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 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, 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") 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. 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: 1. Material Self 2. Social Self 3. Spiritual Self 4. Pure Material Self Investment Diagram BODY 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 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) IMMEDIATE FAMILY successful people are wealthy, have nice things, and are beautiful and popular. One has to remember that the vast majority of media are owned by a few for-profit corporations that make money by selling advertising, and the purpose of advertising is to sell products. Our parents and siblings hold a great important part of our self What they do or become affect us When an immediate family member dies, part of our self-dies too When their lives are in success, we feel their victories as if were the one holding the What is the difference between being extremely materialistic and being a trophy compulsive shopper? Is a materialistic In their failures, we are put to shame person at risk of becoming a or guilt compulsive shopper? When they are in disadvantage situation. There is an urgent urge to Materialism is about values and help like a voluntary instinct of desire for money, possessions, and the saving one’s self from danger like. Compulsive consumption is when a We place huge investment in our person feels unable to control the desire to immediate family when we see them consume, often because she or he is trying as the nearest replica of our self. to fill some emptiness or overcome anxiety. Materialism and compulsive consumption HOME are related to each other. In a recent metaanalysis of the association between It is the earliest nest of our selfhood. materialism and people’s well-being, we Our experiences inside the home were found that the correlation between people’s recorded and marked on particular parts materialism and the extent they reported and things in our home problems with compulsive consumption What does it mean to be materialistic? was strong and consistent across many studies. To be materialistic means to have values that put a relatively high priority on What might be some positive aspects of making a lot of money and having many materialism? possessions, as well as on image and Materialism is associated with lower popularity, which are almost always levels of well-being, less prosocial expressed via money and possessions. interpersonal behavior, more ecologically Why are some people materialistic and destructive behavior, and worse academic others not? outcomes. It also is associated with more spending problems and debt. From my Research shows two sets of factors perspective, all of those are negative that lead people to have materialistic outcomes. values. First, people are more materialistic when they are exposed to messages that But from the point of view of an suggest such pursuits are important, economic/social system that relies on whether through their parents and friends, spending to drive high levels of profit for society, or the media. Second, and companies, economic growth for the nation somewhat less obvious — people are more and tax revenue for the government, materialistic when they feel insecure or consumption and over-spending related to threatened, whether because of rejection, materialism may be viewed as a positive. economic fears, or thoughts of their own LATER LIFE AND BEYOND 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 materialistic their values are. That is probably because both the shows and the ads send messages suggesting that happy, 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. 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”. 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. 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 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. 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") 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 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 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: 1. Material Self 2. Social Self 3. Spiritual Self 4. Pure Material Self Investment Diagram Ego BODY 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) 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 IMMEDIATE FAMILY materialistic their values are. That is Our parents and siblings hold a probably because both the shows and the great important part of our self ads send messages suggesting that happy, 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 immediate family when we see them Materialism is about values and as the nearest replica of our self. desire for money, possessions, and the 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 HOME are related to each other. In a recent metaIt is the earliest nest of our selfhood. analysis of the association between Our experiences inside the home were materialism and people’s well-being, we recorded and marked on particular parts found that the correlation between people’s and things in our home materialism and the extent they reported problems with compulsive consumption What does it mean to be materialistic? was strong and consistent across many studies. To be materialistic means to have values that put a relatively high priority on What might be some positive aspects of making a lot of money and having many materialism? possessions, as well as on image and popularity, which are almost always Materialism is associated with lower expressed via money and possessions. levels of well-being, less prosocial interpersonal behavior, more ecologically Why are some people materialistic and destructive behavior, and worse academic others not? outcomes. It also is associated with more spending problems and debt. From my Research shows two sets of factors perspective, all of those are negative that lead people to have materialistic outcomes. values. First, people are more materialistic when they are exposed to messages that But from the point of view of an suggest such pursuits are important, economic/social system that relies on whether through their parents and friends, spending to drive high levels of profit for society, or the media. Second, and 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.
