Consumer Culture and

the Material Self

01.
William James

The concept of the Empirical self is composed of 3 subcategories: Material Self,

Social/Economical Self, & Spiritual Self; Material Self can be distinguished as the
bodily self (FAMILY, FRIENDS, and POSSESSION) and extracorporeal self
(psychological ownership of them). An example of this is an individual may have
a favorite book she likes to read. The book itself is not a part of the self, rather, it
is a sense of appropriation represented by the phrase "my favorite book." This is
what is referred to when one talks about the extracorporeal/extended self.
Further, In 1890 he wrote: “a man’s self is the sum total of all what he can call
his.” It defines a person itself composed of everything that can define him as that
person.
02.
What is consumerism and
what are its effects

Consumerism is the increase purchased in the market due to the consumption of

goods and services, which depend on the happiness, goal, and well-being one
wants to acquire. In addition, it has advantages. This is having an increased
economy, increase GDP, and profitable goods, while the disadvantages are
Materialistic, Financial Crises, Environmental Issues (excessive disposal of goods
and packages), increase anxiety, and more. Further, there are two types of
consumption: Conscious consumption and psychological/sociological
consumption. Conscious consumption is where the victims are being taken
advantage from a company. Thus, one must be responsible in buying and being
conscious. Psychological/sociological consumption is where happiness is
attached to the material.

The Buyer Decision

03.
Process

Need recognition or problem recognition where one needs to be satisfied and

recognition of the problem is needed; Information search, where one recognizes
his/her needs, then searches for a product; Evaluation of alternatives is choosing
or deciding to purchase; Purchase decision or purchase is considering where to
purchase (location and the availability); Post-purchase behavior or post-
purchase evaluation is when you already purchase the product and begins using
it while deciding if it lives to expectations.
04.
Marxist Theory of
Alienation

Alienation without control and separating us from what is familiar or connected to

us. This was developed by Karl Marx in 1844 in his manuscripts: Economic and
philosophical manuscripts. His idea came from his study of Hegel, in which he
believed that history was based on the movement of a spirit behind the actors
acting it out. Thus, this spirit is human activity. Further, this theory of alienation is
also based on the person striving for capitalism, which discourages the laborers to
seek control to reach the social class due to the larger system and the higher
society. In addition, there are 4 aspects of alienation: Alienation from the product
of labor, Alienation from the activity of labor, Alienation from own specific
humanity, and Alienation from others (society).