Material Self

According to William James, material self is,
“the sum total of all that he can call his,

not only his body and his psychic powers,
but his clothes and his house, his wife and
children, his ancestors and friends, his
reputation and works, his lands and bank-
account. All these things give him
emotions. If they wax and prosper, he feels
triumphant; if they dwindle and die away,
he feels cast down – not necessarily in the
same degree for each thing, but in much
the same way for all.”
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Two subclasses of Material Self:
- A person speaks of “my arms” or

“my legs”. These entities are clearly
an intimate part of who we are.
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Two subclasses of Material Self:
-Rosenberg (1979) has referred to

the extracorporeal self as the
extended self. It includes all of the
people, places, and things that we
regard as ours.
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1. BODY
2. CLOTHES
3. BOOKS, BED, MONEY, CAR,
HOUSE AND OTHER THINGS THAT
A PERSON CAN CALL HIS OWN
POSSESSION
4. FAMILY
5. FRIENDS
6. PETS
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William James claims that the Understanding of Self can be
separated into three categories:
1. Its constituents;
2. The feelings and emotions they
arouse,—Self-feelings;
3. The actions to which they
prompt,—
Self-seeking and Self-preservation.
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1. Constituents of the self:
a. The Material Self;
b. The Social Self;
c. The Spiritual Self; and
d. The Pure Ego.
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a. Material Self
-is comprised of our
body, clothes,
immediate family, and
home
b. Social Self
-is configured based
upon our interactions
with society and
peoples’ reaction to us.
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Sub-categories of Constituents
c. Spiritual Self
-is our “psychic
faculties or
dispositions,” as well as
our most intimate
portion of the self.
d. Pure Ego
-“most puzzling aspect
of the self,”
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William James claims that the Understanding of Self can be
separated into three categories:
1. Its constituents;
2. The feelings and emotions they
arouse,—Self-feelings;
3. The actions to which they
prompt,—
Self-seeking and Self-preservation.
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Possessions can be used as a status symbol.
Cars, house, gadgets, and clothes are the
most valuable possessions because they are
the most visible in public eye. Belk in his
work on ‘Are We What We Own?’, suggests
that material possession act as the
manifestation of the self. Material
possessions can be a reflection of hardwork
and success. People tend to measure success
through material possessions therefore it can
make people more motivated to work harder
enable for them to achieve it.
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People tend to appraise other people
through their material possessions.
The greater the material possessions,
the more one is likely to attain
acceptance, approval and esteem
from other people. The components
of the material self becomes a
significant reference of sense of self
and identity.
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Defining the self by material possessions
can also contribute to feelings of well
being, including a sense of personal
growth and purpose or meaning in life.
However, lack or loss of material can be
disruptive to mental health. The desire
for material possessions have negative
effects. Someone with high level of
materialism is called materialistic. A
materialistic person is excessively concern
with acquisition of material possessions.
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The strong desire of material
possessions could lead to psychological
dysfunction or impairment in
functioning such as compulsive buying
disorder (CBD) which is
characterized by an obsession with
shopping and buying behaviors that
causes adverse consequences (e.g.,
debts)
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People are exposed to images in
television, internet, billboards, and
magazines about the material
possessions such as high end brand
clothes, phones, perfumes, shoes,
car etc. Lack or loss of these
material possessions could lead to
anxiety, insecurity, and depression.
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Qualities of a Wise Buyer
1. Enlightened. Understanding the system is key
to avoid being victimized by it. Business aren’t
charities—they are well-run profit machines.
Nothing’s wrong with that; it is the
corporation’s main purpose, and it is what drives
our economy. But it’s your job to do some
homework on whether the profit said company
makes is deserved.
2. Polite. Politeness has a magical effect on
service providers: they treat you with respect
and sometimes even bend over backward to
satisfy you.
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3. Frugal. The very best customers keep a close
watch on everything they earn. People run the
numbers before they purchase and have a pretty
good idea of what they will spend before they
reach the checkout.
4. Resourceful. A smart customer has learned
there’s strength in numbers and can find the
info they need to help his cause both online and
off.
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5. Persistent. A consumer knows that
sometimes even the best companies need a
nudge or two to do the right thing. He isn’t
afraid to ask; he feels it’s his right.
6. Correct. Contrary to what everyone has said
since the Renaissance, the customer is not
always right. But the customer is correct almost
all the time when he has done the research and
has the background on his side. Of course,
customers can be wrong, too. For instance, the
price tag may be incorrect. That happens.
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Material Self

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Material Self

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According to William James, material self is,

“the sum total of all that he can call his,

- A person speaks of “my arms” or

-Rosenberg (1979) has referred to

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