THE MATERIAL SELF ● In the 1950s, he popularized the field of
Semiology (the study of objects as signs). A sign is
Material Self
- concept of self as reflected in a total of all the
tangible things you own
-includes our bodies and those tangible possessions
that give us identity
 Identities can be reflected on the possessions
that people have.
 People are likely to purchase products that can
relate to their personality. Material possessions
signify some aspects of one’s sense of self and
identity.
 One’s sense of self and identity is influential on
how an individual chooses to purchase his/her
wants and how he/she makes economic
decisions that will address his/her personal and
social needs.
 The decisions that go into the purchase of items
and certain services is dependent on a number
of factors, including financial constraints,
availability of items and services, and the
influence of family and friends.
However, the most important factor is
determining whether these items and services fall
under:
o Wants. Synonymous with luxuries. People buy
them for reasons that do not warrant
necessity.
o Needs. These are importants for survival. Food,
clothing, and shelter are basic needs
so people purchase them out of necessity.
In the process of acquiring material goods,
people generally consider 2 things:
o Utility. Concerned with how things serve a
practical purpose.
o Significance. Concerned with the meaning
assigned to the object. It is also concerned
with how objects become powerful symbols or icons
of habit and ritual which can be
quite separate from their primary function.
Roland Barthes (1915-1980)
- French theorist
- observe the relationship that people have with
objects
- looked at the objects as signs or things which could
be decoded to convey messages
beyond their practical value.
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. What people
increasingly produce are not material objects, but
signs.
● According to him, a sign has two elements:
signifier which refers to its physical form and
signified, the mental concepts it refers to. Hence,
objects are not just things but are reflections of the
wider lives of communication and individuals. Not
surprisingly, the clothes one wears, the car one
drives and the furnishing of one9s home, are all
expressions of one self, even when they act as
disguises rather than reflections
● In Semiotic analysis, objects function as
signifiers in the production of meaning. For
example, clothes may have a simple functional
meaning, to cover and protect the body but also
double up as a sign. They construct a meaning and
carry a message, which as member of a culture one
can understand.
TAKING CHARGE OF ONE’S HEALTH
Personal Health Responsibility
- active participation in one’s health
- often overlooked when people are diagnosed with
an autoimmune disorder and seeking quick fix
● One needs to be sensitive about the
importance of good health. Exercising everyday,
avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs,
maintaining proper hygiene, having enough rest and
sleep, eating on time, and ensuring a balanced diet
are a few things that one can do for the body.
● People should think more about the
prevention of diseases than cure of these. Disease
may be avoided if everyone is conscious about one
does since most disease are acquired as product of
unhealthy lifestyle.
● Part of personal health responsibility is
knowing one’s family history; this is one way to
determine hereditary illness which can be avoided
in the future.
Stress - reaction of our physiological and
psychological self to threat
 Right off the bat, one could already claim that
not all stress is negative or unwanted.
 Sometimes, there are positive stresses that are
aptly called eustress.
Eustress - beneficial stress
 Literally, the Greek prefix eu means good,
hence the word “eustress” means “ good stress.
Bad stress or distress
- exact opposite of eustress
- occurs when there is a tension buildup
A stressor is any event that compels a person to
adjust or change.
Below are the common stressors that are described
as unpleasant and life threatening:
1. Catastrophic Events and Life-Threatening
Experience
- abrupt unforeseen experiences or traumas, such as
natural calamities, military combats, terrorist
attacks, accidents, and physical and sexual abuses
2. Life Changes and Strains
- include separation of parents, illness in the family,
change of workplace, transfer of domicile, and other
circumstances that demand people to adjust
3. Chronic Problems
- exist for a long period which include circumstances
such as suffering from a serious illness, having
irresponsible neighbors, and failure to acquire a
lucrative or high-income job.
4. Everyday Hassles
- are irritations, pressures, and annoyances that may
not be significant stressors by themselves but whose
cumulative effect can be significant. Examples are
traffic congestion waiting in a long line to get a taxi,
or just a bad day when everything goes wrong.
Signs and Symptoms of Poorly Managed Stress
1. Physical Symptoms
- Physical symptoms are characterized by one’s
inability to sleep, fatigue, headache, cramps,
unpleasant aura, and gastrointestinal problems.
Stress also causes aging and malignant disease like
cancer.
2. Emotional and Behavioral Symptoms
- Emotional and behavioral symptoms include lack of
concentration, irritation, nervousness, panic, lack of
appetite in food or too much intake of food, low
level of enthusiasm and desire and mood swing.
The Need for Self-Care and Compassion
The effect of stressors can also be eliminated
through the use of effective coping methods:
 Problem focused coping method - eliminate
sources of stress
 Emotion focused coping method - controlling
the negative emotional consequences of
stressors
SELF-CARE
 Physical self-care - activities that one does to
maintain and improve his or her physical well-
being
 Psychological self-care - activities one does to
deal or resolve mental health issues
 Emotional self-care - activities one does to cope
with stress and deal with grief
 Social self-care - activities one does to connect
with people valuable to him or her
 Spiritual self-care - activities one does to
strengthen one’s relationship with his or her
beliefs
BENEFITS OF SELF-CARE
1. Enhance Productivity
- When a person distances himself or herself from
vices like drinking liquor, smoking, gambling, he or
she will have more time to focus on his or her goals
in addition to improving his or her physical well-
being.
2. Improved Vitality
- Physical care activities like exercising, eating the
right food, drinking enough water, and getting
enough sleep increase resistance to diseases.
Unhealthy habits make a person vulnerable to
disease.
3. Enhance Self-Esteem
- Avoiding self-berating is very important. Negative
self-talk is damaging to how ones perceives himself
or herself and may lead to anxiety and stress. It is
important for a person to discover and accept who
he or she really is and be proud about himself or
herself.
4. Increase Knowledge
- After a person discovers and accepts who he or she
is, it is important for him or her to know what he or
she wants and what he or she loves to do. With this,
one will be able to live life to the fullest according to
the purpose he or she has.

5. Mindfulness and Compassion

- Knowing and being good to oneself stems from
goodness and compassion one directs towards other
people.

SELF-COMPASSION

Self-compassion
- showing compassion to oneself. It involves being
open to and moved by one’s own suffering,
expressing care and kindness towards oneself, taking
an understanding and nonjudgmental attitude
toward one’s inadequacies and failures, and
recognizing that one’s experience is part of the
common human experience.

COMPONENTS OF SELF-COMPASSION

1. Self-Kindness
- not being physically and verbally harsh to oneself.
It involves and act where one blames himself or
herself for his or her actions or decisions. Self-
beration is a kind of verbal abuse directed to
oneself. Usually this is done by stating unkind words
to
oneself. Self-harm, on the other hand is the act of
harming oneself through physical means which is
both physically or psychologically damaging to an
individual.

2. Common Humanity
- acceptance that one is an imperfect being, one
makes mistakes along with everyone else, and one
does not always get what he or she wants.

3. Mindfulness
- the practice of being fully present in the moment.
One has to turn toward his or her painful thoughts
and emotions in order to embrace himself or herself
with compassion.