Southwestern College of Maritime, Business and Technology, Inc.

Quezon Drive, Calero, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro

www.scmbt.edu.ph / slmifnav.official@gmail.com / slmifnav@yahoo.com.ph

SUBJECT: Understanding The Self MODULE #: 8

DATE & TIME: TEACHER: Ms. Princes Jhoy G. Batanes

I. TOPIC: The Material Self and The Political Self

II. TARGET OUTCOMES:

The learner shall be able to:
1. Identify the things that are included in own extended self.
2. Facilitate to choose products appropriately based on their self-identity.
3. To employ the positive and negative potentials in our culture and society.
4. To recognize one’s own traits and values.

I. MATERIALS NEEDED:
To accomplish exercises and activities, you need the following: black pen, pencil and/or other writing
materials and other available references.

III. GEAR UP YOUR MIND

THE MATERIAL SELF

As defined in Wikipedia, materialism is a personal attitude which attaches importance to the

acquisition and consumption of material goods. The term materialistic describes a person or a society that
tends to have a negative or critical implication. Also called acquisitiveness, this attitude is associated with a
value system which regards social status as being determined by affluence, as well as the belief that
possessions can provide happiness. Materialism can be looked at as a personality trait and value.
Materialism as a value puts emphasis on acquiring material possessions as a central life goal with the
belief that possessions are the key to happiness and that success can be judged by a person’s material
wealth and price of material goods one can buy. If this is the value that is inculcated in one minds of the
adolescents, their material self may be derailed.

Russell W. Belk, conceptualized three (3) original personality traits as measures of materialism.
These personality traits as measures of materialism. These are 1) non-generosity which shows an
unwillingness to give or share possession with others, 2) envy, a desire for other’s possession, and 3)

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 Southwestern College of Maritime, Business and Technology, Inc.
Quezon Drive, Calero, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro
www.scmbt.edu.ph / slmifnav.official@gmail.com / slmifnav@yahoo.com.ph

possessiveness which is the concern about loss of possessions and a desire for the greater control of
ownership.

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 MATERIAL SELF

Material things are an essential part of the human self. People have a “material self”, according to
William James. A man’s material self is the sum total of all objects he can call his. This includes his body,
his clothes, his house, his lands and horses, yacht, his bank account, his family and reputation. If these
grow and prosper, their owners feel victorious. If they lessen, they feel a part of their selves is dying or lost.
It is this a material self that also pushes people to acquire homes and fill them with possessions. For the
material self, objects help him become whole but they also reflect what he is made of.

The body is the innermost part of the material self. The clothes come next, followed by the
immediate family – father, mother, siblings, wife, husband and the extended family which is very essential
in Asian culture. Close friends, peers, and other persons who are psychologically and socially connected
with the adolescent also form part of the material self. These people are likely to shape and influence the
development of the self and identity.

Wealth can also be measured by music and art. There are individuals who make their music and
art collections part of their material self. Luxury goods are also about possessions like branded cars,
handbags, jewelries, accessories, and gadgets. These are physical signs that one belongs to a global class
of stylish consumers. The use and display of wealth remain controversial. They give one power and illusion
of success

MATERIAL POSSESSIONS

Materialism is typically viewed as having three (3) facets. The first is a tendency to judge one’s own
success and that of others in terms of the quantity and quality of possessions accumulated over time. The
second is when materialistic persons place possessions and their acquisitions at the center of their lives
(Daun, 1983). The third is what Belk (1985) noted that for materialistic individuals, possessions are viewed
to provide the greatest sources of happiness, satisfaction, dissatisfaction and well-being. Materialists view
themselves and others as successful to the extent that they can own products/objects that project these
three images. The value of possessions stems partly from their ability to project a desired self-image and
identity.

The desire for more material possessions can have both positive and negative impacts on cultures,
economies and societies. On the part of materialistic workers, this desire may cause them to work harder
and for longer hours to enhance their incomes and standard of living. However, there are negative
consequences of materialism. The inability of individuals to achieve their materialistic goals contributes to
disturbances in social systems which may include excessive personal debt, increased personal bankruptcy,
and increase in property crimes. Because acquisition is important to materialists, they view their

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possessions as indicators of their success in life. They, then, are likely to spend their money in different
ways which reflect their materialistic values on spending practices such as compulsive buying, out-of-
control shopping, and travelling to different places in and out of the country.

