The Material Self
Lesson 1: Components of the
Material Self
According to William James, the material self is
about our bodies, clothes, immediately family,
and home. We are deeply affected with these
things because we have put much investment of
our self to them.
BODY
The inner most part of our material self.
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.
CLOTHES
Clothing is an essential part of the
material self. The fabric and the style of
the clothes we wear bring sensations to
the body, to which directly affect our
attitudes and behaviour.
IMMEDIATE FAMILY
What our families do or become affects
us. We place huge investment to our
immediate family when we see them as
the nearest replica of our self.
HOME
Home is the earliest nest of our
Selfhood. Our experiences inside the
home were recorded and marked on
particular parts and things in our home. It
is an extension of self because in it, we
can directly connect our self.
James (1890) described self: “a man’s self is
the sum total of all what he CAN call his.”
Lesson 2: What is Materialism?
2.1. Nature and Role of Possessions
Material possessions provide several effects on
the individual whether it is personal, intellectual or
emotional.
MATERIAL POSSESSIONS
are considered as an extension of one’s
personal and social aspects.
Levi-Staruss (1965) also emphasized that
possessions do not just have value; they are not
merely economic commodities. They are also
vehicles and instruments for realities of another
order. They reflect power, influence, social status,
emotions and sympathy.
2.2. The Concept of Self-Gift
Three factors that reveal how self-gifts are
reflection of an individual‘s materialism:
1. Materialism is often associated with self-
centeredness.
Self-centeredness means prioritizing the
self while showing evident lack of empathy
on the plight of others;
2. Materialists define success according to
how much wealth and property was amassed.
They usually utilize possessions in self-
definition. They have the evident tendency
to define success in terms of the quality
and amount of one’s acquired fortune.
3. Materialists believe that happiness results
from the relationship between buying and
consumption.
Self-gift can be a source of intense
happiness among materialists. It provides
them with very positive emotions. Self-gift
prevents negative emotions such as
depression, emptiness and sadness as it
provides therapy to the materialist.
Lesson 3: The Pursuit of Happiness
According to Covert et al (1985) and Levinson
(1962) money cannot buy happiness as it is, but it
can definitely buy something that will make
people happy.
Studies and surveys conducted to determine if
the effects of materialism to self-
conceptualization.
1. Respondents to various surveys have indicated
that purchases made with the intention of
acquiring life experiences make them happier
than purchases made with the intention of
acquiring material possessions (Van Boven,
2005).
2. Materialism impairs individuals' psychological
needs satisfaction, and in turn decreases
subjective well-being and increases depression
(Wang et al, 2017).
3. Findings indicate that lower-class college
students show high materialism tendencies to
compensate for low self-esteem (Li et al, 2018;
Jiang et al, 2015; Nairn et al, 2010).
4. Materialism and self-concept prove how
insecurity motivates people to work so hard for
material possessions as the same wealth
becomes their source of security. Hence the
absence of these objects means a great degree
of emptiness and the feeling of deficiency.
Celebrity worship, materialism, and compulsive
buying were significantly related to lower self‐
concept clarity and to lower levels of well‐being
(Teng et al., 2016; Noguti & Bokeyar, 2014;
Reeves et al., 2012;).
5. Materialism and lack of engagement mean a
losing one’s ability to empathize with others as
they become callous to other people‘s needs.
Their ability to accumulate possessions separates
them from others who they consider as inferior.
(Kiang et al, 2016).