Unit2Chap6-Material Self

THE MATERIAL/ECONOMIC SELF

• According to John Heskett, a British writer and lecturer on the economic, political, cultural and
human value of industrial design, design combines ‘need’ and ‘desire’ in the form of a practical
object that can also reflect the users identity and aspirations through its form and decoration.
- He explains that there is a subconscious effect of design in everyday life. This reflects the
personal identity wherever the person is: home, work, and restaurant or at leisure park.
• Roland Barthes (1915-1980) the French critical theorist, was one of the first to observe the
relationships that people have with objects, and in particular looked at objects as signs or things
which could be decoded to convey message beyond their practical value.
- In 1950s he popularized the field of Semiology (the study of objects as signs).
- A sign is anything that conveys meaning. It was Barthes who revealed that everyday objects are
not just things but a complex system of signs which allows one to read meaning into people and
places.
• In Semiotic Analysis, objects function as signifiers in the production of meaning. They construct
a meaning and carry a message, which as a member of a culture one can understand
- Barthes argued that all things, verbal or visual, could be viewed as a kind of speech or
language.
• Semiotic is the study of signs that Barthes introduced. Examine how words, photographs, images
and objects can work as a language to communicate a range of ideas, associations and feelings
Two elements of signs:
- Signifier – physical form
- Signified – mental concept
• Theory of the meaning of material possessions – suggests that material goods can fulfil a range
of instrumental, social, symbolic and affective functions
1. Instrumental functions – the functional properties of a product
2. Social symbolic functions – the personal qualities, social standing, group affiliation and gender
role
3. Categorical functions – the extent to which material possessions may be used to
communicate group membership status
4. Self-expressive functions – a person’s unique qualities values or attitudes.

ECONOMIC SELF PRESENTATION AND IDENTITY

• Economics – defined as the study of things that a person is lacking, of how people make use of
the things that they have, and of making the right decisions. It is the condition of the person,
group or region as regards to material prosperity.
• Economic self-sufficiency – is the ability of individuals and families to consistently meet their
needs
• Economic consciousness – the result of socialization and professionalization of the subject that
acquires a particular significance in human affairs. It includes social perceptions, attitudes,
 • relationships, and opinions of personal/social groups about different economic objects and
phenomena
• Economic identity – is a psychological phenomenon that results from social categorization

SYMBOLIC MOTIVES
• Status – the extent to which people believe they can derive a sense of recognition or
achievement from owning and using the right kind of product, can be an important motivator of
behavior. Materialism is the importance ascribed to the ownership and acquisition of material
goods in achieving major life goals
• Affective Motives – is a concept in Environmental Psychology. Affect (emotions) serves as a
motivator of pro-environmental behavior
Anticipated affect – is when a person is expecting to feel good or guilty when doing something.
Anticipated positive affect (excitement, pride, happiness) and Negative affect (anger, sadness,
frustration) are important predictors of whether to buy or not to buy the product.

THE ROLE OF CONSUMER CULTURE ON THE SENSE OF SELF AND IDENTITY

• Consumer identity – is the pattern of consumption that describes the consumer.
• Consumerism – is the preoccupation with and an inclination towards the buying of consumer
goods. It is also based on the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically
desirable.
• Behavioral Finance – is a new field that combines behavioral and cognitive psychological theory
with conventional economics and finance to provide explanations for why people make
irrational financial decisions