Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN PHILIPPINES

University Town, Northern Samar
Website: uep.educ.ph; Email: [email protected]

GE 3: UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

First Semester, SY 2020 – 2021

RUTH L. SAYDE
PAULA MAE M. CAPARIC
CAC, Part-Time Lecturers

NAME OF STUDENT: _______________________________________________________________

COURSE & YEAR: __________________________________________________________
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

UNIT 2: UNPACKING THE SELF

Module 8: The Material/Economic Self………………………………………………………... 4
Introduction ………………………………………………………………….………………….. 4
Outcomes ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 4

1. THE MATERIAL SELF ……………………..………………………………………..………... 4

a. Social and Business Value ………………………………………………………….. 5
b. Self-Sufficiency and Service ……………………………………………………….. 5
c. Self-View ……………………………………………………………………………….. 5
d. Ethics ……………………………………………………………………………………. 6
e. Addiction ……………………………………………………………………………..... 6

2. SHAPING THE WAY WE SEE OURSELVES: THE ROLES OF CONSUMER CULTURE ON

OUR SENSE OF SELF AND IDENTITY ……………………………………………………… 6

2.1 Possessions and the Extended Self ……………………………………………….. 6

2.2 Special Cases of Extended Self …………………………………………………… 8
1. Collections ("I Shop, Therefore I Am") …………………………………………. 8
2. Pets as Extended Self …………………………………………………………….. 8
3. Body Parts …………………………………………………………………………... 9

Summary ………………………………………………………………………………………… 9

Learning Task Assessment ……………………………………………………………..… 10

References ……………………………………………………………………………………... 11

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UNIT 2:
UNPACKING THE SELF

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8
THE MATERIAL/ECONOMIC SELF

INTRODUCTION

Upon reaching an item in the display shelf of chocolates at a convenience

store, a woman intends of buying a bar with a statement, “It’s a cheat day. I’m not
just myself now.” If she is not just herself now, maybe she’ll have another self later, or
tomorrow perhaps. Many scholars conclude that people have a core set of behaviors,
attitudes, beliefs, and values that constitute their selves. It is the sum total of who they
are. However, their concepts of self can and does change, depending on
circumstances and influences.

OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. define material self;

2. describe how material self affects a person; and,
3. explain the relationship between possessions and the extended self.

Now, let us properly begin our discussion about The Material/Economic Self!

1. THE MATERIAL SELF

According to William James, the Harvard Psychologist and giant of the

American intellectual scene in the late nineteenth century, a “man’s self is the sum
total of all that he can call his.” This included his body, family and reputation but also
his “clothes and his house … his lands and horse, and yacht and bank account.” If
they grew, their owners felt triumphant. If they faded, people felt a part of themselves
was dying (Trentman, 2016).

All the physical elements that reflect who a

person is, maybe possessions, cars, home, body and
clothes, are part of the material self. Think of your
material self as that of what you are clothed of,
what interests you or are passionate about, what
you spend fir. The material self craves for clothes not
only to cover the essential parts of the body, but also

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to decorate the self. People opt for extra clothing unnecessary for the weather, yet
may find it fashionable.

Moreover, the material self is constituted by our bodies, clothes, immediate

family, and home. It is those things that we are most deeply affected because of our
investments of self within these things. The more we invest of ourselves in these objects,
the more attached we inevitably are to them.

For the “material self,” objects help make the person but they also show what
that person is made of. It means that the use and display of wealth remains powerful
and controversial, and nowhere more so than for the super-rich.

Psychologist who study the impact of wealth and inequality on human

behavior have found that money can powerfully influence our thoughts and actions
in ways that we’re often not aware of, no matter what our economic circumstances
are (Greogoire, 2014).

Curtis (2017) manifested that cash can have serious bearing on one’s belief
regarding the way a person views himself/herself. The following are evidences behind
the idea that money truly can change people:

a. Social and Business Value

Heyman and Arielly (2004) surmised that there are two motivations for
completing a given task. The first is social. By recognizing a task’s social value, a person
sees it as a worthy investment of tome and a part of his/her social duty, and he/she is
usually happy to help out. However, when money is offered as the motivation, people
then start thinking less of the social aspect and more about the business value.

