THE MATERIAL/ECONOMIC SELF

I shop, therefore I am was a slogan popularized by artists that uses black and white images with her
advertisement to critique the world, Barbara Kruger. The phrase emanates from Descarte's "I think
therefore I am" but for Kruger's slogan she's defining a person with not by what they think but what
they own hence making an impact and contribute to the materialistic side of society. Material self,
according to James William refers to tangible objects, people or places that carry the designation my
or mine. Two subclasses of the material self can be distinguished: The bodily self and the
extracorporeal self. The bodily self-component speaks on our body part which is the inner core of
material self-such as arms, legs, hair and etc. Extracorporeal self or self-based outside the living
body referred by Rosenberg as the extended self. It includes clothes (my jacket), possessions (my
car), places (my hometown), immediate family (my parents) and other things that we consider as
ours.

Our sense of self clearly is not limited to our bodies nor with physical entities that surrounds us
rather, it is our psychological ownership with the material things. For example, a person may have a
favorite spot in the coffee shop that she likes to sit in. That certain spot is not part of the self.
Instead, it is the sense of appropriation represented by the phrase "my favorite spot in the coffee
shop." She doesn't own the place but she regards it as "hers" that made it part of her extended self.
Another is when someone you love died, even if you are completely healthy, you feel that a part of
our very selves is gone also because we regard them as part of ours making self-fluid and
encompassed more than our physical bodies.

Given this fluidity, we can make determination if the entity is part of our material self when:

 There is an emotional investment.

 We tend to react in an emotional way when thing is applaud, commend, admired, praised or
striked and attacked.

 Abundantly paying attention to the thing

 Maintaining or enhancing it

 Represents important aspects of self ( avid collectors )

So how does these material things shape the way we see ourselves? Why do we buy the things that
you do? Consumer culture plays a role in our sense of self identity and has become increasingly
materialistic. For example wearing a well known clothing brand will portray a desired image or
reveal their true personality or spending their hard earned money to buy the latest gadgets to
predominately portray identity. Consumer culture is a socio-economic phenomenon where social
status, values and activities are centered on the consumption of goods and services. Identity may be
expressed in many types of consumption and may vary with the type of consumer
(https://simplicable.com/new/consumer-culture).

14 examples of Consumer culture

a. Conspicuous Consumption spending money on and acquiring luxury goods and services to
publicly display economic power.
b. Conspicuous Conservation --- a desire to signal that you are a good person who is concerned
with the environment and social issues.

c. Early Adopters consumers who pride themselves as being at the forefront of product trends.
They may publicize their purchases and view themselves as leaders. They can be enthusiasts
who don't view purchases in terms of social status.

d. Followers - worry about missing out on new trendy products and brands. Such consumers
may keep a close eye on early adopters and mimic their consumer behaviour.

e. Lowtech - enthusiasts of old technology.

f. Peak Experiences - consumers who seek meaning and experience through consumption. For
example, a consumer who views travel as a personal accomplishment that adds to their life
story.

g. Escapism - Consumers who enjoy fictional realities as a "means of escape" from the
harshness of day-to-day life. For example, fans of popular culture who completely immerse
themselves in experiences such as theme parks, events, games, entertainment and reading.

h. Traditional Culture - Products, services and brands that are viewed as part of a traditional
culture such as the culture of a nation, people or city. For example, an old pizzeria that
becomes a symbol of a city.

i. Super Culture - A large culture that exists on a global basis such as sport, video gamers or
street fashion enthusiasts. It is common for a super culture to embrace brand and attach
meaning and storytelling to it. Wearing a particular brand can signal membership in a super
culture such as an athletic brand that signals that you are a runner.

j. Subculture - A subculture is a relatively small culture that surrounds a social group,

profession or pursuit. Subcultures may adopt obscure brands and products to signal
membership. For example, a brand of turntable that only a true turntablist would buy.

k. Normcore - Normcore is a subculture of people who just want to be normal such that they
avoid purchases that send a strong social signal.

l. Brand Aversion Individuals who view branding negatively and avoid popular brands where
practical. For example, a consumer who never buys clothing that has a visible brand logo.

m. Brand Indifference - Consumers who view brands with complete indifference and buy based
on practical considerations of need and price. Such consumers may spread good prices by
word of mouth as opposed to talking about brands, styles or technology. For example,
neighbors who spread word of a good restaurant with cheap prices.

