LECTURE 6: THE MATERIAL SELF: the association of HOME – it is our earliest nest of selfh ood.
iest nest of selfh ood. Our experiences in life exhibited by societies. It is possible to v iew it as a way of
self to possessions // role of consumer culture to self &
identity
In The Principles of Psy chology, W.James described the
com ponents of self as 1 . Consitituents; 2. Feelings & em otions; 3.
Actions of self-seeking.
Under Consitutents, the self is com posed of the m aterial self, the
social self, the spiritual self, and the pure ego.
We are living in the world of sale and shopping spree. Almost
ev erywhere, including the digital space, we find promotions of
product purchase.
Product advertisements are suggestive of m aking us feel better or
look good. What makes us want to have those products are
connected with who we are.
What we want to have and already possess are related to our self.
“We regard our possessions as parts of ourselves. We are what we
have and what we possess.” – Belk, 1988.
Our wanting to have and possess has a connection with another
aspect of the self, t he material self.
MATERIAL SELF – prim arily about our bodies, clothes,
im m ediate family, and home. We are deeply affective by these
things because we put so m uch investment of our self to them.
BODY - The innermost part of our m aterial self. We are directly
attached to it and we can’t live without it. We strive hard to m ake
sure that this body functions well and good. We also have
preferential attachment to certain parts because of its v alue to us.
CLOTHES – “any time we bring an object into the surface of our
body , we invest that object into the consciousness of our personal
existence and make it a part of us” (Watson, 2 014). Our clothes
affect our attitude and behavior. It is a form of self-expression. We
wear clothes that reflect us.
FAMILY –our parent and siblings hold an important of our self.
What they do or becom e affects us. When an immediate family
m em ber dies, a part of us dies too. When their lives are in success,
we feel their victories as well. In their failures, we are also put to
sham e. We think of our family as a replica of our self.
are som etimes recorded and marked in our home. The home is an
extension of our self, we directly connect ourselves to it.
“We regard our possessions as part of ourselves. We are what we
have and what we possess” – Belk, 1988
The identification of the self to things started in our infancy stage.
As we grow older, putting importance on our material possessions
decreases. We v alue more things like happiness, significant
ev ents, accomplishments, and people in our lives.
CONCLUSION: the possessions that we dearly have tell something
about who we are, our self-concept, our past, and even our future.
LECTURE 7: THE SPIRITUAL SELF: religious practices
and beliefs, finding the meaning of life
SPIRITUAL SELF – is the m ost intimate, inner subjective part
of the self. It connects to the satisfaction of having an ability to
argue and discriminate, of one’s m oral sensibility and conscience.
The ability to use oral sensibility and conscience may be seen
through the expressions of religion, its beliefs and practices.
Cultural rituals are also m anifestations of what people believe in.
Seeking the m eaning of life is a journey that the spiritual self is on.
RELIGION – a set of cultural beliefs and practices that usually
include:
- a belief in anthromorphic supernatural being; such as
spirit/gods
- a focus on sacred supernatural, with a feeling of reverence and
awe
- presence of supernatural energy that is found on supernatural as
well as physical beings and objects
- perform ance of ritual activities
- articulation of worldview and moral codes through
narratives/’stories
- prov ide creation of social bonds and social control within a
com m unity
RITUAL – the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by
tradition or sacred law. A specific, observable m ode of behavior
defining/describing humans.
3 fundamental characteristics of rituals:
1 . A feeling of respect, awe, admiration, in relation to the sacred
2 . Dependence upon a belief system expressed through myth
3 . Symbolic in relation to its reference
SOME WORLD RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES
Buddhism
Beliefs – Buddhism believes that life is not a bed of roses. There
are suffering, pain, frustrations. When people suffer, they want to
experience the goodness of life and avoid disappointments. This
can be resolved by practice of m editation , acquiring wisdom, and
deeper understanding and acceptance of things as they are.
Buddhists also believe in the non-violence principle. And the
acquiring of wisdom through the reflection of Dharma.
Custom s & Practices – two types of m editation practices:
samatha: m indfulness of breathing and development of lov ing-
kindness
vipassana: aims at developing insight into reality.
Christianity
Beliefs – Christians believe in the holy trinity: God the Father,
God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Eternal life after death will be
achieved through faith in Jesus Christ, God the Son, who came
into flesh to spread the Good News. He died on the Cross for the
sins of hum anity.
Custom s and Practices – Sacrament of Baptism and Com munion
are practiced by Christian churches. Baptism symbolizes birth in
Christian World, while Communion is an act of remembrance of
Christ’s love. Christmas and Resurrection are two m ajor
celebrations in Christianity.
Hinduism
Beliefs – Hinduism covers a wide range of traditional beliefs and
religious groups, so there is no single founder or leader. Hindus
believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth,
gov erned by Karma. It is a concept where the reincarnated life will
depend on how the past life was spent. Vedas are sacred scriptures
of Hindus.
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Custom s and Practices – Diwali is the festival of lights while
Navrati is the festival of nine nights, which celebrate the triumph
of good ov er evil.

Islam
Beliefs – Muslim s believe in Allah, their “One God”. They believe
in the unity and universality of God. Muslims have a strong sense
of com m unity. Islam means “willing submission to God” The Holy
Book of Islam is called the Quran.
Custom s and Practices – Muslims believe in the 5 pillars of Islam :
1. Shahadah – “There is no God but the one true God and
Moham med is his m essenger. 2. Salat – the prayer that is
practiced 5 times a day,
3. Zakat – m onetary offering for the poor. 2.5% of Muslim’s
assets.
4. Hajj – y early pilgrimage to Mecca. 5. Sawm – fasting during
Ram adan

Judaism
Beliefs – the Jews believe in the God of Abraham, the God that
liberated slaves from Egypt to Canaan, the promised Land. Jews
believe in the com ing of Messiah, the Savior. Their sacred
scripture is called Torah.
Custom s and Practices – five major festivals observed by Jews:
1 . Rosh Hashanah : the New Year 2. Yom Kippur : Day of
Atonement
3 . Pesach : Passover 4 . Shavuot : Pentecost 5. Sukkot :
Tabernacles. The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening at
sunset and is an important time when families gather for the
Sabbath m eal.

CONCLUSION:Religions, rituals, etc. are all part of expressing the

spiritual self. How to m anifest the belief is dependent on the
person.