEOPLE
WHICH HAVE THE LABEL “MINE”. SUCH
POSSESSIONS ARE VIEWED AS
EXTENSIONS OF INDIVIDUALS'
IDENTITIES. FOR INSTANCE, YOUR
CLOTHES REFLECT CERTAIN ASPECTS
OF YOUR PERSONALITY AND YOU
DESIGNATE THEM AS “MY WARDROBE”
 William James defined the self as everything
that an individual considers to be his or her,
not only his or her body and material
possessions but also his or her reputation and
beliefs. And so the self is the manifestation of
one’s identity through his material possessions.
William James wrote in his book " THE PRINCIPLES OF
PSYCHOLOGY" in 1980 that understanding the self can be
examined through its different components.

1. Constituents
2. Self- feelings
3. Self- seeking/ self- preservation

MATERIAL SELF
social self
spiritual self
MODERN
WORLD
 Two subclasses of the material self can be
distinguished: The bodily self and the
extracorporeal (beyond the body) self.
Rosenberg (1979) has referred to the
extracorporeal self as the extended self
The extracorporeal self is the extended self which includes
all the people, places, and things that are psychologically
part of who we are.
People spontaneously mention their possession when asked to
describe themselves.
Possessions serve as a symbolic function and help people
define themselves.
People accumulate possession to enlarge their sense of self
People seek immortality by passing their possessions onto the
next generations.
MATERIAL SELF DIAGRAM
body
clothes

immediate family

home
 WE ARE WHAT WE HAVE

RUSSEL BELK (1988) posits that .. we regard our

possessions as part of ourselves. We
what we possess.
The possessions that we dearly have
who we are, our self-concept, our
future.
are what we have and
tell something about
past, and even our
 CONCEPTS
KEY
Material Self
the sum total of all that he/she call his/hers (James, 1980)
includes body, family, reputation, clothes, house and land, pet
animals, vehicles, and bank account (Trentman, 2016) 
includes all the physical elements that reflect who a person is
(possessions such as cars, home, body, clothes, etc.) 
also refers to what you are clothed of, what interests you or
are passionate about, what you spend for. 
craves for clothes not only to cover the essential parts of the
body, but also to decorate the self. 
 CONCEPTS
KEY

for material self, objects help make the person show what
that person is made of. 
Psychologists who study the impact of wealth and inequality
on human behavior have found that money can powerfully
influence our thoughts and actions in ways that we‟re not
aware of, no matter what our economic circumstances are.
(Greogoire, 2014)
SUBTYPES OF MATERIAL SELF

Material possessions
Needs vs. Wants
Utility and significance
According to Roland Barthes
MATERIAL POSSESSIONS tell something
about those who own them, about
personality and social values. Self-
extended versions are called
POSSESSIONS.
Possessions, tell a lot about their
owners. Thus, one’s sense of self and
identity is influential on how an
individual chooses to purchase his/her
wants and how he/she makes economic
decisions that will address his/her
personal and social needs
 The decisions that go into the purchase of
items and certain services are dependent on a
number of factors, including financial
constraints, availability of items and
services, and the influence of family and
friends.
However, the most important factor in determining
whether these items and services fall under:
Wants. Synonymous with luxuries. People buy
them for reasons that do not warrant
necessity.
Needs. These are important for survival. Food,
clothing, and shelter are basic needs so
people purchase them out of necessity.
In the process of acquiring material
goods, people generally consider 2 things:

Utility. Concerned with how things

serve a practical purpose.
Significance. Concerned with the
meaning assigned to the object. It is
also concerned with how objects become
powerful symbols or icons of habit and
ritual which can be quite separate
from their primary function.
To further understand the term significance,
Roland Barthes studied the concept of
semiology or the study of signs. According to
him, it is through objects that people assert
their identities. This idea suggests that
objects, aside from contributing to how
individual identities himself/herself, also
signify relationships of people with others
based on what they possess.
The possession of material things also
indicates one’s status in society. These
personal choices build one’s material and
economic self which is an extension of his/her
social identity.
“I have, therefore I am”.
Our entire life seems to be about possessing
and having. The more you consume, the more you
have, and so one is more! It was true at one
time, in ancient times. The larger the harvest
and the more games were hunted, the easier it
was to survive. But what exactly was needed to
survive a few thousand years ago? A shelter,
furs, daily meal, and clothes? Survival was
difficult then and the world population grew
slowly. An equally instinctive impulse drives
us to gather property, and the collections
thus created become parts of our empirical
selves with varying degrees of intimacy.
The most luxurious possession, the richest treasure
anybody has, is his personal dignity.

-Jackie Robinson
THANK YOU
FOR
LISTENING!

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