CHAPTER 5

THE MATERIAL SELF

I. MODULE OVERVIEW

An individual’s tangible possession like his or her car, house, clothes, even family and friends make
up his or her material self. Regardless of how much or how little a person own materially, he or she will
always strive to acquire more because material possessions are usually a reflection of person’s success or
failure.
This chapter will define the meaning of material self and its components. The purpose of for
explaining material self as well as the key roles that media can play in a person’s desire to acquire
material possession.

II. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOME

At the end of this topic, the students should be able to:
1. Developed understanding about the material self.
2. Describe the basic components of the material self.
3. Discuss the influence of media in people’s acquisition of material possesions; and
4. Develop qualities of a wise buyer.

III. TAKE OFF/MOTIVATION

“I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the
body and mind.”
- Albert
Einstein

IV. CONTENT FOCUS

Definition of terms:
Material Self- is the manifestation of one’s identity thorugh his material possessions.
Acoording to William James (1980, p.291), the self is everyting that an individual considers to be
his or hers, not only his or her body and material possessions but also his or her reputatio and
beliefs.The basic components of the material self includes the body.

One of the task of adolescents is to accept and appreciate the physical characteristics of their own
body. However, very few are able to do it successfully. Generally, more girls are concerned about
their appearance than boys. Perceptions about what makes body beautiful is usually influenced by
social media as shown in television and internet.

Another component of material self is clothes. Common trend to adolescents is to follow newest
fashion of clothes. Clothes represent the self. This component is greatly influence by their peer
groups because adolescents are afraid to be left out and shunned by their peer groups.
 Apart from clothes, the material component of self can include one’s house, car, pets, and other
things that he/she consider as possession.Relationhip which includes family, extended family,
friends and other people whom one feels psychologically connected can also be part of the
material self. The people near the sphere of influence of an individual can shape his.her identity

THE ROLE OF MATERIAL POSSESSION ON THE SENSE OF SELF AND INDENTITY

Regardless of how much or how little material possession people have, they remain
valuable because these possessions are symbols of one’s social status. Sometimes material things
are the most valuable possession of a person because they are the things most visible to the eyes
of others. The more expensive they are, the more recognition they receive. Russel Belk (1988) in
his work Are We What We Own? Suggest that material possession act as an objective
manifestation of the self. Hard work and success can be reflected through material things afterall.
People are driven to seek high level of achievement because of this very reason.
Defining the self by material possession can also be contributed to a feeling of well-
being, including the sense of personal growth and purpose or meaning of life. However, the lack
or loss of material possessions can have tremendous damage to one’s mental health. People losing
their houses and other things because of calamities and disasters are example of this.
People tend to judge other through their material possession. One common belief is that,
the greater the material possession, the more likely one will be regarded and accepted by people.
The point here is that, these components of material self can become a significant reference of
one’s sense of self and identity.
However, the desire for material possession can have a negative impact on one’s self and
identity if he/she will become slave of that thinking.

Materialism- refers to giving more importance to material possession than tangible values. A
materialistic person is an individual who is too engrossed in material things that it blinds him/her
of other important things. The strong desire for material possession could lead to psychological
dysfunction or impairment in functioning such as compulsive buying disorder (CBD) which is
characterized by obsession of shopping and buying behaviors which can cause adverse effects
(e.g., relationship problems and debts).
Evidence in developmental studies imply that identification of material things begins
quite early in life but remains high throughout age as people seek for happiness (Belk, 1988).
Nevertheless, psychologist identify other social and cultural factors that seem to be strongly
implicated in the origin of materialism. When people are exposed to internet, social media and
magazines their sense of materialism heightens. And sometimes, if not all the time, lack and loss
of material possessions can cause insecurity, anxiety, and even depression. Thus, when a person
intends to buy something, he or she should ask a very important question: DO I REALLY NEED
THIS?

CONSUMER CULTURE
Consumer culture is a social system in which consumption is dominated by consumption of
commercial products (Arnould, 2010). Consumer culture denotes a social
arrangement in which the relations between lived culture and social
sources, meaningful ways of life and the material resources in which
 people depend on, are mediated through markets. According to Arnould
and Craig (2005), consumer culture centers around market-made
commodities and desire-inducing marketing symbols.

Consumerist is a society in which people spend great amount of time, money and
Society energy to “consume” commercial products, goods and services.

Consumerism is the consumption of material goods and services in excess of one’s

basic needs

Consumerism is closely connected to materialism. Both heavily influenced the way

individuals view the self. It can be positively and negatively. For instance, people tend to be
happier and more motivated when their wants and needs are met. On the other hand, it encourages
people to buy products and services that they do not really need or afford. The state of needs and
wants tends to be endless, and thus could cause negative effects such as dissatisfaction,
unhappiness, and depression.

V. REFERENCES

Understanding the Self pdf retrieved on August 29, 2020 at

https://ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Understanding-the-Self.pdf
“Understanding the Self” by Ma. Joycelyn A. Go-Monilla & Normaliza C. Ramirez.