This document discusses how consumer culture and material possessions shape our sense of self and identity. It explores how our possessions, homes, families, pets, and even our own bodies are seen as parts of our extended self. Losing possessions can cause grief similar to losing a loved one. Our level of income determines our consumption habits and preferences shape how much we work and consume. Collections are also used to distinguish and define ourselves. Overall, the document examines how consumerism and material goods influence how we view ourselves and others.
This document discusses how consumer culture and material possessions shape our sense of self and identity. It explores how our possessions, homes, families, pets, and even our own bodies are seen as parts of our extended self. Losing possessions can cause grief similar to losing a loved one. Our level of income determines our consumption habits and preferences shape how much we work and consume. Collections are also used to distinguish and define ourselves. Overall, the document examines how consumerism and material goods influence how we view ourselves and others.
This document discusses how consumer culture and material possessions shape our sense of self and identity. It explores how our possessions, homes, families, pets, and even our own bodies are seen as parts of our extended self. Losing possessions can cause grief similar to losing a loved one. Our level of income determines our consumption habits and preferences shape how much we work and consume. Collections are also used to distinguish and define ourselves. Overall, the document examines how consumerism and material goods influence how we view ourselves and others.
MATERIAL SELF Trentman – If they grew (possesions), their owners felt triumphant.. If they faded, people felt a part of themselves was dying.
James – Material self is
constituted by our bodies, clothes, immediate family, and home. Gregoire – money can powerfully influence our thoughts and actions in ways that we’re not aware of, no matter what our economic circumstances are. Curtis – cash can have serious bearing on one’s belief regarding the way a person views himself/herself A. Social and business Value Heyman and Ariely – there are two motivations for completing a given task: “social and money”
B. Self sufficiency and service
money – conscious individuals are more self-sufficient then their peers, particularly when money is made the focus C. Self- view the amount one earns could have an effect on how he/she views both himself/herself and others D. Ethics *Self-interest maximization an idea suggest these who have the most money or occupy higher classes are likely to take a “what’s in it for me? “ attitude. E. Addiction *Behavioral or process addiction – a compulsive behavior not motivated by dependency on an addictive substance, but rather by a process that leads to a seemingly positive outcome Shaping The Way We See Ourselves: The Roles of Consumer Culture on Our Sense of Self and Identity Possessions and the extended self The premise that people regard their possessions as parts of themselves is not new. If possessions are viewed as part of self, it follows that an intentional loss of possessions should be regarded as a loss or lessening of self. Goffman – if possessions are viewed as part of self, it follows an unintentional loss of possessions should be regarded as a loss or lessening of self. Snyder and Fromkin – the result of this systematic substitution of standardized “identity kits” for former possessions is an elimination of uniqueness. Rosenblatt, Walsh, and Jackson -suggest that a process of grief and mourning may follow the discovery of theft, just as one might grieve and mourn the death of a loved one who had been a part of one's life. Mcleod – those who lost possession to a mudslide went through a process of grief similar to that of losing a loved one.
Juliet Schor – there is a
connection between wealth and well-being. * cycle of work and spend * Our immediate family is a part of ourselves. Our father and mother, our wife and babies, are bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. When they die, a part of our very selves is gone. Clearly what is mourned is loss of self, as material property is an extension of the ego, and any interference with our property is, for this reason, felt to be a violation of the person. The income earned then determines the level of consumption. Thus, individual workers/consumers choose the level of working hours and the quantity of consumption.
There is no possibility of "too much"
or "too little" consumption. It is individuals' preferences that determine the quantity of consuming and free time. Special Cases of Extended Self Collections (“I shop Therefore, I am”) *Belk – today humans more often assemble non-necessities for distinction and self-definiton.
*Goldberg and Lewis –
collections may be seen as transition objects or security blankets for adults. Pets as Extended Self Foote 1956; Heiman 1967- Pets are regarded commonly as representative of self and studies show that we attempt to infer characteristics of people from their pets. Cain 1985; Freidman and Thomas 1985; Hickrod and Schmitt 1982; Rochberg-Halton 1985; Wallendorfand Belk 1987- like people, pets are regarded as family members Hickrod and Schmitt 1982; Meer 1984 - it is significant that we name name our pets,feed and care for them, photograph themm, spend money on them, groom them, talk to them, protect them, sleep and play with them, and mourn their death. Carmack (1985), Cowles (1985), and Keddie (1977)- found that in some cases of pet death the mourning is similar to that which occurs due to the loss of a home or the loss of a limb. Levinston (1972) and Robin and Bensel (1985) – found that pets are so instrumental to self- identity that they are often useful as transition objects (surrogate parents) for children and as surrogate children for adults. Body Parts Body parts are among the central parts of the extended self. In psychoanalytic terms, such self- extension is called cathexis. Cathexis – involves the charging of an object, activity, or idea with emotional energy by the individual. Csikszentimihayli and Rochberg Halton (1981) - proposed the seemingly identical concept of psychic energy investment to describe the process of identification with possessions of any type. Material Self Refer to all of the physical elements that reflect who a person is which includes his/her body, possessions and home. The body is the most inner part of the material self. Materialism Refers to the theory or belief that nothing exists except matter, its movements and its modification; 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 that spiritual values.