CHAPTER 2: THE MATERIAL SELF

Introduction
We are living in a world of sale and shopping spree. We are given a wide array of
products to purchase, from a simple set of spoon and fork to owning a restaurant. Almost
everywhere, including the digital space, we can find promotions of product purchase.
Product advertisements are suggestive of making us feel better or look good. Part of us
wants to have that product. What makes us want to have those products are connected with
who we are. What we want to have and already possess is related to our self.
Belk (1988) stated that ―we regard our possessions as parts of ourselves. We are
what we have and what we possess.‖ There is a direct link between self-identity with what
we have and possess. Our wanting to have and possess has a connection with another
aspect of the Self, the Material Self.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the chapter, you will be able to:
 Explain the association of self and possessions;
 Identify the role of consumer culture to self and identity;
 Determine the causes of materialism;
 Identify the impact of materialism and consumerism on the ―self‘; and
 Appraise one‘s self based on the description of material self.

Lesson 1: Components of the Material Self

The material self according to William James primarily is about our bodies, clothes,
immediately family, and home. We are deeply affected with these things because we have
put much investment of our self to them.

Self

Body
Clothes
Immediate Family
Home

 Body. The inner most part of our material self. 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.
 Clothes. Clothing is an essential part of the material self. Any time we bring an object
into the surface of our body, the fabric and the style of the clothes we wear bring
sensations to the body, to which directly affect our attitudes and behaviour.
 Immediate family. What our families do or become affects us. We place huge
investment to our immediate family when we see them as the nearest replica of our
self.
 Home. Home is the earliest nest of our Selfhood. Our experiences inside the home
were recorded and marked on particular parts and things in our home. It is an
extension of self because in it, we can directly connect our self.

The more investment of self is given to the particular thing, the more we identify
ourselves to it. We also had the tendency to collect and possess properties. The collections
in different degree of investment of self become part of the Self. As James (1890) described
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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 self. The possessions that we dearly have tell something about who
we are, our self-concept, our past, and even our future.

Lesson 2: What is Materialism?

2.1. Nature and Role of Possessions
Material possessions provide several effects on the individual whether it is personal,
intellectual or emotional. Varied motivations agitate the individual to pursue more and amass
more of the money, gadgets, vehicles, jewelry and the like regardless of their realistic needs.
Material possessions are considered as an extension of one‘s personal and social
aspects. For instance, you would sometimes hear people say that a particular dress or
accessory brings out your personality, or how certain possessions are considered as your
family‘s treasure.
Levi-Staruss (1965) also emphasized that possessions do not just have value; they
are not merely economic commodities. They are also vehicles and instruments for realities of
another order. They reflect power, influence, social status, emotions and sympathy.
Take for example this scenario: Two of your classmates lost the same amount of
money, let‘s say for example five hundred pesos. However, one of them was a child of a
wealthy business man and the other was a scholar whose parents were unemployed. Who
do you think between the two lost more? Who do you think would consider the 500-peso bill
as more valuable? Who among the two would gain more sympathy from you and your
classmates?

2.2. The Concept of Self-Gift

The following are the three factors that reveal how self-gifts are reflection of an
individual‘s materialism:
1. Materialism is often associated with self-centeredness. Self-centeredness means
prioritizing the self while showing evident lack of empathy on the plight of others;
2. Materialists define success according to how much wealth and property was
amassed. They usually utilize possessions in self-definition. They have the evident
tendency to define success in terms of the quality and amount of one‘s acquired
fortune.
3. Materialists believe that happiness results from the relationship between buying and
consumption. Self-gift can be a source of intense happiness among materialists. It
provides them with very positive emotions. Self-gift prevents negative emotions such
as depression, emptiness and sadness as it provides therapy to the materialist.

Lesson 3: The Pursuit of Happiness

Can money buy happiness? According to Covert et al (1985) and Levinson (1962)
money cannot buy happiness as it is, but it can definitely buy something that will make
people happy.
Several variables are correlated with the concept of materialism which were deduced
from studies and surveys conducted to determine if the effects of materialism to self-
conceptualization. Here are some of the findings of these studies:
1. Respondents to various surveys have indicated that purchases made with the
intention of acquiring life experiences make them happier than purchases made
with the intention of acquiring material possessions (Van Boven, 2005).
2. Materialism impairs individuals' psychological needs satisfaction, and in turn
decreases subjective well-being and increases depression (Wang et al, 2017).
3. Findings indicate that lower-class college students show high materialism
tendencies to compensate for low self-esteem (Li et al, 2018; Jiang et al, 2015;
Nairn et al, 2010).

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 4. Materialism and self-concept prove how insecurity motivates people to work so
hard for material possessions as the same wealth becomes their source of
security. Hence the absence of these objects means a great degree of emptiness
and the feeling of deficiency. Celebrity worship, materialism, and compulsive
buying were significantly related to lower self‐concept clarity and to lower levels
of well‐being (Teng et al., 2016; Noguti & Bokeyar, 2014; Reeves et al., 2012;).
5. Materialism and lack of engagement mean a losing one‘s ability to empathize
with others as they become callous to other people‘s needs. Their ability to
accumulate possessions separates them from others who they consider as
inferior. (Kiang et al, 2016)
So the ultimate question is how To explore more, you may also watch:
do we really experience happiness about The High Price of Materialism
by New Dream
who we are and what we have in its
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGab38pKscw
genuine sense?

Assessment

I. Identify the concept being described in each item. Write your answers in a ¼ sheet
yellow paper.
_______ 1. This is often associated with self-centeredness.
_______ 2. This is something that cannot buy happiness as it is.
_______ 3. The innermost part of our material self.
_______ 4. This reflect power, influence and social status.
_______ 5. This can be a source of intense happiness among materialists
_______ 6. This explains when possessions cease to be a mere non-living thing
________7. This result to happiness when correlated to buying.
________8. This is increased by materialism according to Wang et. al
________9. This is compensated by high materialism tendencies.
________10. This factor, other than materialism, means losing your ability to emphatize.

II. In a long sized bondpaper, create a collage of your treasured possessions that best
represent your material self. You may use symbols or pictures. Then, in a ½ sheet
yellow paper, explain why you treasure each item.

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