The

Material
Self
 What is Material Self?
1. The Material Self includes all the physical elements that reflect
who a person is
a. Physical possessions

b. Cars

c. Home

d. Clothes

e. Immediate Family
Money and how it affects us

Money can powerfully influence the

thoughts and actions of individuals in
ways that they are often not aware of,
no matter what their economic
circumstances
 How Money Influences us
Social and Business Value: Motivations For Completing
A Given Task (Heyman & Ariely, 2004)
1. Social Value
a. When individuals think that it is a worthy investment
of their time, that it is part of social duty, and they
are often happy to help out
How Money Influences us

Business Value
a. People that focus on the
business value of a task often
demand for compensation
before or after they have
engaged in it.
Note: If the task is done voluntarily it
would be Social Value, however, if
compensation or money is asked after
the completion of the task, it turns to
Business Value
Self-sufficiency and Service

Money-conscious individuals typically strive to be

more self-sufficient or independent than those
who do not prioritize money
Self-View
1. The amount that people earn could have an effect on how they
view themselves
a. Class Essentialism - is the belief that differences between
classes are based upon identity and genetics, rather than
circumstance

Example:
Wealthy people are more likely to believe that they were entitled to
wealth based upon their personal circumstances and actions, whereas
poor people tend to believe that anyone can be rich and anyone can be
poor.
Ethics
1. Those who perceive themselves to be in a higher
class are the most likely to engage in unethical
behavior
a. Self-interest Maximization - is the idea that
suggests those that have the most money or
occupy higher classes are more likely to
according ask “What’s in it for me?” (Piff,
2012)
Addiction
Is usually brought by positive response from a
certain type of behavior
a. Behavioral or Process Addiction - occurs when
there is compulsive behavior motivated by a
process that leads to a seemingly positive
outcome (not an addictive substance).
Example:
Earning can become
‘addictive’ since obtaining
money or seeing a large
number one’s savings
account can cause a
chemical reaction in the
brain that result to positive
feelings.
 The Roles of Consumer Culture on our
Sense of Self
Possessions and the Extended Self:
Since possessions are viewed as part of the
self, unintentionally losing these
possessions are regarded as a loss or
lessening of the self
Research
1. Goffman (1961) used the term
standardized “Identity kits” wherein
people who are usually admitted to
institutions where they all use the same
clothes or items, Goffman argued that
there is an elimination of one’s
uniqueness and a traumatic lessening
of the sense of self.
Research
Rosenblatt, Walsh, and Jackson (1976) expressed
that the non-voluntary loss of possessions through
theft or casualty may diminish the sense of self.
Possessions have sentimental value and people
experience grief and mourning following the loss of
these possessions.
McLeod (1984) claims that feelings of loss of
a part of the self are experienced by victims
of natural disasters or casualty. They undergo
the process of grief or DABDA (denial, anger,
bargaining, depression, and acceptance)
Juliet Schor (1998) studied
the connection between
wealth and well-being. There
is what she termed a “Cycle
of Work and Spend” wherein
people work more to buy
more and the income one
earns determines the level of
consumption which becomes
a reward for working hard.
Special Cases of the
Extended Self
Collections
1. Modern humans assemble
collections of non-necessities for
distinction and self-definition
(e.g. cars, shoes)
a. Collections may be security
blankets for adults
Special Cases of the Extended Self

Pets
1. Representatives of the self and
given characteristics of people
2. Some pets are regarded as
family members and become
surrogate parents for children
and surrogate children for adults.
Body Parts
1. Cathexis is defined as charging an
object, activity or an idea with
emotional energy. When a body part is
more highly cathected, there is greater
use of grooming products to care for
this part of the body.

2. Women generally groom and tend to

cathect body parts to a greater degree
than men and that such cathexis
reflects self-acceptance. The body is
more likely and more strongly
cathected as compared to other
objects since it is permanent