The Material Self and Economic Self
 A person’s sense of self is not only
Objectives:
1. Determine the meaning of possessions
to one’s identity
2. Identify personality traits relevant to
consumer behavior
3. Explore the characteristics of a
materialistic person
4. Identify processes through which
possessions becomes associated with
one’s identity or self-concept
5. Exemplify the different roles that play
across the life-course.
William James
 An original thinker in and between the
disciplines of physiology, psychology and
philosophy.
What is Material and Economic Self?
-MATERIAL SELF
 The material self, according to 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”.
 According to James, the self is the sum total of
all what he can call his.
Body
The physical body is the innermost part of the
material self.
Clothing
The second layer of our material self, is our
clothing.
Immediate Family and Home
Our immediate family is the extension of ourselves
 The material self is the sum total of all the
tangible objects, people or places an individual
carry the designation my or mine. There are
two subclasses of the material self:
 Body Self
 Speaks of entities that are clearly an
intimate part of who a person is. It
speaks for a person’s pet (my cat),
possessions (my watch), places (my
home town), and the products of one’s
labor (my research paper).
 The Extracorporeal Self
limited to the physical entities but also
includes their psychological ownership of
them. For instance, an individual may have
a favorite book she likes to read. The book
itself is not a part of the self, rather, it is a
sense of appropriation represented by
the phrase “my favorite book.”
 This is what referred to when one talks
about the extracorporeal/extended self. It
includes all of the people, places and
things that they regard as “theirs.”
Components of Material Self
 Self-Concept
 Our self-concept is the idea or perception
we have of ourselves. It can be
conceptualized as how we perceive our
skills, actions, and traits. It assists us in
visualizing our identities on a physical,
social, and emotional level.
 Examples of Positive Self-concept
 - The individual believes they are a
person of intelligence.
 - One considers themselves to be a
capable employee.
 Examples of Negative Self-concept
 - A person believes they are distant
and unfriendly.
 - The individual perceives themselves
as a disorganized and ineffective
worker.
 Components of Self-Concept
 Carl Rogers (1959) - he was the first
to discuss the components of self-
concept.
 Self-image
 Self-esteem
 Ideal Self
 Body Image
 The concept of body image describes a
person's emotional attitudes, beliefs, and
perceptions of their own body.
 Body Image Relates to:
 - what a person believes about their
appearance
 - how they feel about their body,
height, weight, and shape
 - how they sense and experience their
body
 Positive Body Image:
  - When a person has a positive body
image, they feel comfortable in their
body and have a healthy relationship
with how their body looks and feels.
 Negative Body Image:
 - feel inadequate when comparing
themselves to others.
 - are constantly weighing themselves,
measuring their body, or staring in the
mirror.
 - experience embarrassment or shame
 -experience discomfort or
awkwardness in their body
 Self-esteem
 Describes a person's overall subjective
sense of personal worth or value.
 It's based on our opinions and beliefs about
ourselves, which can feel difficult to
change.
 In other words, self-esteem is how much
we appreciate and love ourselves
regardless of the circumstances. Key
elements of self-esteem includes self
confidence and feeling of security
 Role Performance
 It is an individual's holistic feeling of self-
worth or emotional appraisal. It is the way
an individual perceives his or her ability to
responsibly carry out significant roles.
 Erving Goffman
 - A Canadian sociologist, writer and
considered by some as “the most
influential American sociologist of the
20th century. He presented the idea
that a person is like an actor on a
stage. Calling his theory Dramaturgy,
Goffman believed that we use
impression to others as we hope to be
perceived.
 Dramaturgical theory
 -Builds on the idea that “men are mere
actors and actresses in a large stage
called the society”
 -Suggests that a person's identity is not
a stable and independent psychological
entity, but rather, it is constantly
remade as the person interacts with
others. In a dramaturgical model,
social interaction is analyzed in terms
of how people live their lives, like
actors performing on a stage.
The Main Variables in Material and Economic
Self
 Material Possessions
What is Material Possessions?
 Anything that you possess becomes your
property and it is known as a "material"
possession. It is something you can touch
and keep safe for as long as you want. If a
