LESSON 6:

THE MATERIAL/ECONOMIC SELF

Fabic | Fabila | Gamab | Gonzales
Material Self Presentation
and Identity
John Heskett (1937-2014)
o A British writer and lecturer on
the economic, political, cultural
and human value of industrial
design

o Was a professor at the Institute of

Design at Illinois Institute of
Technology and taught design
history and design thinking
o 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.

o 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.

o In 1950s he popularized the field of

Semiology (the study of objects as
signs).
o What people increasingly produce are not material
objects, but signs.

o In semiotic analysis, objects function as signifiers in

the production of meaning.

o 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 Signified
which refers to its physical the mental concepts it refers
form (e.g. diamond ring) (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
refer to the extent to which material possessions may be used to
communicate group membership and status.

4. Self-expressive Functions
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 phenomenon that results from social
categorization.
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
2.AFFECTIVE MOTIVES
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!