As a matter of act, even relatives who ask for favor nursing the dependent
senior citizens require compensation to equate the effort done. The more money
receive the more frequent visits and more tasks done. If less money id paid, the lesser
the chances of coming back, with many alibis and excuses given.

b. Self-Sufficiency and Service

Those who are conscious of money typically strive to be more self-sufficient

than those for whom money isn’t a priority. When given a very difficult and even
impossible task, with instructions that help was available, it was the money-related
group that seemed the most intent on getting the job done alone, even when it was
not possible to finish the task solo. It only means that money-conscious individuals are
more self-sufficient than their peers, particularly when money is made the focus.

c. Self-View

The amount one earns could have an effect on how he/she views both
himself/herself and other others. The wealthiest people are those with the deepest
sense of class essentialism – the idea that differences between classes are based
upon identity and genetic, rather than circumstances. Poor people tend to believe

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that social class was not related to genes, that essentially, anyone can be rich and
anyone can be poor. Rich people were more likely to believe that wealth was part of
genes and identity, that they were entitled to wealth based upon their personal
circumstances and actions. Wealthy people also believe that, more or less, life is fair
and people mostly get what they deserve.

d. Ethics

Those who perceive themselves to be wealthy were the most likely to engage
in unethical behavior, particularly when a symbol of wealth was introduces, such as
cutting off a pedestrian when in a luxury car. Piff, in his study labeled the behavior,
“self-interest maximization,” an idea that suggests those who have the most money
or occupy higher classes are most likely to take a “what’s in it for me?” Attitude. They
actively work toward the most benefit for themselves. (Piff, 2012).

e. Addiction

Many addictions begin because a person gets a positive response from a

certain type of behavior. Whether it’s a happy feeling that one gets from shopping or
a thrill that comes from gambling, actively seeking out that behavior again and again
for the same outcome can trigger addiction. This is called “behavioral or process
addiction,” a compulsive behavior not motivated by dependency on an addictive
substance, but rather by a process that leads to a seemingly positive outcome.

Earning money can be very addictive for some individuals. That ‘high’ of a big
check or well-padded savings account can become the sole purpose of a wealth-
searcher’s life. The positive feeling that follows obtaining money can cause a
chemical reaction in the brain that feels good. In turn, it can result in a severe
preoccupation with money and put a strain on relationships outside of those that
relate to earning more.

2. SHAPING THE WAY WE SEE OURSELVES: THE ROLES OF CONSUMER CULTURE ON OUR
SENSE OF SELF AND IDENTITY

2.1 Possessions and the Extended Self

The premise that people regard their possessions as parts of themselves is not
new. If possessions are viewed as part of self, it follows that an unintentional loss of
possessions should be regarded as a loss or lessening of self. Goffman (1961) provides
a thorough review of the evidence of deliberate lessening of self manifested in such
institutions as mental hospitals, homes for the aged, prisons, concentration camps,
military training camps, boarding schools, and monasteries. One of the first steps in
receiving new members into these institutions is to systematically deprive them of all
personal possessions including clothing, money, and even names. Their bodies may
be standardized to some degree, as with military haircuts, and their behaviors and
conversations may be severely restricted. They are reissued standard wardrobes and
minimal possessions to aid in rebuilding a new standardized identity. The result of this

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systematic substitution of standardized "identity kits" for former possessions is an

elimination of uniqueness (Snyder and Fromkin, 1981), and a corresponding and often
traumatic lessening of the individual's sense of self. Although the new, more
standardized possessions that are substituted may eventually restore some sense of
self, the new self should necessarily be less unique and involve more of a shared group
identity.

Another instance in which nonvoluntary loss of possessions may bring about a

diminished sense of self is when possessions are lost due to theft or casualty. In the
case of burglary victims, Rosenblatt, Walsh, and Jackson (1976) suggest that a process
of grief and mourning may follow the discovery of theft, just as one might grieve and
mourn the death of a loved one who had been-a part of one's life. What is lost in both
cases may be a part of self.

Handbag snatching can produce not only a financial but also an emotional, long-
term effect on victims. Similarly, losing photographs of loved ones that are often
carried in a purse may cause the victims' sense of security impaired; they tend to
distrust and feel suspicious towards other people, and develop a fear of walking in
public and even in familiar environments. Research has also found that victims
sometimes describe possession as having high sentimental value and being much
more than functional. Victims perceive their belongings as an extension of themselves,
so they feel the loss as a threat to their self-identity, which elicits strong negative
emotional reactions (Dinisman, 2017).

There are also reports on feelings of loss of a part of self among victims of
natural disasters. McLeod (1984) found that those who lost possessions to a mudslide
went through a process of grief similar to that of losing a loved one - moving from
denial to anger, to depression, and finally to acceptance.

Our immediate family is a part of ourselves. Our father and mother, our wife
and babies, are bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. When they die, a part of our
very selves is gone. Clearly what is mourned is loss of self, as material property is an
extension of ego, and any interference with our property is, for this reason, felt to be
a violation of the person.

If they do anything wrong, it is our shame. If they are insulted, our anger flashes
forth as readily as if we stood in their place. Our home comes next. Its scenes are part
of life; its aspects awaken the tenderest feelings of affection; and we do not easily
forgive the stranger who, in visiting it, finds fault with its arrangements or treats it with
contempt. All these different things are the objects of instinctive preferences coupled
with the most important practical interests of life. We all have a blind impulse to watch
over our body, to deck it with clothing of an ornamental sort, to cherish parents, wife
and babes, and to find for ourselves a home of our own which we may live in and
'improve’.