Buying more stuff is one aspect of compulsive buying which is associated with depression, anxiety,
and broke relationships. It is socially destructive at the same time self-destructive. As people become more
materialistic, their well-being like good relationships, autonomy and sense of purpose diminishes. As they
become less materialistic, their well-being rises. People who are cut-off from other, attach themselves to
possessions, the effect of which is to use possessions as a yardstick of success and to seek happiness in
having more possessions. Materialistic people are also found to compare their possessions with those
others. There is no end to it. The material pursuit of self-esteem and self-identity is reduced.

Consumer culture is a culture of consumption (Slater, 1997). Consumption plays a pivotal role in
the daily life of people. They consume things in ways that are consistent with their sense of self, thus
forming their consumer identity. Consumer identity is the consumption pattern through which consumers
describe themselves. In consumer culture, people no longer consume goods and services merely for
functional satisfaction. Consumers use brands and products to express identities because of their
impression that what one consumes define who is. Consciously or unconsciously, consumers makes
decisions about their wish to project or communicate to others. Consumption is the “search for, choice,
acquisition, possession, and disposal of goods and services” (Hogg & Michell, 1996).

According to Veblen, consumption can be explained by “trickle-down effect” in which people of

lower status envy and emulate those of a higher-level status. In turn, wealthier people and those of higher
status change their consumption habits in order to remain distinguished and popular. Veblen’s theory can
help to explain ideas of identity construction through emulation of peers and celebrities. Demand theory
suggests that consumers should choose product which provide maximum utility for disposable income they
have, where utility becomes a satisfaction or pleasure derived from consumer goods. Sartre, one of post-
modern theorists, suggests that possessions are important to knowing who one is and provide a “sense of
being”. A clear example, the purchase of a watch signals a need for timeless, but the purchase of a Rolex
watch demonstrates more of status. In societies where there is so much choice and relative wealth,
shopping and consumption have become major leisure activities.

Possessions are simply products which have been acquired, purchased or given and then kept,
thereby becoming an extension of consumption that reflects identity. Consumption and identity help to
explain the importance people attribute to their possessions. A good example is the way in which some
people care” for their car, washing it and polishing it. Another is the feelings of sentimentally and regret at
disposing of possessions like old clothes. This link identity can also be illustrated in the loss of possessions
which can result in a lessening of self (Belk, 1988). The concept of the extended self considers the idea

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that “one’s possession are a major contributor to and a reflection of one’s identities.” According to Belk, the
extended self includes things, people, place, and body parts.

Identity can also be transformed through consumption. The most drastic and symbolic example of
this is the plastic/aesthetic surgery. Surgery can make people more comfortable and can provide greater
confidence, feeling of control and even power. The most obvious transition period of identity is in teenage
years. The products they purchase like clothes, music, and arts often have strong symbolism as well as a
social function. Sources of information about what is desirable and undesirable are advertisements in
media, peers, and celebrities. The information from this various sources is used to construct and identity
based on their consumptions ideals. With time and changes in culture, identity is altered.

Another area of transformation of identity is through food consumption. Some obvious example of
identity expression through food are vegetarians, vegans, consumers of organic produce, dieters, and other
variations. The craze with fast foods along with constantly changing styles is what the youth of today are
made up of. The endless pursuit of wealth in order to satisfy people’s material cravings is affecting
relationships and sense of identity. It is no longer enough to live life rather everything has to be about fun
and friends, at the expense of family scenes gradually fading out of the picture. Children no longer have
time for their parents and vice versa. All these happen because day-after-day the media create a world of
fantasy where a life of plenty is the only life desirable.

THE POLITICAL SELF

POLITICS DEFINED

Joyce Mitchell, in his book Political Analysis, defines politics as collective decision-making or the
making of public policies for an entire society. Politics is observed in all human group interactions including
corporate, academic, religious institutions and the family as well. It consists of social relations involving
authority and power, the regulation of political units, and the methods used to formulate and apply social
policies. Power is a continuous bargaining process and at times can be seen as evil or unjust. The use of
power need not involve “coercion or the threat of force.” Power is the fuel of politics. Power is produces by
social cooperation, by acting together.

