The Material/Economic Self

Three(3) Components of The Empirical Self(ME)

William James

>empirical self refer to all of the various ways people answer the question"who am i?"

>the empirical self of each of us i all that he is tempted to call by the name of 'me'

1. Material self

2. Social self

3. Spiritual self

"YOU ARE WHAT YOU HAVE"

Material self refer to tangible objects,people or places that carry the designation 'my' or
'mine'( your possessions, your home, your body)

Material self consists of all the materialistic items belongs to that person. (Family
members, house, own body parts are included in the materialistic self. In empirical self a
person is always known as hinself or herself.

Materialism is a variable relevant to many aspects of economic psychology

A discussion of the potential relationship between materialism and several economic

variable, including use of money, work motivation, giving and materialism

The use of economic goods in social communication and the potential role of
materialism in such communication

2 subclasses of the material self

A. Bodily self

The bodily component of the material self requires little explanation. A person speaks of
my arms ormy legs. These entities are clearly intimate part of who we are.
The body is the innermost part of the material self in each of us and certain parts of the
body seem more intimately ours than the rest. The clothes comes next. The old saying
that the human person is composed of three parts-- sould, body, and clothes-- is more
than a joke.
But our sense of self is not limited to our bodies. In includes other people, pets,
possessions, places (hometown) and the products of your labors( my painting)
B. Extracorporeal (beyond the body) self
Rosenberg (1979) has referred to the extracorporeal self as the extended self
It is not the physical entities themselves, however, that comprise the material self.
Rather, it is our psychological ownership of them (Scheibe, 1985)

Roland Barthes

• studies the concept of semiology

• people assert their identities through objects

• objects are reflections of the wider loves of communities and individual

"I have therefore i am"

Comparing ourselves with others will lead us to constantly feeling dissatisfied and never
happy with what we have. This is also what consumerism wants because it makes
people active consumers on a regular basis. Thus, consumerism, not only affects our
behavior, it also affects our thinking process

I shop Therefore I am : Therefore I am?

–tend to report we are looking into the world of CONSUMER CULTURE
–shopping us from finding true and sincere happiness
–days that, shopping often works as a substitute for something that he are missing in
life . is it true?

FACTORS
Material Possessions
·signify aspects of one's sense self and identity
·one's sense of self and identity is influential on how an individual chooses to purchase
his/her wants and he/she makes economic decisions that will address his/her personal
and social needs
Factors in purchasing items and services
1. Financial constraints
2. Availability of items and services
3. Influence of family and friends
Needs vs. Wants
•important of •synonymous

survival with luxuries

In the process of acquiring material goods, people generally consider two

things :UTILITY as how things serve its practical purpose and SIGNIFICANCE
concerning the meaning assigned to the object.