The

Material Self
and
Spiritual Self

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The Material Self: Intended Learning Outcomes

1 Describe the relationship between possessions and the self.

Examine how consumer culture affects the person’s concept of

2 possessions and self-identity.

Distinguish the material possessions that have economic importance

3 to the self.
 Material Self
• We are living in a world of sale and shop
ping spree. Shopping has become a leisu
re and a way to pass time.
• What we want to have or already posses
s is related to our body.
• Product advertisement are suggestive of
making us feel better or look good.
• Materialism does not make us happy.
MATERIAL SELF
A Harvard psychologist in the late 19th century. William James wrote in his b
ook The Principle of Psychology in 1890 that understanding the self can be exam
ined through its different components.
He describe these components as:
• Its constituents (material self, social self, spiritual self and pure ego)
• The feelings and emotions they arouse (self feelings)
• The actions to which they prompt (self-seeking and self preservation)
The material self according to James primarily is about our bodies, clothes,
immediate family and home. We are deeply affected with these things because
we have put so much investment of our self to them. A mans self is a sum total of
what he can call his.
MATERIAL SELF INVESTMENT
DIAGRAM

Body
 
Clothes

Immediate Family

Home
Material Self: Body
• Inner most part of our self is our body.
• Intentionally, we are investing in our
body.
• We strive hard to make sure that this
body functions well and good.
• Any ailment or disorder directly affect us.
We do certain preferential attachment or
intimate closeness to certain body parts
because of its value to us.
Material Self: Clothes

• James believed that clothing is an

essential part of material self.
• Anytime 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.
Material Self: Clothes

• Clothing is a form of self-expression.

We choose and wear clothes that
reflect our self

• The Fabric and style of clothes we

wear
• bring sensations to the body to which
directly affect our attitudes and
behavior.
Material Self: 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 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.
Material Self: Immediate Family

• 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 a nearest replica of our self
Material Self: 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.
• The more investment of self given to
the particular thing, the more we
identify ourselves to it.
WE ARE WHAT WE HAVE
Russel Belk (1988) posits that “…we Material possessions signify some
regard our possessions as part of aspects of one’s sense of self and
ourselves. We are what we have and identity.
what we possess.”
The possession of material things also
The identification of self to things indicates one’s status in the society.
started in our infancy stage when we
make a distinction among self and
environment and others who may
desire our possession.
MATERIALIS
M Is the attitude of
someone who attaches a
lot of importance to
money and wants to
possess a lot of material
things.
“I shop, Therefore I am”
For the highly materialistic
consumer, purchases are potential
panaceas for all manners of dissatisfaction
with self and life generally.

At the highest levels O’Guinn and Faber (1989) found some

of materialism, such aspects of materialism to be related to
possessions assume a compulsive shopping tendencies.
central place in a person’s
life and believed to provide
the greatest sources of
SATISFACTION.
 Needs or Wants?
Needs are things that are Wants are things we don’t need
essential and necessary in life. but want to have.

• We need food because if we don’t eat we could die of starvation.
• We need water to keep ourselves hydrated so we won’t die of thirst.
• If humans don’t wear clothes for the right season they can die of
heatstroke or hypothermia.
• We need shelter to keep ourselves protected form all weather.
• People want toys to keep them entertained.
• People want devices to play and research.
• People want fancy clothes to look good.
• People want vehicles to travel to places.
 Common Strategies in Persuading Someone

Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon

Making you agree initially with a

smaller request. Eventually, they
will start making bigger request.
 Avoid the Trap
1.Exercise intellectual independence-
be aware how consumerism controls
your life. Ignore advertising.
2.Consume less, live more- stop and
think about the influences of
consumerism in your life.
 Activity in the Material Self
Performance
Your Picture Here
Your Picture Here

Take a picture of your most treasured or the

most expensive or valuable item you have
then give your reason why you consider it
your most treasured item.
 Welcome!!
You are now reading about the

Spiritual Self
Supernatural: Believe it or Not
 INTRODUCTION
Spiritual self is one of the four constituents of the “self” according to William Jame
s in his book, The Principles of Psychology in 1890. The spiritual self is the most intimat
e, inner subjective part of self. It is the most intimate version of the self because of the s
atisfaction experiences when thinking of one’s ability to argue and discriminate, of ones
moral sensibility and conscience, and of our unconquerable will (James 1890) is purer t
han all other sentiments of satisfaction.

The ability to use moral sensibility and conscience may be seen through the expre
ssion of religion, its belief and practices. In the same manner, cultural rituals and cerem
onies are some manifestations what people believe in. Moreover, seeking the meanin
g of life is a journey that the spiritual self is on.
Religion
Rebecca Stein works on the definition of religion “as a set of cultural beliefs and practices that usually
includes some or all of basic characteristics. The characteristics are:

1. A belief in anthropomorphic supernatural being, such as spirit and gods.

2. A focus on the sacred supernatural. Where sacred refers to a feeling of reverence and awe.
3. The presence of supernatural power or energy that is found on supernatural beings as well as
physical beings and objects.
4. The performance of ritual activities that involves the manipulation of sacred object to communicate t
o supernatural beings and/or to influence or control events.
5. The articulation of worldwide and moral codes through narratives and other means.
6. Provide the creation and maintenance of social bonds and mechanism of social control within a
community; provide explanation for unknown and a sense of control for individual.

An individual lives in a society where there are many practices of religion. The choice of religi
ous beliefs lies within the spiritual self. Although the choice maybe influence by the society and its cultu
re.
Ritual
Rituals is the performance of ceremonial acts prescribe by a tradition or sacred law. Ritual is a s
pecific, observable mode of behavior exhibited by all know societies. It is thus possible to view ritual as
a way of defining or describing humans.
There are three fundamental characteristics of rituals according to Penner. Ritual has the chara
cteristics of:
1. A feeling of emotion of respect, awe, fascination, or dread in relation to the sacred.
2. Dependence upon a brief system that is usually expressed in the language of myth.
3. Is symbolic in relation to its reference.
The self can be described as a ritual being who exhibits a striking parallel between their ritual and
verbal behavior. Just as language is a system of symbols that is based upon arbitrary rules, ritual may
be viewed as a system of symbolic acts that is based upon arbitrary rules. Participation to rituals is expr
essions of religious beliefs.
Thank You!