The Material And Economic Self

LESSON 6: THE MATERIAL/ECONOMIC SELF Fabic | Fabila | Gamab | Gonzales

Material Self Presentation and Identity

John Heskett (1937-2014) o

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A British writer and lecturer on the economic, political, cultural and human value of industrial design Was a professor at the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology and taught design history and design thinking

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According to him, design combines 'needs' and 'desire' in the form of a practical object that can also reflect the user's identity and aspirations through its form and decoration.

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He explains that there is a subconscious effect of design in everyday life. This reflects the personal identity wherever the person is: home, work, and restaurant or at a leisure place.

Roland Barthes (1915-1980) o

A French critical theorist who was one of the first to observe the relationships that people have with objects, and in particular looked at objects as signs or things which could be decoded to convey message beyond their practical value.

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In 1950s he popularized the field of Semiology (the study of objects as signs).

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What people increasingly produce are not material objects, but signs.

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In semiotic analysis, objects function as signifiers in the production of meaning.

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Argued that all things, verbal or visual, could be viewed as a kind of speech or language.

SEMIOTIC - the study of signs that Barthes introduced. According to him, a sign has two elements: Signifier which refers to its physical form (e.g. diamond ring)

Signified the mental concepts it refers (e.g. engaged to be married)

Theory of the Meaning of Material Possessions (Dittmar, 1992, 2004)

1.

Instrumental Functions relate to the functional properties of a product.

2.

Social Symbolic Functions signify personal qualities, social standing, group affiliation and gender role.

3.

Categorical Functions

4.

Self-expressive Functions

refer to the extent to which material possessions may be used to communicate group membership and status.

reflect a person's unique qualities, values or attitudes.

Economic Self Presentation and Identity

Economics defined as the study of things that a person is lacking, of how people make use of the things that they have, and of making the right decisions. It is the condition of the person, group or region as regards to material prosperity.

Economic Self-sufficiency the ability of individuals and families to consistently meet their needs.

Economic Consciousness the result of socialization and professionalization of the subject that acquires a particular significance in human affairs.

Economic Identity a psychological categorization.

phenomenon

that

results

from

social

Symbolic Motives

1.STATUS the extent to which people believe they can derive a sense of recognition or achievement from owning and using the right kind of product, can be an important motivator of behavior.

Materialism the importance ascribed to the ownership and acquisition of material goods in achieving major life goals.

2.AFFECTIVE MOTIVES MOTIVES 2.AFFECTIVE affect (emotions) serves as a motivator of pro-environmental behavior. In relation to the economic self, affective motive, can be a basis of the buying behavior.

Anticipated Affect it is when a person is expecting to feel good or guilty when doing something.

The Role of Consumer Culture on the Sense of Self and Identity

Consumer Identity the pattern of consumption that describes the consumer.

Consumerism the preoccupation with and an inclination towards the buying of consumer goods.

Behavioral Finance a new field that combines behavioral and cognitive psychological theory with conventional economics and finance to provide explanations for why people make irrational financial decisions.

Thank you for listening!