n. Anti-Consumers - Consumers who believe people should minimize purchases or be

completely self-reliant. View consumption as greed and branding as propaganda. May
purchase extremely practical items such as bulk raw materials and unprocessed foods.
Nowadays, our desire to consume makes us want more. Marketing and advertising have conditioned
us to think we need more than what we need. Most adults are total consumer, falling into the trap
of purchasing something that would validate their self identity. Most teenagers tend to question
their identity because they feel that there's a void that needs to be filled by wanting more . They're
thinking of needs that could lift their status may it be for personal reasons or for popularity. Most
nowadays somehow needs validation from other people to feel good about themselves, to be liked
by everyone. People's opinion has become their gauge in measuring self worth.

MATERIAL SELF

A Harvard psychologist in the late nineteenth century, William James, wrote in his book, The
Principles of Psychology in 1890 that understanding the self can be examined through its different
components. He described these components as: (1) its constituents; (2) the feelings and emotions
they arouse—self-feelings; (3) the actions to which they prompt—self-seeking and self-
preservation. The constituents of self are composed of the material self, the social self, the spiritual
self and the pure ego. (Trentmann 2016; Green 1997)

The material self, according to James primarily is about our bodies, clothes, immediate family, and
home. We are deeply affected by these things because we have put much investment of our self to
them.

The innermost part of our material self is our body. Intentionally, we are investing in our body. We
are directly attached to this commodity that we cannot live without. We strive hard to make sure
that this body functions well and good. Any ailment or disorder directly affects us. We do have
certain preferential attachment or intimate closeness to certain body parts because of its value to
us.

There were people who get their certain body parts insured. Celebrities, like Mariah Carey who was
reported to have placed a huge amount for the insurance of her vocal cords and legs (Sukman 2016).

Next to our body are the clothes we use. Influenced by the "Philosophy of Dress" by Herman Lotze,
James believed that clothing is an essential part of the material self. Lotze in his book, Microcosmus,
stipulates that "any time we bring an object into the surface of our body, we invest that object into
the consciousness of our personal existence taking in its contours to be our own and making it part
of the self." (Watson 2014) The fabric and style of the clothes we wear bring sensations to the body
to which directly affect our attitudes and behavior. Thus, clothes are placed in the second hierarchy
of material self. Clothing is a form of self-expression. We choose and wear clothes that reflect our
self (Watson 2014).

Third in the hierarchy is our immediate family. Our parents and siblings hold another great
important part of our self. What they do or become affects us. When an immediate family member
dies, part of our self dies, too. When their lives are in success, we feel their victories as if we are the
one holding the trophy. In their failures, we are put to shame or guilt. When they are in
disadvantage situation, there is an urgent urge to help like a voluntary instinct of saving one's self
from danger. We place huge investment in our immediate family when we see them as the nearest
replica of our self.
The fourth component of material self is our home. Home is where our heart is. It is the earliest nest
of our selfhood. Our experiences inside the home were recorded and marked on particular parts and
things in our home. There was an old cliché about rooms: "if only walls can speak." The home thus is
an extension of self, because in it, we can directly connect our self.

Having investment of self to things, made us attached to those things. The more investment of self-
given to the particular thing, the more we identify ourseIves to it. We also tended to collect and
possess properties. The collections in different degree of investment of self, becomes part of the
self. As James (1890) described self: “a man's self is the sum total of all what he CAN call his."
Possessions then become a part or an extension of the self.

We Are What We Have

Russel Belk (1988) posits that "...we regard our possessions as part of ourselves. We are what we
have and what we posses." The identification of the self to things started in our infancy stage when
we make a distinction among self and environment and others who may desire our possessions.

As we grow older, putting importance to material possession decreases. However, material

possession gains higher value in our lifetime if we use material possession to find happiness,
associate these things with significant events, accomplishments, and people in our lives. There are
even times, when material possession of a person that is closely identified to the person, gains
acknowledgment with high regard even if the person already passed away. Examples of these are
the chair in the dining room on which the person is always seated, the chair will be the constant
reminder of the person seated there; a well-loved and kept vehicle of the person, which some of the
bereaved family members have a difficulty to sell or let go of because that vehicle is very much
identified with the owner who passed away; the favorite pet or book, among others that the owner
placed a high value, these favorite things are symbols of the owner.

The possessions that we dearly have tell something about who we are, our self-concept, our past,
and even our future.