CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FERNANDO PAMPANGA

City of San Fernando, Pampanga

GENERAL EDUCATION

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

MIDTERM MODULE NO.2
A.
TOPIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Develop an understanding of the material
self.
2. Describe the basic components of the
material self.
3. Discuss the influence of media on people's
acquisition of material possessions.
Lesson 5: The Material Self 4. Develop the qualities of a wise buyer.
Explain the association of self and
possessions.
5. Identify the role of consumer culture in self
and identity.
6. Appraise one's self based on the
description of the material self.

B. DISCUSSION

Introduction

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

We are living in a world of sales and shopping sprees. We are given a wide array of products to
purchase from a simple set of spoons and fork to owning a restaurant. We can find promotions for
product purchases everywhere, including the digital space. Product advertisements are suggestive of
making us feel better or look good. Part of us wants to have that product. What makes us want those
products is connected with who we are. What we want to have and already possess is related to
ourselves.

Belk (1988) stated, “we regard our possessions as parts of ourselves. We are what we have
and what we possess." There is a direct link between self-identity with what we have and possess. Our
desire to have and possess connects with another aspect of the self, the material self.

Let us try to examine ourselves further through the lens of the material self.

Content

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)

MODULE NO.1: 1ST SEMESTER | A.Y. 2022-2023 PREPARED BY: MARIA KATRINA M. TORRES, RN, MAN, LPT
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 CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FERNANDO PAMPANGA
City of San Fernando, Pampanga
GENERAL EDUCATION

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 into
them.

Body Self
Clothes

Immediate
Family

Home

Figure 1. Material Self-Investment Diagram

The innermost part of our material self is our body. Intentionally, we are investing in our bodies.
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 attachments or intimate closeness to certain body parts because of their 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 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 ones
holding the trophy. In their failures, we are put to shame or guilt. When they are in a disadvantaged
situation, there is an urgent urge to help like a voluntary instinct of saving one's self from danger. We
place huge investments in our immediate family when we see them as the nearest replica of our self.

The fourth component of the material self is our home. Home is where the 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 an 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 ourselves with it. We also tended to collect and

MODULE NO.1: 1ST SEMESTER | A.Y. 2022-2023 PREPARED BY: MARIA KATRINA M. TORRES, RN, MAN, LPT
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 CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FERNANDO PAMPANGA
City of San Fernando, Pampanga
GENERAL EDUCATION

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
that
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 possess." The identification of the self to things started in our infancy stage when
we make a distinction between self and the environment and others who may desire our possessions.

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

possession gains higher value in our lifetime if we use material possession to find happiness, and
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 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.

A person's tangible possessions like her or his car, house, clothes, and even family and friends
make up her or his material self. Regardless of how much or little a person owns materially, she or he
will always strive to acquire more because material possessions are usually a reflection of a person's
success or failure.

Material Self
• Manifestation of one's identity through material possessions.
• The self is everything that an individual considers to be her or his, not only her or his body and
material possessions but also reputation and beliefs.

The Role of Material Possessions on the Sense of Self and Identity

• Material possessions remain valuable because these possessions are symbolic of one's social status.

• The more expensive they are, the more people are impressed.

• Russell Belk (1988) in his work, “Are We What We Own?” suggests that material possessions act as
an objective manifestation of the self; a reflection of hard work and success.

• People tend to judge others through their material possessions.

• Components of the material self become a significant reference of one's sense of self and identity.

Materialism
 Refers to giving more importance to material possessions than intangible values.

MODULE NO.1: 1ST SEMESTER | A.Y. 2022-2023 PREPARED BY: MARIA KATRINA M. TORRES, RN, MAN, LPT
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 CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FERNANDO PAMPANGA
City of San Fernando, Pampanga
GENERAL EDUCATION

 Excessive concern with the acquisition of material possessions.

 Can lead to Compulsive Buying Disorder (CBD).
 Identification with material things begins early in life; and remains as people seek happiness.
 Exposure to images on television, the internet, and magazines brag about the importance of material
things.
 Lack or loss of these material things can cause anxiety, insecurity or depression in people who are
materialistic.
 DO I REALLY NEED THIS? – Self-reminder before making a purchase.

Consumer Culture

A social system in which consumption is dominated by the consumption of commercial

products. A social arrangement where relations between culture and social resources, between
meaningful ways of life and symbolic and material resources, are mediated through markets.
Consumption of market-made commodities and desire-inducing marketing symbols are central.

Consumerism

 Consumption of material goods and services in excess of one's basic needs.

 Is closely tied to materialism.
 Can be viewed positively or negatively.
 The state of needs and wants tends to be endless and thus could cause dissatisfaction,
unhappiness, or depression.

C. EVALUATION

See Google Classroom

D. REFERENCE

Alata, et.al. (2018). Understanding the Self. 856 Nicanor Reyes, Sr. St. Rex Bookstore Inc.
Frando, Milagros F. (2019). Understanding the Self. 707 Tiaga Corner Kasipagan Streets Barangka
Drive, Mandaluyong City; Books Atbp, Publishing Corp.
Go-Monilla, Ma. Jocelyn A. F. (2018). Understanding the Self. 839 EDSA, South Triangle, Quezon City;
C & E Publishing, Inc.

MODULE NO.1: 1ST SEMESTER | A.Y. 2022-2023 PREPARED BY: MARIA KATRINA M. TORRES, RN, MAN, LPT
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