THE MATERIAL SELF

 Self is composed of the body, material possessions, reputations, and belief (James, 1980).
 Manifestation of one’s identity through his/her material possessions is called Material
Self.

Components of the Material Self

1. Body
 This is the acceptance and appreciation of the physical characteristics of the body.
 Adolescents tend to worry about their physical appearance. Girls are more concerned of their body
than boys.
 Social Media influences our “ideal self”.

2. Clothes that people wear

 Clothes we wear represents our self (Example: school uniform, uniform of an athlete)
 Style, brand, color, symbols and other visible factors of the clothes represents our own ideal self
and social identity.
 Peer pressure, societal norms and other external factors influence the way we dress based on what
we perceived as socially accepted.

3. Other possessions (material/relational)

 Car, house and other things can represent yourself and identity
 It includes our relationship with the family, partner, friends and others whom we have
psychological connections.
 People surrounds us likely shape who we are
 Our material possessions can give a symbolic meaning of our social status in the society.
 Accordingly, the more expensive, impressive and pleasing, the more we impress and gain positive
regard from others.
 Material possessions act as an objective manifestation of the self.
 Most of the time, individuals are being measured based on the material possessions he/she has.
 Owning materials can be a driving force in the urge of one’s success.
 We judge others based on what he/she has in terms of material possessions. The greater the
possessions, the more we are likely to be regarded and accepted by others.

There are negative effects of material possessions in one’s own self and identity

Materialism- refers to giving more importance to material possessions than intangible values

An individual is said to be materialistic person if he/she is excessively concern on what tangible things can be
acquired as own rather than values.

The strong desire for material possessions could lead to Psychological Dysfunction or impairment in functioning
such as Compulsive Buying Disorder (CBD)

CBD is characterized by an obsession with shopping and buying behaviors that can cause adverse consequences.

Different media platforms can influence one’s own desire for material possessions that may be critical or alarming
to the individual.

The loss of the material possessions could lead to anxiety, insecurity and depressions.

CONSUMER CULTURE
  It is a social system in which consumption is dominated by the consumption of commercial products.

 The consumption of market-mad commodities and desire- inducing marketing symbols is central to
consumer culture

CONSUMERISM
 It is the consumption of material goods and services in excess of one’s basic needs.
 It is closely tied to materialism

Positive Effect:
- People tend to be happier and more motivated when their wants and needs are met

Negative Effect:
- It encourages people to buy products and services that they do not really need or afford.