William James' Concept of the Self PDF

William James defined the self as everything that an individual considers to be his or her, not only his or her body and material possessions but also his or her reputation and beliefs. The self is the manifestation of one’s identity through his material possessions. The Materialistic Self focuses...

William James defined the self as everything that an individual considers to be his or her, not only his or her body and material possessions but also his or her reputation and beliefs. The self is the manifestation of one’s identity through his material possessions. The Materialistic Self focuses on how people maintain extensions of themselves through material possessions and the maintenance of particular lifestyles. A material self is made up of everything that a person owns like his or her car, house, clothes, even her family and friends. As stated by William James, the self is all things a person believes to be his or her and contribute to his or her material self. By William James: 1. People are likely to purchase products that can relate to their personality. Material possessions signify some aspects of one’s sense of self and identity. 2. Possessions, tell a lot about their owners. Thus, one’s sense of self and identity is influential on how an individual chooses to purchase his/her wants and how he/she makes economic decisions that will address his/her personal and social needs. 3. The decisions that go into the purchase of items and certain services are dependent on a number of factors, including financial constraints, availability of items and services, and the influence of family and friends. In the process of acquiring material goods, people generally consider two things: 1. Utility. - which is concerned with how things serve a practical purpose. 2. Significance. - tells us the meaning assigned to the object. It is also concerned with how objects become powerful symbols or icons of habit and ritual which can be quite separate from their primary function. William James' Concept of the Self As previously discussed, we recall that William James suggests that the self is divided into two categories, namely: the I-Self and the Me-Self. The I-Self, which is being referred to as the thinking self, is the one reflecting the soul of a person or the mind which is also called the pure ego. It is characterized by intuition and being able to discern things for an individual to come up with a particular decision.  The Me-Self, on the other hand, is said to be the empirical self which refers to the person’s individual experiences and is divided into subcategories: the (1)material self, (2) social self and (3) spiritual self. The Composition of the Material Self The material self, according to James is primarily about our bodies, cloth, immediate family, and home. We are deeply affected by these things because we have put much investment of ourselves into them. There are two subclasses of the Material Self: The Bodily Self. The components of this are composed of the intimate parts of the person that includes our body’s aspects such as physical (arms head, legs, etc), emotional (feelings, desires, etc), psychological (intelligence, cognition, etc), and moral (values, beliefs, etc). The Extended Self. It includes the people of great significance to us (family), possessions (house, car, clothes), places that matter to us, products of our labor (job, handworks, etc). Body - The innermost part of our material self is our body. - We do have certain preferential attachment or intimate closeness to certain body parts because of its value to us. 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 this contours to be our own and making it part of the self.” - The fabric and style of the clothes we wear bring sensations to the body to which directly affect our attitudes and behavior. Thus, clothes are placed in the second hierarchy of material self. - Clothing is a form of self-expression. Immediate Family - Our parents and siblings hold another great important part of our self. What they do or become affects us.  - We place huge investments in our immediate family when we see them as the nearest replica of ourselves. Home - Home is where our heart is. It is the earliest nest of our selfhood. - Our experiences inside the home were recorded and marked on 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 ourselves. As James (1890) described self: “a man’s self is the sum total of all what he can call his.” Regardless of how much or how little a person owns materially, he or she will always strive to acquire more because material possessions are usually a reflection of a person’s success or failure. Needs are basic requirements for you to survive, such as a cozy home, basic clothes to wear, and daily food. They are indispensable and remain constant over time. Wants are desires that may change as time progresses. They apply to goods, services, and inessential things often described as splurges. They are optional, creating a demand for something that is not necessary to survive. A want can be a need or vice versa, depending on a person’s lifestyle. The Benefits of Knowing the Difference between Needs and Wants Recognizing what needs and wants are is the best foundation for efficient money management. It ranges from tracking personal expenditures to investing your excess savings. It also helps you figure out the required expenses and those that can be lessened. Wants and needs are two different words whose meanings are both well understood and also conveniently interchanged — depending on our desires and motivations. Deconstructing the interplay between these words is key to better understanding ourselves.