Understanding The Material Self PDF

The Material Self Understanding the Self  “It is difficult for a man to have any object in daily use without leaving the impress of his individuality upon it.” The quote is in connection of the self to one’s possessions.  Working from the work of William James and Jean-Paul S...

The Material Self Understanding the Self  “It is difficult for a man to have any object in daily use without leaving the impress of his individuality upon it.” The quote is in connection of the self to one’s possessions.  Working from the work of William James and Jean-Paul Sartre, Russell Belk further researched on the material self and theorized on how objects become extensions of ourselves or our identities. These objects extend ourselves in space and time. A tool helps double our strength, a weapon extends our reach, a uniform helps us relate with a group, or a t-shirt can remind us of our own travels. Sartre noted three ways through which we connect with objects. First is through controlling an object, like learning to ride a bike or finally teaching your dog a trick that you want him to do. We also connect through using objects to control others, like giving gifts or using bribes. Second is that we make a connection with an object through either creating or buying it.  Third is that knowing about something creates a connection between you and that object of your interest. An example is investing your time to study or even master something about engineering, art, history, which in time, will be a part of your identity.  The material self is also related to other concepts like materialism and self-esteem. Using the work of Richins and Dawson (1992), materialism is about the belief of a person on the importance of material objects to the achievement of happiness or success.  Psychological studies support that materialism is inversely related to self-esteem. Meaning, it is more likely that a materialistic person is using objects to compensate for his or her low self-esteem or somethings that is lacking in his or her personal life, like a good relationship with family, inability to make friends or a romantic relationship, etc. The connection of the self to the material world 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. According to Belk (1988) there could be four stages of this development. 1. The infant distinguishes self from environment 2. The infant distinguishes self from others 3. Possessions help adolescents and adults manager their identities 4. Possessions help the old persons have a sense of continuity and preparation for death 4. Possessions help the old persons have a sense of continuity and preparation for death In adolescents, the attachment to objects increasingly depends on who people are, or how they want to be perceived, especially by their peers. Also, teens give more importance to having similar items with their peers as a sense of shared identity as well as an attempt to be different from their parents.  Young people seems to value possessions based on “emotional attachment,” like the happiness you get from it; its “social meaning,” especially the ability of the object to attract people and make you feel you belong; and “personal association” or how an object is related to our concept of self, like buying an eight note necklace because you think you are a musician. The adult self continues to extend to more objects as the needs as well as the means to acquire changes. For example, a teenager who was interested in race cars before, but now has become a father would rather go for a more utilitarian type.  Old age brings another aspect to the relationship between the owner and the object. The object now becomes a vessel of memory, like a camera you used to bring, a source of comfort as well as an achievement, like a trophy or diploma, and it becomes a sort of legacy for the future, like your house and lot that you will pass on to your children.