The Material/economic Self: To Buy Or Not To Buy? That Is The Question!

The Material/Economic Self To Buy or Not to Buy? That Is the Question!

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. If ever you were given the chance in real life to have one among the list, which would you choose? Why? 3. Let your classmate read your list. Ask him/her to give or write a quick impression of yourself based on the list you showed him/her. 4. Is the quick impression of your classmate has some truth about who you are?

- The material self, according to William James primarily is about our bodies, clothes, immediate family, and home. - The more investment of self-given to the particular thing, the more we identify ourselves to it. We also tended to collect and possess properties. The collections in different degree of investment of self, becomes part of the self.

We Are What We Have - Russel Belk posits that “…we regard our possessions as part of ourselves. We are what we have and what we posses.” - As we grow older, putting importance to material possession decreases. - 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. - The possessions that we dearly have tell something about who we are, our self-concept, our past, and even our future.

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

Debit Card Challenge List

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?

3.

Make a reflection paper about your personal material self. You may use your answers from the above questions in making your paper.

I shop therefore I am? Consumer culture Shopping has turned into a lifestyle Issue is about what we buy and what we choose to invest in

Consumption and Production

Consumption – used up, to spend wastefully, to destroy Behind consumption, there is production Conscious consumption is about practicing responsible buying habits

The Problem of Consumerism

1. It is intrusive 2. It is manipulative. 3. It cannot provide many of the things that are important to us 4. It restricts our choices and lives 5. It affects our worldviews and characters 6. It is unsustainable

Reasons for materialism 1. Alleged to provide individuals with a feeling of security 2. Alleged to give a sense of well-being and happiness 3. Alleged to boosts self-esteem and self-confidence 4. Alleged to provide with more friends and relationships through greater interaction

Correlates of Materialism

1. Materialism and happiness do not go well together 2. Materialism and self-esteem show an inverted relationship 3. Materialism and financial stability show an inverted relationship as well

Correlates of Materialism 4. Materialism and well-being manifest opposite relationship 5. Materialism and self-concept prove how insecurity motivates people to work so hard for material possessions as the same wealth becomes their source of security 6. Materialism and lack of engagement mean losing one’s ability to empathize with others as they become callous to other people’s needs.

Avoid the Trap 1. Exercise intellectual independence. 2. Consume less, live more.

Be Content