GEC1 Notes Finals 2.
Significance – concerned with the meaning assigned
Do possessions define us? Materialism? Happiness?
People are likely to purchase products that relate to
their personality.
Material/Economic Self
- according to William James (an American
philosopher and psychologist known as the
Father of American psychology) material self is
part of our empirical self, together with our
social self and spiritual self
- empirical self refers to all various ways people
answer the question “Who Am I”; James call
this as “me”
- material self refers to tangible objects, people,
or places that carry the designation of my or
mine
2 subclasses according Rosenberg (1979)
A. Body Self – your own body
B. Extracorporeal (extended self)
- includes everything which we consider as
“ours”; other people (children), pets,
possessions (house), place (home-town)s, and
products of our labors (paintings) aka
POSSESSIONS
- it is not the physical entities themselves but
rather the psychological ownership of them
- material possessions tell something about the
personality and social value of those who own
them
Social Self - how we are regarded and recognized by
others
Relational Self – defined in terms of specific
interpersonal relationships
a. describes ourselves in relation to other people (eg.
daughter of a general)
b. assume that people share their same thoughts and
feelings, and sometimes confuse their own traits and
attitudes, to those of others
c. people learn about themselves by comparing
themselves with others and by seeing themselves
reflected in other people’s eyes
d. describes themselves in relation-specific terms
eg. playful with friends
Factors Affecting the Material/Economic Self
1. Financial Constraints
2. Availability of items and services
3. Influence of family and friends
4. Wants (luxury) vs. Needs (important for survival)
Factors to consider in acquiring material goods:
1. Utility – how things serve a practical purpose
to the object; how the object becomes a powerful
symbols or icons of habit
Note: According to Barthes, it is through objects that
people assert their identities. Objects are not just things
but are reflections of the wider lives of communities
and individuals: the things people possess are also sync
with was is valued by their community. Semiology is a
study of objects as signs.
Possession of material things also indicates one’s status
in society. These possessions are perceived as personal
choices that define people to a certain extent
(material/economic self) which is an extension of
his/her social identity
Theory of Meaning of material possessions:
1. Instrumental Function
- functional properties of a product
2. Social Symbolic Function
- signify personal qualities, social standing, group
affiliation and gender role
3. Categorical Function
- extent to which material possession may be
used to communicate group membership and
status
4. Self-expressive Function
- a person’s unique values, qualities or
- attitudes
Note: Hence, one’s sense of self and identity is
influential on how an individual choose to purchase
his/her wants and how he/she makes economic
decisions that will address his/her personal and social
desires.
Economic self-presentation and identity
1. Economic consciousness
-
2. Economic self-sufficiency
- ability of individual and families to consistently
meet their needs
3. Economic identity
- a result of social categorization; eg. rich, poor,
middle class
4. Consumer identity
- pattern of consumption; has become more
meaning-based; brands are often used as
symbolic resources for the construction of
identity
Motivation in acquiring material goods
1. Status
- extent which people believe that they can
derive a sense of recognition or achievement
from owning and using the right kind of product
- may increase consumption and can motivate
behavior
2. Affective motive
- emotions serve as a motivator
 - people buy the goods because of the joy or
happiness that buying the goods provide to
them
Consumerism
- makes people active consumers on a regular
basis
- affects not only our behavior but as well as our
thinking process
Problem with 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 worldview and characters
6. It is unsustainable
How to avoid the trap of consumerism
1. Exercise Intellectual Independence
- be aware of how consumerism controls your life
- don’t be affected by unwanted external pressures
- ignore advertising, think of yourself
- question all information to you, and start looking for
information yourself
2. Consume Less, Live More
- think of what really matters to you and how you want
to live it
- strive to live the life YOU want, not how others think
you ought to live
Note: Shopping has turned into a lifestyle. It often
works as a substitute for something we are missing in
life. Is it true?
 Consumption vs Production (free will)
 Conscious Consumption – practicing responsible
buying habits
 Psychological/Sociological Consumption – happiness
seems to be attached to buying something
Components of the self
Who are you? What makes you “you”?
Self-concept (positive vs negative)
- Overarching idea we have about who we are –
physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and
in other terms of any other aspects that make
up who we are
- We form and regulate our self-concept as we
grow based on the knowledge we have about
ourselves; it is multi-dimensional, and can be
broken down into these individual aspects
What is self-concept?
1. over-all idea of who we are and includes cognitive
and affective judgments about ourselves
2. multi-dimensional, incorporating our views of
ourselves in terms of several different aspects
3. learned, not inherent
4. biological, environmental and social factors
5. develops through childhood and early adulthood
when it is more easily updated/changed
6. it can be changed in later years, but it is more of an
uphill battle since people who have established ideas
about who they are;
7. does not always align with reality (when it does it is
congruent, when it does not it is incongruent)
Identity and Self-concept theory in Psychology vs. Self-
Concept in Sociology
1. sociology/social psychology focuses on how self-
concept develops, specifically within the context of the
individual’s social environment
2. psychology focuses on how self-concept impacts
people (focus on the individual)
Theory of the Self by Carl Rogers
