Module 9 Materialistic Self

Self in connection to materialistics

William James defined the self as everything that an individual considers to be his or her, not only his or her body and material possessions but also his or her reputation and beliefs.

self is the manifestation of one’s identity through his material possessions.

Materialistic Self

focuses on how people maintain extensions of themselves through material possessions and the maintenance of particular lifestyles.

according to James is primarily about our bodies, cloth, immediate family, and home. We are deeply affected by these things because we have put much investment of ourselves into them. 

In the process of acquiring material goods, people generally consider two things:

• Utility. - which is concerned with how things serve a practical purpose.

  •  Significance. - tells us the meaning assigned to the object. It is also concerned with how objects become powerful symbols or icons of habit and ritual which can be quite separate from their primary function.

William james concept of self

he I-Self and the Me-Self.

• The I-Self, which is being referred to as the thinking self, is the one reflecting the soul of a person or the mind which is also called the pure ego. It is characterized to have intuition and being able to discern things for an individual to come up with a particular decision.

• The Me-Self, on the other hand, is said to be the empirical self which refers to the person’s individual experiences and is divided into sub-categories: the material self, social self and spiritual self.

Two subclasses of the Material Self

• The Bodily Self. The components of this are composed of the intimate parts of the person that includes our body’s aspects such as physical (arms head, legs, etc), emotional (feelings, desires,  etc), psychological (intelligence, cognition, etc), and moral (values, beliefs, etc).

• The Extended Self. It includes the people of great significance to us (family), possessions (house, car, clothes), places that matter to us, products of our labor (job, handworks, etc).

Wants vs. Needs

Needs are basic requirements for you to survive, such as a cozy home, basic clothes to wear, and daily food.healthcare, medicines, and specialized treatments as needed as they support our well-being.

Wants are desires that may change as time progresses. They apply to goods, services, and inessential things often described as splurges.

I Shop Therefore I Am (1987)

Barbara Kruger

• 'the public is no longer defined by what it thinks, but rather by what they own.

• Belk (1988) “we regard our possessions as parts of ourselves. We are what we have and what we possess.”

William James, wrote in his book, The Principles of Psychology in 1890

that understanding the self can be examined through its different components. 

• Constituents- material self, social self, spiritual self adn the pure ego

• Feelings and emotions they arouse

• actions which they prompt- self seeking/ self preservation

Consumption and Production

defined as spending for the acquisition of utility

using, buying, or eating something

Conscious Consumption

is about practicing responsible buying habits.

Psychological/Sociological Consumption

Consumption has become an addiction

Consumerism

economic and social ideology and order that encourages consumption or acquisition of goods/services in a never-ending cycle.

We slip into a cycle of wanting more things/We also tend to compare ourselves with some other people.

 Why then materialists are unhappy?

a strong consumerist bent can promote unhappiness because it takes time away from the things that can nurture happiness, including quality relationships with family and friends, research shows.  

People with strong materialistic values seem to have goal orientations that may lead to poorer well-being,