UNPACKING THE SELF (continuation)
3. The Material Self / Economic Self
According to William James (1980, p.291), Harvard psychologist in the late 19 th
century, the self is everything that an individual considers to be his or hers, not only his
or her body and material possessions but also his or her reputation and beliefs. The self,
therefore, is composed of the material self which is the manifestation of one’s identity
through his material possessions.
The basic component of the material self includes the body. One of the tasks of
adolescents is to accept and appreciate the physical characteristics of their body.
However, a few adolescents are able to do this successfully. They tend to worry about
their bodies and physical appearance. Generally, girls are more concerned about the
appearance of their body than boys. Perceptions about what makes a body beautiful are
usually influenced by the media as shown in television and the social media.
Another component of the material self is the clothes that people wear as these
represent the self. The style and brand of clothes become significant symbols, particularly
among adolescents. The clothes they tend to wear are greatly influenced by their peer
groups because adolescents are anxious to conform to what their peer groups find
fashionable and attractive.
Apart from clothes, the material component of the self can include one’s house,
car, pets, and other things that he or she considers as his or her possession. The material
component of the self also includes people an individual has relationships with such as
one’s immediate and extended family members as well as close friends with whom one
feels psychologically connected. These people are likely to shape and influence the
development of one’s self and identity. Pets could also symbolically define a person’s
identity. The pet could be an expression of one’s social status, pride, and prestige, as in
owning a dog or cat of a very expensive breed.
, The Role of Material Possession on the Sense of Self and Identity
- Russell Belk (1988) in his work Are We What We Own?, suggests that material
possessions act as an objective manifestation of the self. Material possessions
can be a reflection of hard work and success. People tend to measure success
through the amount of their material possessions
- Defining the self by material possessions can also be contribute to a feeling of
well-being, including a sense of personal growth and purpose or meaning in
life. However, the lack or loss of material possessions can be disruptive to one’s
mental health, like people losing their houses and their possessions because
of disasters and calamities.
- The desire for material possessions also has negative effects on one’s sense
of self and identity. Materialism refers to giving more importance to material
possessions than intangible values. A materialistic person is one who is
excessively concerned with the acquisition of material possessions. The strong
desire for material possessions could lead to psychological dysfunction or
impairment in functioning such as compulsive buying disorder (CBD) which is
characterized by an obsession with shopping and buying behaviors that can
cause adverse consequences (e.g., debts).
- When a person is about to make a purchase, he or she should ask himself or
herself a very important question: DO I REALLY NEED THIS?
Consumer Culture – a social system in which consumption is dominated by the
consumption of commercial products (Arnould, 2010)
- Denotes a social arrangement in which the relations between lived culture and
social resources, and between meaningful ways of life and the symbolic and
material resources on which they depend on are mediated through markets.
The consumption of market-made commodities and desire-inducing marketing
symbols is central to consumer culture (Arnould & Craig, 2005). A consumerist
3. The Material Self / Economic Self
According to William James (1980, p.291), Harvard psychologist in the late 19 th
century, the self is everything that an individual considers to be his or hers, not only his
or her body and material possessions but also his or her reputation and beliefs. The self,
therefore, is composed of the material self which is the manifestation of one’s identity
through his material possessions.
The basic component of the material self includes the body. One of the tasks of
adolescents is to accept and appreciate the physical characteristics of their body.
However, a few adolescents are able to do this successfully. They tend to worry about
their bodies and physical appearance. Generally, girls are more concerned about the
appearance of their body than boys. Perceptions about what makes a body beautiful are
usually influenced by the media as shown in television and the social media.
Another component of the material self is the clothes that people wear as these
represent the self. The style and brand of clothes become significant symbols, particularly
among adolescents. The clothes they tend to wear are greatly influenced by their peer
groups because adolescents are anxious to conform to what their peer groups find
fashionable and attractive.
Apart from clothes, the material component of the self can include one’s house,
car, pets, and other things that he or she considers as his or her possession. The material
component of the self also includes people an individual has relationships with such as
one’s immediate and extended family members as well as close friends with whom one
feels psychologically connected. These people are likely to shape and influence the
development of one’s self and identity. Pets could also symbolically define a person’s
identity. The pet could be an expression of one’s social status, pride, and prestige, as in
owning a dog or cat of a very expensive breed.
, The Role of Material Possession on the Sense of Self and Identity
- Russell Belk (1988) in his work Are We What We Own?, suggests that material
possessions act as an objective manifestation of the self. Material possessions
can be a reflection of hard work and success. People tend to measure success
through the amount of their material possessions
- Defining the self by material possessions can also be contribute to a feeling of
well-being, including a sense of personal growth and purpose or meaning in
life. However, the lack or loss of material possessions can be disruptive to one’s
mental health, like people losing their houses and their possessions because
of disasters and calamities.
- The desire for material possessions also has negative effects on one’s sense
of self and identity. Materialism refers to giving more importance to material
possessions than intangible values. A materialistic person is one who is
excessively concerned with the acquisition of material possessions. The strong
desire for material possessions could lead to psychological dysfunction or
impairment in functioning such as compulsive buying disorder (CBD) which is
characterized by an obsession with shopping and buying behaviors that can
cause adverse consequences (e.g., debts).
- When a person is about to make a purchase, he or she should ask himself or
herself a very important question: DO I REALLY NEED THIS?
Consumer Culture – a social system in which consumption is dominated by the
consumption of commercial products (Arnould, 2010)
- Denotes a social arrangement in which the relations between lived culture and
social resources, and between meaningful ways of life and the symbolic and
material resources on which they depend on are mediated through markets.
The consumption of market-made commodities and desire-inducing marketing
symbols is central to consumer culture (Arnould & Craig, 2005). A consumerist
