The Material Self UTS

GE 01 Understanding the Self
Ma. Glenda N. Barcelon, RPm
ma.glendabarcelon_UTS
Unpacking
the SELF
The
Material
SELF
UNPACKING
Self-Expression Get Involved

Creative Thinking
Our wanting to
have and possess
has a connection
with another
aspect of the self
–THE MATERIAL
SELF
THE MATERIAL SELF
 Tangible objects, people
or places that carry the
designation “my, mine”.
• Two Categories:
1. The Bodily Self
2. Extracorporeal Self-
extended self
-William James, 1890-
THE MATERIAL SELF
Arms Bodily Self
Mine
My
Legs Bodily Self
Father and Extracorporeal
Mother Self
Cellphones Extracorporeal
Laptops Self
Extracorporeal
Painting Self
“We regard our
possessions as part of
ourselves. We are what we
have and possess.”
Possessions as Symbolic
Expressions of Identity
(Symbolic Communicational Model)
This outfit
My ancestral
is s---o you!
land is all
that I am!
The Role/Function of
Possessions Levi-Strauss (1965)
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 ma.glendabarcelon_UTS
From early years to old
age, possessions are
symbols of ourselves and
of our identity.
CHILDHOOD
Our relationship with stuffs start 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
ma.glendabarcelon_UTS bedtime for children.
Founding Father of Child
Psychology
THE ENDOWMENT EFFECT
We value item much more highly just as
soon as we own them
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 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)
oNegative qualities: rigidity, sterility, obstinacy,
compulsivity, and lack of creativity
oPositive 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
1. Its constituents
2. The feelings and emotions
they arouse –self-feelings
3. The actions to which they
prompt –self-seeking and
self-preservation
William James
The Principles of Psychology
•The constituents of self
are composed of the:
1. MATERIAL SELF
2. SOCIAL SELF
3. SPIRITUAL SELF
4. PURE EGO.
MATERIAL SELF
Body
Clothes
Immediate Family
Home
Material Selfma.glendabarcelon_UTS
Investment Diagram
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.
CLOTHES
• 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
• 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.
IMMEDIATE FAMILY
• When their lives are in success, we
feel their victories as if were the one
holding the trophy
• In their failures, we are put to shame
or guilt
• When they are in disadvantage
situation. There is an urgent urge to
help like a voluntary instinct of
saving one’s self from danger
• We place huge investment in our
immediate family when we see them
as the nearest replica of our self
HOME
• 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.
Tim Kasser, PhD
a professor of psychology at Knox College in Galesburg,
Illinois, specializing in materialism and well-being.
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.
Tim Kasser, PhD
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’s probably because both the
shows and the ads send messages suggesting that happy, 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.
Tim Kasser, PhD
What is the difference between being
extremely materialistic and being a
compulsive shopper? Is a materialistic person
at risk of becoming a compulsive shopper?
• Materialism is about values and 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 are related to each other. In a recent meta-analysis 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.
Tim Kasser, PhD
What might be some positive
aspects of materialism?
• Materialism is associated with lower levels of well-being, less pro-
social 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.
Tim Kasser, PhD
LATER LIFE AND BEYOND
The attachment to our things
As a person grows older… deepen with the passage of
time. Older people don’t just
• An aging person would wish that form bonds with their specific
whatever defines who she is belongings, they seem to have
would stay with her—photos, affection for material things.
jewelries, small appliances
• Sentimentality, memories of friends
and experiences… photo albums
give a sense of continuity
William James: SELF
“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.
Thank you! 

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GE 01 Understanding the Self

Ma. Glenda N. Barcelon, RPm

Self-Expression Get Involved

A comfort object or security

Giving children and adolescents

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