- Humanistic view
- Theory of how self-concept influences and acts
as the framework for one’s personality
- The image we have of who we are contributes
to our personality and our actions combined
with our personality create a feedback loop into
our image of ourselves
- When we reach our full-potential, our self-
concept, self-worth (self-esteem) and ideal self
all overlap
3 Selves according to Carl Rogers
1. Ideal Self – who we want to be
2. Self-Image – who we think we are; the way we see
ourselves physically, our social roles, and our
personality traits
3. True Self – who we actually are
3 components of the self by Carl Rogers
1. Self-Image - the way we see ourselves physically, our
social roles, and our personality traits
2. Self-Esteem – the value we place to ourselves;
dependent on how we evaluate ourselves; those
evaluations incorporate our personal comparisons to
others as well as others’ responses to us
- relates to a person’s attractiveness and social
competence
-
answers to the question “am I good enough?”
3. Ideal Self – who we would like to be; there’s often a
difference between one’s self-image and one’s ideal
self; the incongruity can negatively impact one’s self-
esteem
Congruent – fully functioning person; positive self-
regard; self-love; like themselves; needs unconditional
positive regard from parents
- greater congruence = self-actualization
Positive self-regard
- includes love, sympathy, warmth, acceptance, and
respect which people crave from family, friends, and
other significant people
Conditional Positive Regard
- refers to positive regard received as a result of
acceptable behavior or living up to the expectations and
standards of others
Unconditional Positive Regard
- refers to the love and acceptance received by a person
regardless of who he/she does
Concepts related to self:
- having a clear perception of your personality, including
strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivations,
and emotions
- allows us to understand other people and how they
perceive you; your attitude and responses to them in
the moment
- an attribute of emotional intelligence
- first stage in developing self-concept
Self-efficacy
- an individual’s judgment of their own abilities
- reflects confidence in the ability to exert control over
one’s own motivation, behavior, and social environment
- rooted in Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory
Characteristics of people with strong sense of self-
efficacy:
1. view challenging problems as tasks to be mastered
2. develop deeper interest in the activities in which they
participate
3. form a stronger sense of commitment to their
interests and activities
4. recover quickly from setbacks and disappointments
Characteristics of people with weak sense of self-
efficacy:
1. avoid challenging tasks
2. believe that difficult tasks and situations are beyond
their capabilities
3. focus on personal failings and negative outcomes
4. quickly lose confidence in personal abilities
How to develop high self-efficacy:
1. mastery experiences – performing tasks successfully
strengthens our sense of self-efficacy
2. social modeling – witnessing other people
successfully completing tasks is another important
source of self-efficacy
3. social persuasion – verbal encouragement from other
helps people overcome self-doubt and instead focus on
giving their best effort to the task at hand
4. psychological responses – moods, emotional states,
physical reactions, stress levels can impact how a
person feels about their abilities in a particular situation
- “it is not the sheer intensity of emotional and physical
reactions that is important but rather how they are
perceived and interpreted”
- minimize stress and elevate mood to improve self
efficacy
How to improve self-efficacy:
1. celebrate your success
2. observe others
3. seek positive affirmations
4. pay attention to your thoughts and emotions
Quick informal assessment of self-efficacy levels:
1. Do you feel like you can handle problems if you are
willing to work hard?
2. Are you confident in your ability to achieve your
goals?
3. Do you feel like you can manage unexpected events
that come up?
4. Are you able to bounce back fairly quickly after
stressful events?
5. Do you feel like you can come up with solutions when
you are facing a problem?
6. Do you keep trying even when things seem difficult?
7. Are you good at staying calm even in the face of
chaos?
8. Do you perform well even under pressure?
9. Do you tend to focus on your progress rather than
getting overwhelmed by all you still have to do?
10. Do you believe that hard work will eventually pay
off?
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
- a motivational theory in psychology comprising a 5-tier
model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical
levels within a pyramid
Self-actualization
- goal of every human being
- self-fulfillment; realization of one’s full potential
Characteristics of Self-Actualized People
1. high level of moral development and are more
concerned with the welfare of loved ones, friends, and
humanity in general than themselves; strong moral and
ethical standards
2. open, honest and have the courage to act on their
convictions, even it makes them unpopular; resistant to
enculturation but not purposely unconventional;
establish deep satisfying interpersonal relationships
with few people
3. have an accurate, concrete, and realistic – rather than
romanticized – view of people and life, and yet, they are
positive about life; democratic attitudes
4. life is always challenging and fresh to self-actualizing
individuals; natural and spontaneous in their actions
and feelings
Moral Self
Dilemma – a problematic situation in which a difficult
choice must be made
- most of the time, the consequences of any of the
choices are perceived to be negative or unappealing to
the person involved
Moral – related to the sense or standard that
determines what is right and what is wrong 4. Uninvolved/Neglectful
- “hands-off” in the affairs of their children
Morality – fundamental question of right and wrong,
justice and fairness and basic human rights Most parents combine different styles in child-rearing.
- refers to the systems of beliefs and values that ensures
that individuals will keep their obligations to others in
the society and behave in ways that do not interfere
with the rights and interests of others