person is too attached to his material
possessions, he is said to be "materialistic".
What are Material Possessions?
 Material possessions are things that make
us happy.
 Dimensions
 Needs vs. Wants
 Need
 - A need is something you have to
have, something you can’t
without.
 Example: food, water, home.
 Want
 - A want is something you would
like or that you would make your
life easier.
 Example: car, designer clothes.
Fixed Expenses
 Needs are usually based on a fixed
expense. Each month you pay on
specific days and for specific amounts.
 Once you commit to a fixed expense it
is very costly to change this expense
without consequences.
 Each month you pay for some items
on specific days and for specific
amounts. These expenses are called
fixed or regular expenses.
 Fixed expenses cannot be change
easily.
 Late or missed payments can cause
problems such as fees, eviction, legal
action, or having your utilities cut off.
 Examples include:
 Rent
 Mortgage
 Car insurance
 Cellphone contract
 Utilities- power, water, cable, gas
Flexible Expenses
  You also have other expenses that are
flexible or changing.
 People who keep spending records are
often surprised how much they spend
on things they don’t really need or
want.
 You also have other expenses that are
flexible or changing.
 People who keep spending records are
often surprised how much they spend
on things they don’t really need or
want.
 Examples include:
 food
 clothing,
 and personal items.
Debt
 Anytime you borrow money you incur
debt.
 Debtors are those you owe money to
and often times charge interest for
loaning money.
 Experiental vs. Material Purchases
 According to Van Boven and
Gilovich, (2003).
 -Experiential purchases, such as
watching a movie or a football
game, refer to purchases for the
purpose of experience.
 -Material purchases refer to the
purchase of physical objects for
preservation or possession, such
as jewelry or furniture.
 Experiential
 -Examples for experiential
purchase are theme parks, movie
theaters, concerts, and for
vacation. Experiential purchases
allows one to enjoy memorable
and good experiences, may it be
alone or with friends or even
families.
 Material Purchases
 -Material purchase lets a person
indulge on their happiness may it
be a day, week, month, year or
even a lifetime; as long as the
purchased material is still intact.
Now which of the two do people prefer?
According to the web, researchers
concluded that people are happier with
experiential purchases over material ones
irrespective of when you measure happiness:
before, during or after consumption.
Possessions are conceptualized as symbols
of identity which can express and communicate
an individual's social position and personal
qualities.
 High Materialists vs. Low Materialists
 According to Richins and Dawson
(1992).
 -Materialism is a set of centrally
held beliefs about the importance
of possessions in one's life.
 -They believed that the ultimate
goals of personal life can be
fulfilled by things.
 According to Belk (1984)
 -Materialism reflects the
importance a consumer attaches to
worldly possessions.
 -At the highest level of
materialism such as possessions
assumes a central place in a
person's life.
 -It is believed to provide the
greatest source of satisfaction and
dissatisfaction in life.
 Materialistic Person
 someone with a high level of
materialism
 excessively concerned with the
acquisition of material possession
 Material Possession
 • property or belongings that are
tangible
 High Materialists
 -They are less likely to feel good about
themselves as evidenced by lower self-
esteem scores.
 -They are less likely to be self-
actualized and more likely to be self
monitoring
 Low Materialists
  -Are not expected to place strong
emphasis on possessions because they
are external to the self
 -They are more tolerant of ambiguity.
The concept of low self monitor is
consistent with this idea of a low
materialist marching to and feeling
comfortable with an inner drummer.

The Role of Consumer Culture on Our Sense of

Self and Identity
 Consumerism
 -It is the drive to buy and own more stuff,
and to define one's identity through what
they own

 Consumer Behavior/Culture
 -“The study of the buying units and
exchange processes involved in acquiring,
consuming and disposing of goods,
services, experiences and ideas.” (Mowen,
1995)

 The Nature of Consumer Behavior
 -Consumers differ from others; their own
purchasing behaviors would also vary from
one product category to another
 -The number of effort and amount of time
spend in deciding

 Possessions
 -Possesions tell a lot about their owners
(status symbol). 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

 Factors that influence our decision to buy:

 -financial constraints
 -availability of items and services
 -the influence of family and friends.