THE UNPACKING OF YOURSELF: - is a persistent difficulty or parting with

THE MATERIAL SELF possessions because of a perceived need to save

them. A person with hording disorder experiences
THE MATERIAL SELF distress at thought of getting rid of the items.
 Our wanting to have and possess has a Excessive accumulation of items, regardless of
connection with another aspect of actual value occurs.
 Tangible objects, people or places that carry the  HOARDING OBJECTS
designation “my, mine” - Hoarding characters seek to save that which they
 Two categories: (according to William James, have already obtained. They hold everything inside
1890) and do not let go of anything.
1. The bodily self - they in a sense focus on what is not alive(material
2. The extracorporeal self- extended self things)
Arms Bodily self  Negative qualities: rigidity, sterility, obstinacy,
Legs Bodily self compulsivity, and lack of creativity
Mother and Father Extracorporeal self  Positive qualities: orderliness, cleanliness, and
punctuality
Cellphones and Laptops Extracorporeal self ADULTHOOD
Paintings Extracorporeal self - A our lives unfold, our things embody our sense
of self-hood and identity still further, become
“ We regard possessions as part of ourselves. We external receptacles for our memories, relationships
are what we have and possess.” and travels.
THE ROLE/ FUNCTION OF POSSESSION - Possessions are extensions of the physical body
(LEVI- STRAUSS, 1965) and the sense of self that reflects who a person is.
Possession do not have value; they are not merely UNDERSTANDING THE SELF CAN BE
economic commodities. They are also vehicles and EXAMINED THROUGH ITS DIFFERENT
instruments for realities of another order: COMPONENTS
 Influence 1. Its constituents
 Power  Material self
 Social status  Social self
 Sympathy  Spiritual self
 Emotions  Pure ego
From early years to old age, possessions are 2. The feelings and emotions they arouse- self-
symbols of ourselves and of our identity. feelings
CHILDHOOD 3. The actions to which they prompt- self-seeking
 Our relationship with stuffs start early. The and self preservation
idea that we can own something, possess it as a
part of ourselves is one that children grasp by MATERIAL SELF
the age of two.
 A comfort object or security blanket is an item BODY
used to provide psychological comfort, CLOTHES
especially in unusual or unique situation, or at IMMEDIATE FAMILY
bedtime for children.. HOME
THE ENDOWNMENT EFFECT
Founding Father the Child Psychology (Jean Piaget)
* We value item much more highly just as soon as
we own them.
ADOLESCENCE
 As children mature into teens, we see
possessions starting to act as a crutch for the
self. Materialism peaked at middle adolescents,
just when the self- esteem tended to be lowest,
 Giving the children and adolescents a sense of
self- worth and accomplishment is an effective
antidote to the development of materialism.
HOARDING DISORDER
BODY
 The inner most part of our material self
 We invest in our body
 We strive hard to make sure that our body
functions well and good
 We do have preferential attachment or intimate
closeness to certain body parts because of its
value to us
CLOTHES
 An essential part of material self
 “ The Philosophy of Dress” by Herman Lotze-
any time we bring an object into the surface of
our body, we invest that the object into the
conciousness of our personal existence taking
in its contours to be our own and making it part
of the self
 The fabric and style of the clothes we wear
bring sensations to the body to which directly
affect our attitudes and behavior.
 Clothing is a form of self- expression
 We choose and wear clothes that reflect our
self (Watsons, 2014)
IMMEDIATE FAMILY
 Our parents and siblings hold a great important
part of ourself
 What they do or become affect us
 When an immediate family members dies, part
of ourself dies too.
 When their lives are in success, we feel their
victories as if were the one holding the trophy.
 In their failures, we are 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 ourself
HOME
 The earliest nest of our self-hood
 Our experiences inside the home were recorded
and marked on particular parts and things in
our home.
What does it mean to be materialistic?
- to be materialistic mean is to have values that put
a relatively high priority on making a lot of money
and having many possessions, as well as on image
and popularity, which are almost always expressed
via money and possessions.
Why are some people materialistic and others
are not?
-research shows two sets of factors that lead people
to have materialistic values. First, people are more
materialistic when they are exposed to messages
that suggest such pursuits are important, whether
through their parents and friends, society, or the
media. Second, and somewhat less obvious people
are more materialistic when they feel insecure or
threatened, whether because of rejection, economic
fears or thoughts of their own death.
How have media, particularly social media
influenced materialism in the world today?
-The research shows that the more that people
watch television, the more materialistic their values
are. That’s probably because both the shows and the
ads send messages suggesting that happy,
successful people are wealthy, have nice things, and
are beautiful and popular. One has to remember that
the vast majority and media are owned by a few
for- profit corporations that make money by selling
advertising, and the purpose of advertising is to sell
products.
What are the difference between being
extremely materialistic and being a compulsive
shopper? Is a materialistic person at risk of
becoming a compulsive shopper?
- Materialism is about values and desire for money,
possessions and the like. Compulsive consumptions
is when a person feels unable to control the desire
consume, often because she or he is trying to fill
some emptiness or overcome anxiety. Materialism
and compulsive consumption are related to each
other. In recent meta- analysis of association
between materialism and people’s well-being, we
found that the correlation between people’s
materialism and the extend they reported problems
with compulsive consumptions was strong and
consistent across many studies.
What might be some positive aspects of
materialism?
-Materialism is associated with lower levels of
well- being, less pro- social interpersonal behavior,
and worse academic outcomes. It also associated
with more spending problems and debt. From my
perspective, all of those who are negative outcomes.
-But from the point of view of an economic/ social
system that relies on spending to drive high levels
of profit for companies, economic growth for the
nation and tax revenue for the government,
consumption and over- spending related to
materialism may be viewed as a positive.
LATER LIFE AND BEYOND
The attachment to our things deepen with the
passage of time. Older people don’t just form bonds
with their specific belongings, they seem to have
affection for material things.
WILLIAM JAMES: SELF
“A man’s self is to sum total of all what he CAN
call his.”
Possessions are part or an extension of the SELF.