Moral Reasoning – refers to the judgments people make

about what courses of action are correct or incorrect in
particular situations
- reasoning is a cognitive skill but influences moral
development

Piaget Theory of Moral Development

- forms the basis of Kohlberg’s theory
a. heteronomous morality (4-10 years old)
b. Autonomous morality (10+ years)

Heteronomous Morality (moral absolutism)

a. morals are objective
b. follow rules no matter what the consequences are
c. authority figures determine rights and wrongs

Autonomous Morality (moral relativism)

a. grey areas
b. subjective
c. able to consider perspective of others

Parenting Styles and Practices

1. Authoritarian
- attempts to shape, control, and evaluate the behavior
and attitudes of their children in accordance with an
absolute set of conduct standards that usually comes
from religious or respected authorities
- use harsh discipline and punishment; obedience
becomes a virtue
- do not communicate well with their children and do
not communicate well with children, and do not explain
the rationale behind the rules and the consequences of
their actions
- do not listen to the viewpoints of their children and
may use force to ensure compliance

2. Authoritative
- direct their children’s activities in a rational and
intelligent way
- are supportive, loving and committed
- support a give-and-take relationship
- discuss their rules and policies with their children and
encourage children to present their viewpoints
- offer explanations for rules and consequences

3. Permissive
- less controlling and behave with an accepting and non-
punishing attitude towards their children’s desires,
actions, and impulses
- use reason rather than direct power
- warm and supportive, but tend to not enforce rules
- lacks discipline, children tend to make their own rules
even if they can benefit from paternal rules