DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph
DHVSU – LUBAO CAMPUS
ISO 9001: 2015
QMS-Certified
Sta. Catalina, Lubao, Pampanga
Tangible objects, people or places
that carry the designation “my, mine”.
UNIT 2: Unpacking the Self
Lesson 8: The Material Self
Objectives:
After completing the module, the students
are expected to:
1. Develop understanding about the
material self;
2. Describe the basic components of the
material self;
3. Discuss the influence of media in
people’s acquisition of material
possessions; and
4. Develop qualities of a wise buyer.
Duration: 3 hours
Learning Content:
We are living in a world of sale and
shopping spree. We are given a wide array
of products to purchase, from a simple set
of spoon and fork to owning a restaurant.
Almost everywhere, including the digital
space, we can find promotions of product
purchase. Product advertisements are
suggestive of making us feel better or look
good. Part of us wants to have that product.
What makes us want to have those
products are connected with who we are.
What we want to have and already possess
is related to our self.
A person’s tangible possessions like
his car, house, clothes, even family and
friends make up his or her material self.
Regardless of how much or how little a
person owns materially, he or she will
always strive to acquire more because
material possessions are usually a
reflection of a person’s success of failure.
Belk (1988) stated that “we regard
our possessions as part of our selves. We
are what we have and what we possess”.
There is a direct link between self-identity
with what we have and possess. Our
wanting to have and possess has a
connection with another aspect of the Self,
the Material Self.
Our wanting to have and possess
has a connection with another aspect of the
self –THE MATERIAL SELF
Two Categories:
1. The Bodily Self
2. Extracorporeal Selfextended William James, 1890
Possessions as Symbolic Expressions
of Identity (Symbolic Communicational
Model)
The Role/Function
Possession
of
Possessions
Possessions do not just have value;
they
are
not
merely
economic
commodities. They are also vehicles and
instruments for realities of another order:
 Influence
 Power
 Sympathy
 Social status
 Emotions
From early years to old age,
possessions are symbols of ourselves and
of our identity.
CHILDHOOD
Our relationship with stuffs starts
early. The idea that we can own something,
possess it as a part of ourselves is one that
children grasp by the age of two.
A comfort object or security blanket
is an item used to provide psychological
comfort, especially in unusual or unique
situations, or at bedtime for children.
The Endownment Effect
The endowment effect refers to an
emotional bias that causes individuals to
value an owned object higher, often
irrationally, than its market value.
In psychology and behavioral
economics, the endowment effect (also
known as divestiture aversion and related
to the mere ownership effect in social
psychology is the finding that people are
more likely to retain an object they own
than acquire that same object when they do
not own it. The endowment theory can be
defined as "an application of prospect
theory positing that loss aversion
associated with ownership explains
observed exchange asymmetries.
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph
One of the most famous examples of
the endowment effect in the literature is
from a study by Daniel Kahneman, Jack
Knetsch & Richard Thaler, in which
participants were given a mug and then
offered the chance to sell it or trade it for an
equally valued alternative (pens). They
found that the amount participants required
as compensation for the mug once their
ownership of the mug had been
established ("willingness to accept") was
approximately twice as high as the amount
they were willing to pay to acquire the mug
("willingness to pay")
DHVSU – LUBAO CAMPUS
ISO 9001: 2015
QMS-Certified
Sta. Catalina, Lubao, Pampanga
travels. Possessions are extensions of the
physical body and the sense of self that
reflects who a person is.
Understanding the self can be examined
through its different components
ADOLESCENCE
As children mature into teens, we
see possessions starting to act as a crutch
for the self. Materialism peaked at middle
adolescents, just when self-esteem tended
to be lowest.
Giving children and adolescents a
sense of self-worth and accomplishment is
an effective antidote to the development of
materialism.
HOARDING DISORDER
Hoarding Disorder is a persistent
difficulty discarding or parting with
possessions because of a perceived need
to save them. A person with hording
disorder experiences distress at thought of
getting rid of the items. Excessive
accumulation of items, regardless of actual
value, occurs.
2. The feelings and emotions they arouse –
self-feelings
3. The actions to which they prompt –selfseeking and self-preservation
The constituents of self are composed
of the:
1. Material Self
2. Social Self
3. Spiritual Self
4.
Pure
Material Self Investment Diagram

