The Material Self Module

THE MATERIAL SELF
A Harvard psychologist in the late 19th century, William James, wrote in his book, The
Principles of Psychology that 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. The constituents of self are
composed of the material self, the social self, the spiritual self and the pure ego. (Trentmann
2016; Green 1997)
The material self, is about our bodies, clothes, immediate family, and home. We are
deeply affected by these things because we have put much investment of our self to them.
The innermost part of our material self is our body. Intentionally, we are investing in our
body. We are directly attached to this commodity that we cannot live without. We strive hard
to make sure that this body functions well and good. Any ailment or disorder directly affects us.
We do have certain preferential attachment or intimate closeness to certain body parts because
of its value to us.
There were people who get their certain body parts insured. Celebrities like Mariah
Carey who was reported to have placed a huge amount for the insurance of her vocal cords and
legs (Sukman 2016).
Next to our body are the clothes we use. Influenced by the “Philosophy of Dress” by
Herman Lotze, James believed that clothing is an essential part of the material self. The fabric
and style of the clothes we wear bring sensations to the body to which directly affect our
attitudes and behavior. Thus, clothes are placed in the second hierarchy of material self.
Clothing is a form of self-expression. We choose and wear clothes that reflect our self (Watson
2014).
Third in the hierarchy is our immediate family. Our parents and siblings hold another
great important of the self. What they do or become affects 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 we are 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.
The fourth component of material self is our home. Home is where our heart is. 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. There was an old cliché about rooms: “If only walls can
speak.” The home is an extension of self, because in it, we can directly connect our self.
Having investment of self to things, made us attached to those things. The more
investment of self-given to the particular thing, the more we identify ourselves to it. We also
tended to collect and possess properties. The collections in different degree of investment of
self, becomes part of the self. As James (1890) described self: “a man’s self is the sum total of
all what he CAN call his.” possessions then become a part or an extension of the self.
We are What We Have
Russel Belk (1988) posits that “…we regard our possessions as part of ourselves. We are
what we have and what we possess.” the identification of the self to things started in our
infancy stage when we make a distinction among self and environment and others who may
desire our possessions.
As we grow older, putting importance to material possession decreases. However,

material possession top find happiness, associate these things with significant events,
accomplishments, and people in our lives. There are even times, when material possession of a
person that is closely identified to the person, gains acknowledgment with high regard even if
the person already passed away. Examples of these are the chair in the dining room on which
the person is always seated, the chair will be the constant reminder of the person seated there;
a well-loved and kept vehicle of the person, which some of the bereaved family have a difficulty
to sell or let go of because the vehicle is very much identified with the owner who passed
away; the favorite pet or book, among others that the owner placed a high value, these favorite
things are symbols of the owner.
The possessions that we dearly have tell something about who we are, our self-concept,
our past, or even the future.

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THE MATERIAL SELF

We are What We Have

As we grow older, putting importance to material possession decreases. However,

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