There is a connection between wealth and well-being a belief that feeds what
Juliet Schor (1998) calls the "cycle of work and spend" - work more to buy more. The
level of consumption is set mainly by people's choices about how much to work, and
therefore how much income to earn. The individual chooses between hours at work

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(which yield income) and leisure (a "good" in itself, but a costly one because it entails
foregoing income).

The income earned then determines the level of consumption. Thus, individual
workers/consumers choose the level of working hours and the quantity of
consumption. There is no possibility of "too much" or "too little" consumption. Those
terms make no sense. Here, it is individuals' preferences that determine the quantity
of consuming and free time. And whatever quantity is chosen must be optimal.

After working so hard, they feel deserving of their consumer comforts and
luxuries. Indeed, consumption is the major form of reward for long hours and a harried
pace of work. And consumer expenditures have become a means by which people
with frenetic Iives keep it all going - whether it's stress-busters like vacations, massages,
or restaurant meals, the contracting out of' household services; or the purchase of
time-saving commodities.

2.2 Special Cases of Extended Self

1. Collections ("I Shop, Therefore I Am")

As Belk (1982) notes, humans and animals once primarily assembled collections
of necessities for future security, but today humans more often assemble collections
of non-necessities for distinction and sell-definition. Collections of this sort may be
initiated gifts or other unintended acquisitions, but the cultivation of a collection is a
purposeful defining act. Collecting has become a significant activity in our consumer
society as it has become more widely affordable through the discretionary time and
money available to the general population rather than just to the wealthy elite
(Mason, 1981).

Goldberg and Lewis (1978, p. 64) go further in suggesting that "Many collectors
who are inhibited and uncomfortable in social interaction, surround themselves with
favored objects upon which they project human-like qualities. They practically talk to
these objects; they find comfort in being with them and regard them as friends." In this
sense, collections may be seen as transition objects or security blankets for adults.

To some extent, a compulsive tendency urges them he increasing desire to

collect as much as they could which gives them a greater feeling of security, and
therefore becoming a basis of the sense of self and identity - "I shop, therefore I am; I
have, therefore I am.”

2. Pets as Extended Self

Pets are regarded commonly as representative of self and studies show that
we attempt to infer characteristics of people from their pets (Foote 1956; Heiman
1967). Some relationship between personality and choice of pets does, in fact, exist
(Kidd and Kid 1980). Others have observed that, like people, pets are regarded as
family members (e.g., Cain 1985; Friedmann and Thomas 198; Hickrod and Schmitt
1982; Rochberg-Halton 1985; Wallendorfand Belk 1987).

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In this regard, it is significant that we name our pets, feed and care for them,
photograph them, spend money on them, groom tbem, talk to them, protect them,
sleep and play with them, and mourn their death (Hickrod and Schmitt 1982; Meer
1984). Carnack (1985), Cowies (1985), and Keddie (1977) found that in some cases of
pet death the mourning is similar to that which occurs due to the loss of a home or the
loss of a limb.

Levinson (1972) and Robin and Bensel (1985) found that pets are so instrumental
to self-identity that they are often useful as transition objects (surrogate parents) for
children and as surrogate children for adults. These observations and popular
treatments suggest that pets can be therapeutic in expanding the self of children,
hospital patients, and the elderly.

3. Body Parts

Body parts are among the most central parts of the extended self. In
psychoanalytic, such self-extension is called cathexis. Cathexis involves the charging
of an object, activity, or idea with emotional energy by the individual. The concept
most commonly has been applied to body parts and it is known, for instance, that
women generally tend to cathect body parts to a greater degree than men and that
such cathexis reflects self-acceptance. When a body part is more highly cathected,
there is greater use of grooming products to care for this part of the body.

Csikszentimihalyi and Rochberg-Halton (1981) proposed the seemingly

identical concept of psychic energy investment to describe the process of
identification with possessions of any type. Since we are permanently attached to our
body parts, these body parts are expected to be more strongly cathected than
material possessions that can be more easily the acquired a and discarded. And since
body parts are normally central to conceptions of self, the loss of body parts is
tantamount to losing one’s identity and one's very being.

Indeed, the loss of a limb is often viewed by those from whom it has been
severed in just this way (e.g., Parker 1982; Schilder 1950). One is literally and
symbolically afraid of being less of a person following an amputation.