Hoarding characters seek to save
that which they have already
obtained. They hold everything
inside and do not let go of anything.
 They in a sense focus on what is not
alive (material things)
 Negative qualities: rigidity, sterility,
obstinacy, compulsivity, and lack of
creativity
 Positive
qualities:
orderliness,
cleanliness, and punctuality.
ADULTHOOD
unfold, our things
selfhood and identity
external receptacles
relationships, and
Ego
BODY

Hoarding objects
As our lives
embody our sense of
still further, become
for our memories,
1. Its constituents



The innermost part of our material
self
We invest in our body
We strive hard to make sure that our
body functions well and good
We do have preferential attachment
or intimate closeness to certain body
parts because of its value to us.
CLOTHES


An essential part of the material self
“The Philosophy of Dress” by
Herman Lotze – any time we bring
an object into the surface of our
body, we invest that object into the
consciousness of our personal
existence taking in its contours to be
our own and making it part of the
self.
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph



The fabric and style of the clothes
we wear bring sensations to the
body to which directly affect our
attitudes and behavior.
Clothing is a form of self-expression.
We choose and wear clothes that
reflect our self (Watsons 2014)
ISO 9001: 2015
QMS-Certified
DHVSU – LUBAO CAMPUS
Sta. Catalina, Lubao, Pampanga
economic fears, or thoughts of their own
death.
How have media, particularly social
media, influenced materialism in the
world today?
The research shows that the more
that people watch television, the more
IMMEDIATE FAMILY
materialistic their values are. That is
probably because both the shows and the
 Our parents and siblings hold a
ads send messages suggesting that happy,
great important part of our self
successful people are wealthy, have nice
 What they do or become affect us
things, and are beautiful and popular. One
 When an immediate family member
has to remember that the vast majority of
dies, part of our self-dies too
 When their lives are in success, we feel media are owned by a few for-profit
their victories as if were the one holding the corporations that make money by selling
advertising, and the purpose of advertising
trophy
is to sell products.
 In their failures, we are put to shame
or guilt
What is the difference between being
 When they are in disadvantage
extremely materialistic and being a
situation. There is an urgent urge to
compulsive shopper? Is a materialistic
help like a voluntary instinct of
person at risk of becoming a
saving one’s self from danger
compulsive shopper?
 We place huge investment in our
Materialism is about values and
immediate family when we see them
desire
for money, possessions, and the
as the nearest replica of our self.
like. Compulsive consumption is when a
HOME
person feels unable to control the desire to
consume, often because she or he is trying
It is the earliest nest of our selfhood.
to fill some emptiness or overcome anxiety.
Our experiences inside the home were
Materialism and compulsive consumption
recorded and marked on particular parts
are related to each other. In a recent metaand things in our home
analysis of the association between
materialism and people’s well-being, we
What does it mean to be materialistic?
found that the correlation between people’s
materialism and the extent they reported
To be materialistic means to have
problems with compulsive consumption
values that put a relatively high priority on
was strong and consistent across many
making a lot of money and having many
studies.
possessions, as well as on image and
popularity, which are almost always
What might be some positive aspects of
expressed via money and possessions.
materialism?
Why are some people materialistic and
Materialism is associated with lower
others not?
levels of well-being, less prosocial
interpersonal behavior, more ecologically
Research shows two sets of factors
destructive behavior, and worse academic
that lead people to have materialistic
outcomes. It also is associated with more
values. First, people are more materialistic
spending problems and debt. From my
when they are exposed to messages that
perspective, all of those are negative
suggest such pursuits are important,
outcomes.
whether through their parents and friends,
society, or the media. Second, and
But from the point of view of an
somewhat less obvious — people are more
economic/social
system that relies on
materialistic when they feel insecure or
spending to drive high levels of profit for
threatened, whether because of rejection,
companies, economic growth for the nation
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph
and tax revenue for the government,
consumption and over-spending related to
materialism may be viewed as a positive.
LATER LIFE AND BEYOND
As a person grows older… An aging
person would wish that whatever defines
who she is would stay with her—photos,
jewelries, small appliances. Sentimentality,
memories of friends and experiences…
photo albums give a sense of continuity.
The attachment to our things deepens with
the passage of time. Older people do not
just form bonds with their specific
belongings, they seem to have affection for
material things.
“A man’s self is the sum total of all what
he CAN call his.” Possessions are a part
or an extension of the SELF.
UNIT 2: Unpacking the Self
Lesson 8: The Material Self
Objectives:
After completing the module, the students