Politics as defined by Aristotle, is a practical science that deals with making citizens happy to find
that supreme purpose of life and virtue. He believed that the public life is far more virtuous than the private
because men are “political animals” living together in “polis” – the highest form of political community. The
polis is composed of citizens large enough to be self-sufficient. Aristotle asserted that citizens should take
part in governmental processes that promote ideologies about democracy, citizenship, human rights,
freedom, health, family, and other issues that concern people. He further describes the vital role that

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politics and the polis must play in bringing about the virtuous life in the citizenry. He concluded that the
ability of individuals to achieve higher forms of social life is through political interaction with others.

Robson states that the focus of attention of politics is on the struggle to achieve or maintain power,
exercise the powers or influence over others, or oppose the implementation of the rule in society. Karl W.
Duetch says politics is decision-making through public facilities. Citizens are expected to participate in the
political life when the activity relates in some way to the making and execution of policy for a society.

THE POLITICAL SELF

Plato remarked in his book “Republic,” The just man is a citizen of the perfect polis into which he
happens to be born. This allows him to participate actively in a polis or society thus gaining self-identity –
an active citizen of society.

Man, as a political animal according to Aristotle, develops an “agony self”. This agonal self is the
central feature of social system. He is an individual who is recognized to acquire a standing or position and
has the capacity to be a member of the public realm, the polis, as a citizen. He is discover and reveal
himself as a doer of deed and words worth remembering. It is through such actions that he establishes
himself as an individual – as a self.

The political prescription of Max Stinner about the self is a defined union of egoists permitting each
egoist to own himself. Stinner gives the dictum “Realize thy self.” This is an assertion that the self is not to
be acquired but rather to be realized, to reveal itself in action. What one can become he does become.

Nietzsche, dismisses society as an arena for the discovery or presentation of the self. He believes
that the life of the great man is an unrestrained and joyous living. Such a man can love and welcome his
fate and does not become discouraged by an endless succession of tests.

Rousseau, Hegel and Marx, the philosophers of the “essential self” have these to say. As
Rousseau puts it, from a unique self, men have to become citizens first before they become individuals. In
this way, within such a social setting they will achieve happiness and fulfillment. Hegel expanded
Rousseau’s concept of the essential self to a “Being” capable of self-consciousness and aware of the
oneness of the universe – a universe in which men can feel at home. Hegel accepts the liberal idea of civil
rights by asserting freedom that involves a feeling of social unity and harmony symbolized by a
constitutional ruler. For Marx, the essential self is the “laboring self” with productive power that gives him
his true and essential freedom. Marx believes that production is the most concrete and most significant
activity whereby human beings reveal and develop their self-consciousness and identity. Man is essentially
himself when he labors and works.

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 ESTABLISHING A DEMOCRATIC CULTURE

Democratic culture is defined as the desire and ability of individuals in a population to participate
actively, individually or together in government on public affairs that affect them. The existence of a
democratic culture within a population is characterized by the active contribution of members of civil society
to the development of the common good, the terms of “living together” and the construction of collective
decisions. A democratic culture rests on the existence of autonomy of thought and action among the
members civil society.

Sustainable development is closely linked to the development of democratic culture. This is

particularly important in the existence of complex and interdependent issues. The development of
democratic culture entails the condition for a better consideration of the common good in the exercise of
democratic forms of representation as in economic activities, in scientific and technical development. The
plurality and diversity of individuals and groups within society is an essential resource that must be
mobilized to understand and deal with sustainable development.

In a democratic culture, all citizens can participate and feel that they have a responsibility, a culture
in which social privileges and hierarchical status have been disestablished. Democracy is a form of
government. As it is well-known, democracy is a government of the people, by the people, and for the
people. Democracy is a government where power and civic responsibility are exercised by all citizens,
directly or through their freely elected representatives. That means all the people should be able to have
their say in one way or another in everything that affects their lives. Democracy is not only a system of
government. It is a way of life. It establishes peace and order, mutual relation, and co-existence among
various people, democracy becomes useless.

