M2 L3 PDF - Unpacking the Self

Module 2 - Unpacking the Self Physical, Sexual, Economic/Material, Spiritual, Political, and Digital Self Learning Outcomes: At the end of this lesson, you should be able to: 1. explain the association of self and possessions. 2. identify the role of consumer culture to self a...

Module 2 - Unpacking the Self Physical, Sexual, Economic/Material, Spiritual, Political, and Digital Self Learning Outcomes: At the end of this lesson, you should be able to: 1. explain the association of self and possessions. 2. identify the role of consumer culture to self and identity; and 3. appraise one's self based on the description of material self. Time Frame: Week 11 Introduction We are living in a world of sale and shopping spree. Everywhere, including the digital space, we are given a wide array of products to purchase from. Product advertisements are suggestive of making us feel better or look good which make us want to have that product. What we want to have and already possess are connected with who we are. Belk (1988) said that we regard our possessions as parts of our selves. We are what we have and what we possess." There is a direct link between self- identity with what we have and possess. Our wanting to have and possess has a connection with another aspect of the self, the material self. Activity Debit Card Challenge A very wealthy person gave you a debit card and told you to use it as much as you want to make yourself happy. What are you going to do with it? Make a list of what you want to have. Write as many as you want. Analysis Answer the following questions: 1. How do you feel as you do the Debit Card Challenge? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 2. Which among the items in your list you like the most? Why? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 3. If ever you were given the chance in real life to have one among the list which would you choose? Why? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 4. Does your choice different from what you answer in question number 2? Why or why not? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Abstraction Material Self A Harvard psychologist in the late nineteenth century, William James, wrote in his book, The Principles of Psychology in 1890 that understanding the self can be examined through its different components. He described these components as: (1) its constituents; (2) the feelings and emotions they arouse-self-feelings; (3) the actions to which they prompt—self-seeking and self-preservation. The constituents of self are composed of the material self, the social self, the spiritual self, and the pure ego. (Trentmann 2016; Green 1997) The material self, according to James primarily is about our bodies, clothes, immediate family, and home. We are deeply affected by these things because we have put much investment of our self to them. 1. Body The innermost part of our material self is our body. Intentionally, we are investing in our body. We are directly attached to this commodity that we cannot live without. We strive hard to make sure that this body functions well and good. Any ailment or disorder directly affects us. We do have certain preferential attachment or intimate closeness to certain body parts because of its value to us. There were people who get their certain body parts insured. Celebrities, like Mariah Carey who was reported to have placed a huge amount for the insurance of her vocal cords and legs (Sukman 2016).  2. Clothes Influenced by the "Philosophy of Dress" by Herman Lotze, James believed that clothing is an essential part of the material self. Lotze in his book, Microcosmus, stipulates that "any time 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." (Watson, 2014) The fabric and style of the clothes we wear bring sensations to the body to which directly affects our attitudes and behavior. Thus, clothes are placed in the second hierarchy of material self. Clothing is a form of self-expression. We choose and wear clothes that reflect our self (Watson, 2014). 3. 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 member 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. In their failures, we are put to shame or guilt. When they are in disadvantaged 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 the nearest replica of our self. 4. Home Home is where our heart is. It is earliest nest of our selfhood. Our experiences inside the home were recorded and marked on the particular parts and things in our home. There was an old cliché about rooms: "if only walls can speak." The home thus is an extension of self, because in it, we can directly connect our self. We Are What We Have Russel Belk (1988) posited that "...we regard our possessions as part of ourselves. We are what we have and what we possess." The identification of the self to things started in our infancy stage when we make a distinction among self and environment and others who may desire our possessions. As we grow older, putting importance to material possession decreases. However, material possession gains higher value in our lifetime if we use material possession to find happiness, associate these things with significant events, accomplishments, and people in our lives. There are even times, when material possession of a person that is closely identified to the person, gains acknowledgment with high regard even if the person already passed away. Examples of these are the chair in the dining room on which the person is always seated, the chair will be the constant reminder of the person seated there; a well-loved and kept vehicle of the person, which some of the bereaved family members have a difficulty to sell or let go of because that vehicle is very much identified with the owner who passed away; the favorite pet or book, among others that the owner placed a high value, these favorite things are symbols of the owner. The possessions that we dearly have tell something about who we are, our self-concept, our past, and even our future. Application Debit Card Challenge List  1. Go back to your Debit Card Challenge List. Put a mark on the left side of each item with the following categories: B — if the item is related with your body C — if the item is related with clothes F — if the item is related or intended to your family H — if the item is related with home 2. Answer the following questions: Which among the categories you have the most in your list? What do you think these things tell you about yourself? Make a reflection about material self. You may use your answers from the above questions in making your paper. Closure Congratulations! You have just learned the connection of one’s material possession to its identity. You may now continue to discover the meaning of life through the journey in the spiritual side of yourself.