are expected to:
5. Develop understanding about the
material self;
6. Describe the basic components of the
material self;
7. Discuss the influence of media in
people’s acquisition of material
possessions; and
8. Develop qualities of a wise buyer.
Duration: 3 hours
Learning Content:
We are living in a world of sale and
shopping spree. We are given a wide array
of products to purchase, from a simple set
of spoon and fork to owning a restaurant.
Almost everywhere, including the digital
space, we can find promotions of product
purchase. Product advertisements are
suggestive of making us feel better or look
good. Part of us wants to have that product.
What makes us want to have those
products are connected with who we are.
DHVSU – LUBAO CAMPUS
ISO 9001: 2015
QMS-Certified
Sta. Catalina, Lubao, Pampanga
What we want to have and already possess
is related to our self.
A person’s tangible possessions like
his car, house, clothes, even family and
friends make up his or her material self.
Regardless of how much or how little a
person owns materially, he or she will
always strive to acquire more because
material possessions are usually a
reflection of a person’s success of failure.
Belk (1988) stated that “we regard
our possessions as part of our selves. We
are what we have and what we possess”.
There is a direct link between self-identity
with what we have and possess. Our
wanting to have and possess has a
connection with another aspect of the Self,
the Material Self.
Our wanting to have and possess
has a connection with another aspect of the
self –THE MATERIAL SELF
Tangible objects, people or places
that carry the designation “my, mine”.
Two Categories:
1. The Bodily Self
2. Extracorporeal Selfextended William James, 1890
.
Possessions as Symbolic Expressions
of Identity (Symbolic Communicational
Model)
The Role/Function
Possession
of
Possessions
Possessions do not just have value;
they
are
not
merely
economic
commodities. They are also vehicles and
instruments for realities of another order:
 Influence
 Power
 Sympathy
 Social status
 Emotions
From early years to old age,
possessions are symbols of ourselves and
of our identity.
CHILDHOOD
Our relationship with stuffs starts
early. The idea that we can own something,
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph
possess it as a part of ourselves is one that
children grasp by the age of two.
A comfort object or security blanket
is an item used to provide psychological
comfort, especially in unusual or unique
situations, or at bedtime for children.
The Endownment Effect
The endowment effect refers to an
emotional bias that causes individuals to
value an owned object higher, often
irrationally, than its market value.
In psychology and behavioral
economics, the endowment effect (also
known as divestiture aversion and related
to the mere ownership effect in social
psychology is the finding that people are
more likely to retain an object they own
than acquire that same object when they do
not own it. The endowment theory can be
defined as "an application of prospect
theory positing that loss aversion
associated with ownership explains
observed exchange asymmetries.
One of the most famous examples of
the endowment effect in the literature is
from a study by Daniel Kahneman, Jack
Knetsch & Richard Thaler, in which
participants were given a mug and then
offered the chance to sell it or trade it for an
equally valued alternative (pens). They
found that the amount participants required
as compensation for the mug once their
ownership of the mug had been
established ("willingness to accept") was
approximately twice as high as the amount
they were willing to pay to acquire the mug
("willingness to pay")
DHVSU – LUBAO CAMPUS
ISO 9001: 2015
QMS-Certified
Sta. Catalina, Lubao, Pampanga
Hoarding Disorder is a persistent
difficulty discarding or parting with
possessions because of a perceived need
to save them. A person with hording
disorder experiences distress at thought of
getting rid of the items. Excessive
accumulation of items, regardless of actual
value, occurs.
Hoarding objects

Hoarding characters seek to save
that which they have already
obtained. They hold everything
inside and do not let go of anything.
 They in a sense focus on what is not
alive (material things)
 Negative qualities: rigidity, sterility,
obstinacy, compulsivity, and lack of
creativity
 Positive
qualities:
orderliness,
cleanliness, and punctuality.
ADULTHOOD
As our lives unfold, our things
embody our sense of selfhood and identity
still further, become external receptacles
for our memories, relationships, and
travels. Possessions are extensions of the
physical body and the sense of self that
reflects who a person is.
Understanding the self can be examined
through its different components
ADOLESCENCE
As children mature into teens, we
see possessions starting to act as a crutch
for the self. Materialism peaked at middle
adolescents, just when self-esteem tended
to be lowest.
Giving children and adolescents a
sense of self-worth and accomplishment is
an effective antidote to the development of
materialism.
HOARDING DISORDER
1. Its constituents
2. The feelings and emotions they arouse –
self-feelings
3. The actions to which they prompt –selfseeking and self-preservation
The constituents of self are composed
of the:
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph
1. Material Self
2. Social Self
3. Spiritual Self
4.
Pure
Material Self Investment Diagram
ISO 9001: 2015
QMS-Certified



