Material Self Flashcards
One of the first to describe the self as the totality of everything that one calls his or hers, which included what he called the “material self.”
William James
focuses more on the body, our clothes and belongings, our immediate family, as well as the place we call home.
This material self according to William James
Working from this work and the ideas of French philosopher, He further researched the material self and theorized how objects become extensions of ourselves or our identities.
define who
and whos work and ideas did he used
Russell Belk
Jean-Paul Sartre
According to Russell Belk:
These objects extend ourselves in ? and ?.
? - helps double our strength
? - extends our reach
? - helps us relate with a group or
? - can remind us of our travels.
space & time
tool
weapon
uniform
t-shirt
He noted three ways in which we connect with objects
Jean-Paul Sarte
What are three ways in which we connect with objects according to Sarte
- Through controlling an object
- Through either creating or buying it (Belk
1988). - Knowing about something creates a connection between you and that object of your interest.
Which of the three ways we connect with objects talks about this:
Like learning to ride a bike or finally teaching your dog a trick that you want him/her to do. We also connect through using objects to control others, like giving gifts or using bribes.
Through controlling an object
Give example of how you can control others using objects
giving gifts or bribes
Which of the three ways we can connect with objec talks about this:
Because you spend blood and sweat on a project, for example, you tend to give it more importance than having a good grade, for it affects you emotionally more than a project you just haphazardly made. Spending too much money on something would also make you care for it more, like when someone wants to borrow your custom-made bike or car, and you keep an eye on them in case they scratch it.
Through either creating or buying it (Belk
1988).
However, recent culture and economy have shifted our focus from ? to ?
production to consumption
according to Hurson 2013
From a sociological perspective, ? affects our concept of self, and this shift of focus to production has us consuming more and producing less for ourselves.
Ex. buying cabinets and not making one buying 3-in-1 coffees instead of mixing them on our own
That might be a reason why most people find it relaxing or fulfilling to construct things on their own.
society
Which of the three ways of connecting with objects talks about this:
simple example: investing your time in studying or even mastering something about engineering, biology, art, music, or history. In time, you might be called an engineer, a biologist, an artist, a musician, or a historian, which will be part of your identity.
Knowing about something creates a connection between you and that object of your interest.
Which of the three ways we connect with object talks about this?
knowing about a person romantically and on a more intimate level that he/she becomes a part of you.
Knowing about something creates a connection between you and that object of your interest.
In 1992, they developed the Material Values Scale (MVS). In recent years, a number of studies have used the MVS.
Richins and Dawson
used to measure materialism in consumers
or examine materialism as a facet of consumer behavior.
Material Values Scale (MVS)
is about the belief of a person on the importance of material objects to the achievement of happiness or success
Materialism according to Chan 2019
Several psychological studies support that materialism is inversely related to ?
Meaning it is more likely that a ?? is using objects to compensate for his/her low self-esteem or something that is lacking in his/her personal life, like a good relationship with family, inability to make friends or a romantic relationship, and the like (Christopher and Schenker 2004; Jarrett 2013). The set-up might be because he/she is more emotionally connected to objects than people, or he/she is using material objects to gain acceptance in a circle of people.
self-esteem
materialistic person
Furthermore, a study by Richins (1994) found that _? value their belongings for their use, especially as a boost for social status, while _? value their possessions for the joy and comfort that they get from them (Christopher and Schenker 2004).
highly materialistic people
less materialistic people
a person who uses objects to gain acceptance and privilege is also more likely to ?
ride current trends.
Our ? and ? with objects develop through time, like a child playing with a ball, then transitioning to ball games, and probably winning formal competitions.
perspective and connection
The ???? develops and changes over time. Studies showed that, even with cultural differences, there seems to be a similar experience in the development of the material self throughout the life of a person.
connection of self to the material world
According to him (1988), there could be four stages of this development:
Belk
four stages of this development according to belk:
1.) The infant distinguishes self from environment;
2.) The infant distinguishes self from others;
3.) Possessions help adolescents and adults manage their identities
4.) Possessions help the old persons have a sense of continuity and preparation for death.
our relationship with the material world starts with the idea that whoever gets something first is its ?. “ ??,” so to speak.
owner
finders, keepers