SUMMARY

From the discussions, we can say; the material self refers to all of the physical
elements that reflect who a person is which includes his/her body, possessions and
home. The body is the innermost part of the material self. The family, home and clothes
also form a person's material self. Furthermore, practical interests of a person is part of
his/her material self which includes the instinctive impulse of collecting property.
Luxury and materialism are by-products of the material self. Materialism refers to the
theory or belief that nothing exists except matter, its movements and its modifications,
the theory or belief that consciousness and will are wholly due to material agency; a

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tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important

than spiritual values.

LEARNING TASK ASSESSMENT

On a separate sheet of paper, answer the questions below.

I. Multiple Choices. Write the letter of your chosen answer.

1. The use and display of wealth and other possessions, all the physical elements
that reflect who a person is, make up the
a. material self
b. social self
c. spiritual self
d. none

2. It is an idea which suggests that those who have the most money or occupy
higher classes are more likely to take a "what's in it for me?" attitude.
a. self-sufficiency and service
b. self-interest maximization
c. self-view
d. addiction

3. It is the idea that differences between classes are based upon identity and
generation rather than circumstance.
a. class essentialism
b. self-interest maximization
c. self-sufficiency
d. social and business value

4. The "cycle of work and spend" is best illustrated in

1. work more to buy more
2. work less to buy more
3. buy more to spend more
4. work more to provide enough

5. Which is not a nonvoluntary loss of possession?

a. lost to theft or casualty
b. mudslide and forest fire
c. handbag snatching
d. lending an item

II. Enumerate. Aside from the examples in the discussion, give one (1) example for
each evidences behind the idea that money truly can change people. You can
based on your experiences.

1. Social and Business Value

2. Self-Sufficiency and Service

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3. Self-View
4. Ethics
5. Addiction

III. Essay. Think and react on this:

1. “I Shop, Therefore I Am”

2. “A person is defined not by what he thinks, but by what he owns.”
3. “People were created to be loved, and things were created to be used: the
reason why the world is in so much chaos right now is because people are being
used, and things are being loved.”

Below is the criteria for written requirements.

CRITERIA 4 3 2 1
Information is very Information is slightly Information is The information appears
organized in a well- organized in a well- organized but to be disorganized.
Organization
constructed paragraph or constructed paragraph or paragraph(s) are not
paragraphs. paragraphs. well-constructed.
Information relates to the Information relates to the Information partially Information has little or
topic. It provides a lot of topic. It provides few relates to the topic. No nothing to do with the
Content
supporting details and/or supporting details and/or details and/or examples topic.
examples. examples. are given.
Main points well developed Main points well developed Main points are present Main points lack detailed
with high quality and with quality supporting with limited detail and development. Ideas are
Development quantity support. Reveals details and quantity. Critical development. Some vague with little evidence
high degree of critical thinking is weaved into critical thinking is of critical thinking.
thinking. points. present.
Essay is free of distracting Essay has few punctuation Most spelling, Spelling, punctuation,
spelling, punctuation, and and grammatical errors punctuation, and and grammatical errors
grammatical errors; absent allowing reader to follow grammar correct create distraction,
Grammar
of fragments, comma ideas clearly. Very few allowing reader to making reading difficult;
& Mechanics
splices, and run-ons. fragments or run-ons. progress through essay. fragments, comma
Some errors remain. splices, run-ons evident.
Errors are frequent.
Meets all formal and Meets format and Meets format and Fails to follow format and
assignment requirements assignment requirements; assignment assignment requirement;
and evidences attention to margins, spacing, and requirements; generally cover format, incorrect
detail; all margins, spacing indentations are correct; correct margins, indentations; neatness of
Format
and indentations are correct; essay is neat and correctly spacing, and essay needs attention.
essay is neat and correctly assembled. indentations; essay is
assembled with professional neat but may have
look. some assembly errors.

REFERENCES

Curtis, Jacqueiline. 2017. SparkChange Media, LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2017, from
https://www.moneycrashes.com/money-changes-people-effect-behavior

Goffman, Erving. 1971. “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.” New York: Basic
Books.

Gregoire, Carolynn. 2014. How Monet Changes the Way We Think and Behave.
Retrieved October 24, 2017, from https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4531905

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HEyman, James and Ariely, Dan. 2004. Effort for Payment. A Tale of Two Markets. SAGE
Journals. Retrieved October 20, 2017

Piff, Paul K, et. al. 2012. Higher Social Class Predicts Increased Unethical Behavior.
National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved OCober 2, 2017 from
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.11/1467-839X.00054

Synder, C.R. and Howard L. Fromkin (1981), Uniqueness: Human Pursuit of Difference,
New York: Plenum.

Trentman, Frank (2016). The Material Slef. Consumer Culture Over the Country. UK.
Retrieved on August 5, 2017, from https://www.unlimited.world/unlimited/the-
material-self.

Villafuerte, Salvacion L., et al., (2018). Understanding the Self. Nieme Publishing House
Co. LTD. Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines.

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