Ego
The innermost part of our material
self
We invest in our body
We strive hard to make sure that our
body functions well and good
We do have preferential attachment
or intimate closeness to certain body
parts because of its value to us.
CLOTHES


An essential part of the material self
“The Philosophy of Dress” by
Herman Lotze – any time we bring
an object into the surface of our
body, we invest that object into the
consciousness of our personal
existence taking in its contours to be
our own and making it part of the
self.

The fabric and style of the clothes
we wear bring sensations to the
body to which directly affect our
attitudes and behavior.
Clothing is a form of self-expression.
We choose and wear clothes that
reflect our self (Watsons 2014)








It is the earliest nest of our selfhood.
Our experiences inside the home were
recorded and marked on particular parts
and things in our home
What does it mean to be materialistic?
To be materialistic means to have
values that put a relatively high priority on
making a lot of money and having many
possessions, as well as on image and
popularity, which are almost always
expressed via money and possessions.
Why are some people materialistic and
others not?
Research shows two sets of factors
that lead people to have materialistic
values. First, people are more materialistic
when they are exposed to messages that
suggest such pursuits are important,
whether through their parents and friends,
society, or the media. Second, and
somewhat less obvious — people are more
materialistic when they feel insecure or
threatened, whether because of rejection,
economic fears, or thoughts of their own
death.
How have media, particularly social
media, influenced materialism in the
world today?
The research shows that the more
that people watch television, the more
Our parents and siblings hold a
materialistic their values are. That is
great important part of our self
probably because both the shows and the
What they do or become affect us
ads send messages suggesting that happy,
When an immediate family member
successful people are wealthy, have nice
dies, part of our self-dies too
things, and are beautiful and popular. One
When their lives are in success, we feel has to remember that the vast majority of
their victories as if were the one holding the media are owned by a few for-profit
corporations that make money by selling
trophy
advertising, and the purpose of advertising
In their failures, we are put to shame
is to sell products.
or guilt
When they are in disadvantage
What is the difference between being
situation. There is an urgent urge to
extremely materialistic and being a
help like a voluntary instinct of
compulsive shopper? Is a materialistic
saving one’s self from danger
person at risk of becoming a
We place huge investment in our
compulsive shopper?
immediate family when we see them
as the nearest replica of our self.
Materialism is about values and
desire for money, possessions, and the
IMMEDIATE FAMILY

Sta. Catalina, Lubao, Pampanga
HOME
BODY

DHVSU – LUBAO CAMPUS
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph
like. Compulsive consumption is when a
person feels unable to control the desire to
consume, often because she or he is trying
to fill some emptiness or overcome anxiety.
Materialism and compulsive consumption
are related to each other. In a recent metaanalysis of the association between
materialism and people’s well-being, we
found that the correlation between people’s
materialism and the extent they reported
problems with compulsive consumption
was strong and consistent across many
studies.
What might be some positive aspects of
materialism?
Materialism is associated with lower
levels of well-being, less prosocial
interpersonal behavior, more ecologically
destructive behavior, and worse academic
outcomes. It also is associated with more
spending problems and debt. From my
perspective, all of those are negative
outcomes.
But from the point of view of an
economic/social system that relies on
spending to drive high levels of profit for
companies, economic growth for the nation
and tax revenue for the government,
consumption and over-spending related to
materialism may be viewed as a positive.
LATER LIFE AND BEYOND
As a person grows older… An aging
person would wish that whatever defines
who she is would stay with her—photos,
jewelries, small appliances. Sentimentality,
memories of friends and experiences…
photo albums give a sense of continuity.
The attachment to our things deepens with
the passage of time. Older people do not
just form bonds with their specific
belongings, they seem to have affection for
material things.
“A man’s self is the sum total of all what
he CAN call his.” Possessions are a part
or an extension of the SELF.
ISO 9001: 2015
QMS-Certified
DHVSU – LUBAO CAMPUS
Sta. Catalina, Lubao, Pampanga