Preservation and promotion of democratic culture depend on the following conditions:

• Every person’s right to freedom of conscience, religious belief and thought
• Academic freedom
• Mutual love and cooperation
• Avoidance of crimes and evil
• Equal behavior
• Loyal in duties and
• Voice against injustice

Democratic culture has the following features:

Sovereignty is the power to do everything in a state without accountability. This is the prime factor
of democracy. In government, it is that public authority which directs or orders what is to be done by each
member in relation to the organization.

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 Rule of Law states that people’s representatives have the rule according to the laws of the state
not according to their own self interests. The people have to follow the rule of the rule because the rule is
made for them.

Election. An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses

individuals to hold office. People should take active participation in the periodic election to make democracy
alive and fruitful. Election is the lifeblood of a democratic culture.

Social Justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and
opportunities. It indicates that the heart of a democratic institution is its ability to deliver social justice to the
people. People like the handicapped, disabled, senior citizens, and the marginalized sectors must get and
enjoy basic facilities. They need attention, protection, and opportunities as other citizens.

THE UNIQUE FILIPINO IDENTITY

Filipinos are Orientals but for centuries they have been in contact said Western civilization.
President Sergio Osmeña said that they are “equally at home in the traditions and civilizations of both East
and West”. He describes the Filipinos as “the most Occidental of Orientals, and the most Oriental of
Occidentals.” In them, East and West meet.

Filipinos belong to the brown race, and they are proud of it. They cherish a story that accounts for
the differences in races. According to a Malay folklore, long ages ago, the goods who dwelt upon the earth
shaped clay after their own image and baked it. In the first trial, they baked it too long and it came out
burned – the Negro. They tried again. This time they removed the clay too soon – the White Man came out.
The third time they were successful. They produced just the right product – the Brown Man.

Filipinos came from various ethno-linguistic groups who are native to the island country, the
Philippines. Filipino culture is incredibly rich. Currently, there are more than 175 ethno-linguistic groups,
each with its own language, identity, culture, and history. The modern Filipino identity with its Austronesian
roots was developed in conjunction with Spanish, Chinese, American and Japanese influences.

The Philippines was a Spanish colony for 333 years, setting a foundation for contemporary Filipino
culture. Filipino culture is a unique mix of the influence of the East and West. Christianity is the most
common religion in the Philippines. Islam is another popular religion. As stated earlier, there are more than
175 different languages spoken in the Philippines. There are four (4) main languages spoken by a majority
of the population. These are the Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, and Bisaya. English is not one of the native
languages but over a quarter of the population speak it.

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 Many sports are popular in the Philippines like boxing, basketball, volleyball and motocross to
mention a few. Playing card games and watching cockfights are popular forms of entertainment. Filipino
culture is very oriented towards the group. Filipinos feel that it is important to belong to a group, to get
along well with each other and to fulfill their obligations towards family members, friend, and business
partners. The Philippines has a lot to offer, not only because of its unique culture but of the breath-taking
beauty of the people and the islands. Filipinos are uniquely beautiful and handsome as evidenced by
Filipina beauties winning in local and international beauty competitions.

The following traits make Filipinos unique when compared to other Asian cultures. Filipinos are well
known for being hospitable, their most lovable trait. They are family-oriented with close family ties and their
extended families. Respect for the elderlies is shown by the “pagmamano”, a gesture where the children
are taught and expected to do this when meeting an elder as a sign of greeting and respect. This gesture is
simply accepting the hand of an older person and putting it on the forehead. The use “po” and “opo” in ones
conversations with elders and persons of authority is another sign of respect. Other traits include joy and
humor, flexibility, adaptability and creativity, faith and religiosity, hard work and industry, and the ability to
survive. The ability to survive is manifested in their capacity for endurance despite difficult times and in their
ability to get by on so little resources.

REFERENCES Gl oria D. Ancheta, Ed.D, Understanding the Self (Who Am I?), 2019,
Wiseman’s Books Trading, Inc. pp. 133-137 & 140-146

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